[Mython]

I'm a reviewer and need to be above suspicion.

If you need to be above suspicion, then I would respectfully suggest that you forget about 'burn-in' fanboys and concern yourself with avoiding doing what it seems 99% of Head-Fi reviewers do, these days...

...namely, accepting free product from vendors, supposedly "in exchange for an unbiased review"

It's disgraceful how common this is on Head-Fi, and, with very good reason, it isn't tolerated in most of the corporate world.

Debate over 'burn-in' pales into insignificance, in comparison to this, if personal integrity is your concern.

There will be plenty of people reading this who won't like it or will feel embarrassed or even threatened by it.

That is not my specific intention, but if it happens to be the case, then so be it; I didn't create the situation which is so rife, here on Head-Fi.

 

[PinkyPowers]

If you need to be above suspicion, then I would respectfully suggest that you forget about 'burn-in' fanboys and concern yourself with avoiding doing what it seems 99% of Head-Fi reviewers do, these days...

...namely, accepting free product from vendors, supposedly "in exchange for an unbiased review"

It's disgraceful how common this is on Head-Fi, and, with very good reason, it isn't tolerated in most of the corporate world.

Debate over 'burn-in' pales into insignificance, in comparison to this, if personal integrity is your concern.

There will be plenty of people reading this who won't like it or will feel embarrassed or even threatened by it.

That is not my specific intention, but if it happens to be the case, then so be it; I didn't create the situation which is so rife, here on Head-Fi.

That does not sound like integrity to me, but shutting myself off from an entire avenue of discussion. My integrity cannot be better served than to write about my experience openly and honestly. I have no need to win a debate. My job is to just explore a product and talk about it.

I'll leave folk like you to fight your wars.

 

[Mython]

That does not sound like integrity to me, but shutting myself off from an entire avenue of discussion. My integrity cannot be better served than to write about my experience openly and honestly. I have no need to win a debate. My job is to just explore a product and talk about it.

I'll leave folk like you to fight your wars.

Eh?

I'm not fighting any war.

I didn't say I'm Pro or Anti, with regard to the 'Burn-In' debate.

As for the 'free product sample for an unbiased review' state of affairs, I simply remarked that it is a more signficant factor in demonstrating integrity, in Head-Fi reviews.

 

[subguy812]

Bigfoot says" burn-in" responsibly

 

[olddude]

When I'm reading about equipment, especially when I'm thinking about buying something new, I like to read a wide range of opinions. While I prefer to read about people's first-hand ownership experiences, I also find reviewers can be helpful as well. I purchased my Angie after reading Pinky's review of the one he owned, including how it paired with his AK120ll (which I also owned at the time). When I decided to upgrade from my UERM, I was all over the place about what to buy. Reading opinions and reviews got me thinking about both a Zeus and a UE18+, but then it seemed like the UE would be too warm for my tastes. I stumbled on Flinkenick's Ranking The Stars thread, and read both his thoughts/rankings as well as all the Head-Fi'ers who joined in with their opinions and experiences. That got me to a place where I was pretty sure I wanted the Zeus, but no one was talking about using it with an AK SP1000. I finally pm'd Malevolent, who had both, to see what he thought. That got me to the buying stage. I would have waited until the next CanJam otherwise to make a purchase, and would have missed out on five months of listening pleasure and reading fun.

I hear what Mython is saying, but I also think that knowing the personal tastes of a reviewer can be helpful, no matter if they purchased a device or were furnished with a freebie. I don't think Head-Fi has gone corporate yet, and I tend to enjoy the reviews I read. Sometimes I will ask questions in a thread, sometimes I will pm a poster to see if he (unfortunately not many she's here, so pardon the pronoun) can answer a question I have. I've even asked certain people what their musical tastes are, to get an idea of how their equipment is responding to a specific genre or if they listen to a genre I listen to. I pm'd Jack about the Zeus with a list of my musical tastes and he suggested the R. On Ranking several folks recommended the XR just to have a choice, and I'm glad I listened as I much prefer the XlV side of the Zeus. It's all due diligence.

 

[Tanjiro]

I truly believe burn in (DD, cable, DAP) myself. Just curious whether BA driver needs to burn in as well.

