[Sajid Amit]

IMO you seem to be looking for absolute objectivity in reviews. Reviewers are all doing reviews based on their preferences, which in some cases means an amp/DAC you don’t agree with. And that’s fine, both what you’re looking for and what reviewers choose as their preferred setup.

Couldn’t have put it better

 

[chesebert]

Hey man. I review for fun. I don’t get paid for it. I am an audiophile first.

Reviewing is a way of sharing my journey with others and having fun while doing it.

If you don’t like my choice of gears, feel free to watch other reviews?

Because I am likely to stick to gears that I like.

Thought you were a “reviewer” with a YT show. My bad. Carry on then.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thought you were a “reviewer” with a YT show. My bad. Carry on then.

He is a reviewer. He's not a professional reviewer who gets paid for providing his opinion which makes his views less biased and in my opinion more reliable. I find I have much more in common with people who buy the products for their own use rather than those who make a living at it.

 

[chesebert]

He is a reviewer. He's not a professional reviewer who gets paid for providing his opinion which makes his views less biased and in my opinion more reliable. I find I have much more in common with people who buy the products for their own use rather than those who make a living at it.

I agree.

 

[chesebert]

Even if it is FOTM, it certainly is a great DAC and won't become magically worse once the hype is over.

The other concerns like "will the company be around and Service my device in 10 years" are valid tho

Has anyone compared Holo to the usual suspects? I have not come across any such comparison myself.

I am generally nervous when I see an unknown guy (ie a rando) coming up with a dac that is supposedly killing giants - have heard this story too many times.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Has anyone compared Holo to the usual suspects? I have not come across any such comparison myself.

I am generally nervous when I see an unknown guy (ie a rando) coming up with a dac that is supposedly killing giants - have heard this story too many times.

Depends, what are the "usual suspects" in your book?

 

[chesebert]

Depends, what are the "usual suspects" in your book?

MSB, dCS, Emm Labs, Playback Designs, BAD, Weiss, Bricasti.

I guess Chord is among them now given their unique filter design.

 

[ThanatosVI]

MSB, dCS, Emm Labs, Playback Designs, BAD, Weiss, Bricasti.

I guess Chord is among them now given their unique filter design.

There probably are a few comparisons to the Bartok, but since all the offerings of those companies are priced significantly higher than the May, nobody really compares them.

Actually with the exception of dCS those brands have only had very low presence on head-fi in the past few years.
At least on head-fi those aren't the "usual suspects" anymore

Edit: it get's compared to the Dave rather frequently. The Dave certainly qualifies as "usual suspect" here

 

[chesebert]

There probably are a few comparisons to the Bartok, but since all the offerings of those companies are priced significantly higher than the May, nobody really compares them.

Actually with the exception of dCS those brands have only had very low presence on head-fi in the past few years.
At least on head-fi those aren't the "usual suspects" anymore

Headfi jumps from one FOTM to the next so there is that.

I get Holo is lower priced than those brands but why is there almost no information on any comparison with known brands? You have people comparing mid level gear to TOTL all the time when you read print publications.

I would love to try May but I bet there is no 30 day no question asked return policy

 

[ThanatosVI]

Headfi jumps from one FOTM to the next so there is that.

I get Holo is lower priced than those brands but why is there almost no information on any comparison with known brands? You have people comparing mid level gear to TOTL all the time when you read print publications.

I mostly read here comparisons between products of similar price.
In case of the Holo those are devices like chord Dave, Rockna Wavelight, Denafrips Terminator (all the other FOTMs basically...)
Or Devices someone upgraded from like Holo Spring, Schiit Yggdrassil etc.

Sometimes also pricier outliers like the Tambaqui or Bartok.

Here on head-fi there certainly is no "golden standard" things get measured against.
Reason for that is probably that most content over here is created by private Audio enthusiasts that share their opinion on what they personally auditioned without access to the big players to compare to

 

[DeweyCH]

Headfi jumps from one FOTM to the next so there is that.

I get Holo is lower priced than those brands but why is there almost no information on any comparison with known brands? You have people comparing mid level gear to TOTL all the time when you read print publications.

I would love to try May but I bet there is no 30 day no question asked return policy

Perhaps the dedicated thread for the Holo May that has been running since 2017 would have the information you seek? Or be a more relevant place to ask about it?

Posts with MSB

 

[chesebert]

Perhaps the dedicated thread for the Holo May that has been running since 2017 would have the information you seek? Or be a more relevant place to ask about it?

Posts with MSB

So I am suppose to trust some rando with 20 posts saying May is a hair distance from Select? Could be a shill for all I know.

 

[DeweyCH]

So I am suppose to trust some rando with 20 posts saying May is a hair distance from Select? Could be a shill for all I know.

Then don't buy it. I don't know what to tell you dude, you're pretty worked up over the DAC choice of a guy who gives his opinion on headphones he likes. If you want comparisons between the May and specific other DACs, ask in the May thread.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

So I am suppose to trust some rando with 20 posts saying May is a hair distance from Select? Could be a shill for all I know.

No, you trust whomever you trust for whatever criteria you want. You seem to have quite a bit of disdain for headfi. Why are you even here?

 

[chesebert]

No need for personal attack. You all just do you.