 

[olddude]

Did you read the previous 2-3 pages? All you need to know is contained within.

 

[subguy812]

The opinions I tend to follow are the folks who appear in the same threads as I am time after time after time therefore I know that their tastes and mine are similar so I value their opinions a lot more. As I've said a few times I don't want anyone to ever read one of my reviews and just take my sole opinion and make a purchase, please do your due diligence.

 

[Deezel177]

If you need to be above suspicion, then I would respectfully suggest that you forget about 'burn-in' fanboys and concern yourself with avoiding doing what it seems 99% of Head-Fi reviewers do, these days...

...namely, accepting free product from vendors, supposedly "in exchange for an unbiased review"

It's disgraceful how common this is on Head-Fi, and, with very good reason, it isn't tolerated in most of the corporate world.

Debate over 'burn-in' pales into insignificance, in comparison to this, if personal integrity is your concern.

There will be plenty of people reading this who won't like it or will feel embarrassed or even threatened by it.

That is not my specific intention, but if it happens to be the case, then so be it; I didn't create the situation which is so rife, here on Head-Fi.

I think everyone has the right to question a reviewer’s integrities, but it wouldn’t be right to question them just because they accept review units. Personally, I don’t even think about whether I get something for free or at a discount or at full price; I’m FAR more concerned about representing the product correctly, so people know whether or not the product’s for them. I’d hate nothing more than to unjustly praise something - to avoid burning bridges - if it meant influencing people to spend thousands of dollars on a product I know they’d hate. I’m not saying it’s not a real problem - it’s definitely a present issue - but we’re not all part of the problem.

EDIT: It’s also important to consider a reviewer’s preferences, biases and listening abilities when reading a review. Sometimes, it can be argued that products are excessively praised simply because the reviewer doesn’t know any better.

 

[XP_98]

When I'm reading about equipment, especially when I'm thinking about buying something new, I like to read a wide range of opinions. While I prefer to read about people's first-hand ownership experiences, I also find reviewers can be helpful as well. I purchased my Angie after reading Pinky's review of the one he owned, including how it paired with his AK120ll (which I also owned at the time). When I decided to upgrade from my UERM, I was all over the place about what to buy. Reading opinions and reviews got me thinking about both a Zeus and a UE18+, but then it seemed like the UE would be too warm for my tastes. I stumbled on Flinkenick's Ranking The Stars thread, and read both his thoughts/rankings as well as all the Head-Fi'ers who joined in with their opinions and experiences. That got me to a place where I was pretty sure I wanted the Zeus, but no one was talking about using it with an AK SP1000. I finally pm'd Malevolent, who had both, to see what he thought. That got me to the buying stage. I would have waited until the next CanJam otherwise to make a purchase, and would have missed out on five months of listening pleasure and reading fun.

I hear what Mython is saying, but I also think that knowing the personal tastes of a reviewer can be helpful, no matter if they purchased a device or were furnished with a freebie. I don't think Head-Fi has gone corporate yet, and I tend to enjoy the reviews I read. Sometimes I will ask questions in a thread, sometimes I will pm a poster to see if he (unfortunately not many she's here, so pardon the pronoun) can answer a question I have. I've even asked certain people what their musical tastes are, to get an idea of how their equipment is responding to a specific genre or if they listen to a genre I listen to. I pm'd Jack about the Zeus with a list of my musical tastes and he suggested the R. On Ranking several folks recommended the XR just to have a choice, and I'm glad I listened as I much prefer the XlV side of the Zeus. It's all due diligence.

I totally agree with your thoughts

 

[Wyville]

When I'm reading about equipment, especially when I'm thinking about buying something new, I like to read a wide range of opinions. While I prefer to read about people's first-hand ownership experiences, I also find reviewers can be helpful as well. I purchased my Angie after reading Pinky's review of the one he owned, including how it paired with his AK120ll (which I also owned at the time). When I decided to upgrade from my UERM, I was all over the place about what to buy. Reading opinions and reviews got me thinking about both a Zeus and a UE18+, but then it seemed like the UE would be too warm for my tastes. I stumbled on Flinkenick's Ranking The Stars thread, and read both his thoughts/rankings as well as all the Head-Fi'ers who joined in with their opinions and experiences. That got me to a place where I was pretty sure I wanted the Zeus, but no one was talking about using it with an AK SP1000. I finally pm'd Malevolent, who had both, to see what he thought. That got me to the buying stage. I would have waited until the next CanJam otherwise to make a purchase, and would have missed out on five months of listening pleasure and reading fun.

I hear what Mython is saying, but I also think that knowing the personal tastes of a reviewer can be helpful, no matter if they purchased a device or were furnished with a freebie. I don't think Head-Fi has gone corporate yet, and I tend to enjoy the reviews I read. Sometimes I will ask questions in a thread, sometimes I will pm a poster to see if he (unfortunately not many she's here, so pardon the pronoun) can answer a question I have. I've even asked certain people what their musical tastes are, to get an idea of how their equipment is responding to a specific genre or if they listen to a genre I listen to. I pm'd Jack about the Zeus with a list of my musical tastes and he suggested the R. On Ranking several folks recommended the XR just to have a choice, and I'm glad I listened as I much prefer the XlV side of the Zeus. It's all due diligence.

This is the most sensible thing to do and I wish more people would approach it this way. Reviews are informative and can be very useful to help narrow down the many, many options at any price point, to a selection that can then be demoed before making a choice. It is never good to take a review as more than an honest opinion, and it is important to keep in mind personal preferences and that biology is more variable than technology (ie. we can perceive sound from the same IEMs differently).

I do understand why @Mython indicates that review samples can be a cause for concern, but I feel this is simply because some people do not have the above common sense and it sometimes escalates into something rather unpleasant. I have experienced this first hand, not for my own reviews, but because I am friends with Nic.

Like @PinkyPowers says, our (reviewer or not) integrity and the hobby in general is best served by sharing our experiences openly and honestly.

It is a bit similar to people complaining about hype, but then I ask... If I have been looking around for IEMs that have a natural/realistic tonality as a priority, and I have had IEMs such as the UE18+ Pro at the top of my wish list, how can I not get excited (hyped) by the prospect of the Phantom? At the end of the day, I got into this hobby to find audio bliss and the Phantom might just well get me there!

 

[ambrose1985]

This is the most sensible thing to do and I wish more people would approach it this way. Reviews are informative and can be very useful to help narrow down the many, many options at any price point, to a selection that can then be demoed before making a choice. It is never good to take a review as more than an honest opinion, and it is important to keep in mind personal preferences and that biology is more variable than technology (ie. we can perceive sound from the same IEMs differently).

I do understand why @Mython indicates that review samples can be a cause for concern, but I feel this is simply because some people do not have the above common sense and it sometimes escalates into something rather unpleasant. I have experienced this first hand, not for my own reviews, but because I am friends with Nic.

Like @PinkyPowers says, our (reviewer or not) integrity and the hobby in general is best served by sharing our experiences openly and honestly.

It is a bit similar to people complaining about hype, but then I ask... If I have been looking around for IEMs that have a natural/realistic tonality as a priority, and I have had IEMs such as the UE18+ Pro at the top of my wish list, how can I not get excited (hyped) by the prospect of the Phantom? At the end of the day, I got into this hobby to find audio bliss and the Phantom might just well get me there!

am i the only person interested in Legend X ? LOL.

 

[Wyville]

am i the only person interested in Legend X ? LOL.

LOL! Strictly theoretically speaking, I would love to see if a Legend X + Phantom combo would be as "end game" for me as it is possible to get in this hobby, but it is out of my current budget. The main reason I am interested in the Phantom over Legend X is simply the tonality. The Legend X sound very exciting and I am sure that someone with different preferences/priorities (like Pinky) will prefer them over the Phantom.

 

[Deezel177]

am i the only person interested in Legend X ? LOL.

I’m keeping a very close eye on the Legend X, but I think my interest for the Phantom stems from its signature; or rather, how rare its signature is in the current landscape of IEMs. Plus, the Phantom is significantly less expensive.

 

[subguy812]

At this point since there hasn't been a final retail release it's all kind of just based on a few folks thoughts and Head-Fi hype about the Phantom and the Legend X. Unless there's something I'm not aware of.