funny you asked, I didn't realize one of my recordings was mono until I properly adjusted the speaker positions. It sounds like everything is coming from a spot between the speakers. when it isn't adjusted, it sounds like a big wall of sound.
flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
That's the thing. I need the time now to get back on my feet with my job (some setbacks and the move away from the UK has damaged my academic career) and so I need to build up something new. After that I expect I will be back to something I obsess over and then there will be little time left beyond work and training. Still, music will always stay important, as I often work with IEMs in to isolate myself from my surrounding and keep my brain calm with classical music.Ditto, I have a full time job and kids anyway (and a life) so it would be hard to really do this consistently.
It’s a hobby and it’s about sharing indeed, it’s all about the pleasure of listening to music
I tried getting my wife interested in audio and that didn't work, but ever since she got into bikes she has been putting me to shame. We currently have a new custom carbon aero wheel set in the works for her new bike, so we can transfer the wheels from that one to her old bike. I would say that is head-fi credit for me, but she is too clever and keeps tempting me with new bike stuff and I can't resist. So below the line the balance is in her favour because I still owe her a couple of puppies for my Phantom. Well played!
mvvRAZ
Headphoneus Supremus
Hey to my former avatar Doppelgänger (yeah, I changed the long standing old one)
Well that’s not the way I look at things review wise... I am very suspicious of any reviewer trying to shoot at objectivity as it’s simply not possible as two people don’t have the same ears and much less the same brain... objectivity is also a slippery slope where some would own the truth and others would not. My experience on some threads is that people who start arguments and are adamant they know better when they disagree with your impressions are not the most reliable (at all). The people I trust and respect the most are those who stay humble and honest, and have a good understanding of their own preferences and can still appreciate what they don’t favor. When @flinkenick did the shootout I loved that he took such length to explain the approach he had to the shootout and his criterias for ranking. This gave everyone a common frame of reference to read his shootout reviews which was oh so helpful.
I think I used the wrong term there - honesty would be a better way to put it as opposed to objectivity - if I want to say I hated a product and believe there's way, way better options out there at that price point, I'd like to be able to say so. HFN is very positive in every single review of theirs, which in the end of the day is something that ends up misleading others imo.
The second, and more major reason was that if I were to write for them I'd have to stop posting on here, and I love y'all way too much to say goodbye
Hey to my former avatar Doppelgänger (yeah, I changed the long standing old one
Well that’s not the way I look at things review wise... I am very suspicious of any reviewer trying to shoot at objectivity as it’s simply not possible as two people don’t have the same ears and much less the same brain... objectivity is also a slippery slope where some would own the truth and others would not. My experience on some threads is that people who start arguments and are adamant they know better when they disagree with your impressions are not the most reliable (at all). The people I trust and respect the most are those who stay humble and honest, and have a good understanding of their own preferences and can still appreciate what they don’t favor. When @flinkenick did the shootout I loved that he took such length to explain the approach he had to the shootout and his criterias for ranking. This gave everyone a common frame of reference to read his shootout reviews which was oh so helpful.
So don’t let subjectivity stop you, as long as you don’t mistake it with the truth you’ll be ok.
I can see how it could get to this point where it would become a chore since the StealthSonics review tour which was the first time I had a deadline and short time to write those. In my case, it has not happened so far as I can review only what I can afford to own so....
Ditto, I have a full time job and kids anyway (and a life
It’s a hobby and it’s about sharing indeed, it’s all about the pleasure of listening to music
Yeah, sorry about that Stealthsonics stuff!
As you say, that's where the rubber meets the road on this reviewing hobby - for me personally, I've got a busy job and a young one due shortly so along with playing rugby as much as my aging body will still let me and actually having a life, In always very conscious to keep the whole reviewing thing in proper perspective.Like Wyville has already said, it's important to keep it enjoyable and fun - I really like the process of writing my thoughts down (hence why most of my reviews are so long!) but it's not a job and is still secondary to enjoying the music for me. This hobby is all about music - I love listening to tracks on whatever gear I have available, and I've been very lucky to get into a position both where I can afford to buy some great pieces of tech and be in a position to listen to some others I could never justify buying myself.
On the subject of objectivity, I'm inherently sceptical about a reviewer who claims to be completely neutral. There are some out there, but most people have inherent preferences adding how they want to hear music, and that will translate into how they describe something to others. I always try and be fair with my assessment of gear (if it can't do sub bass, it can't do sub bass, for instance), but my opinion on what constitutes good or bad in that area will be hugely different from someone else anyway, so it's all subjective. As people have said, that's what makes Nic's shootout so useful - he gives criteria, explanation and context for his assessments.
Lastly, on the point of positive reviews, I find that an interesting one. Professional sites should have more unfavorable reviews by my reckoning, as they are getting a wide selection of gear, not all of it matched to the preference of the reviewer. Personally I find most (but not all) of my reviews tend to err towards positive purely because I only do this as a hobby, so I'm pretty picky about what I will buy to review, or what I will be happy to review on loan or as a freebie. This isn't because I think I have a right to choose (apart from when I'm opening my own wallet), but purely because I don't want to waste two or three weeks of my own limited listening time with something that I know doesn't fit my own personal preference for sound. I do love being surprised by things, but generally I just tend to avoid thin or ultra bright sounding IEMs, as I need something different from my music. This then tends to be a self perpetuating cycle, as in the rare occasion I do get offered something to listen to by a manufacturer, it tends to be something that sits firmly in my tubing sweet spot, as they know what sound I like.
Bottom line - as long as a reviewer understands their own bias and is honest about communicating that to the reader (or viewer), I think that's pretty much all you can hope for in this hobby.
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HI Michael, I never said you couldn't post on Headfi anymore. We all do. Just not reviews, which is rather logic.
If you can only find good reviews, you're reading the wrong ones imo. Several companies, including popular ones, have stopped working with us because we disliked their product.
It's perfectly fine for me that you changed your mind, but please don't spread wrong information. If you suddenly have an issue with me or the site, please do send me a pm to discuss.
Thank you.
mvvRAZ
Headphoneus Supremus
Ah ok that’s fair enough then - my bad on the posting, it’s my misunderstanding
As to the reviews, it might’ve been a coincidence that I have only come across overly positive ones, and that isn’t just on HFN, but rather on many review websites
Yeah, I think that is a profound difference between a professional website and reviewing as a hobby. Professional websites have the time and resources to review many more products and are therefore much better positioned to be comprehensive in the number of products they review, do comparisons and be much more effective consumer advocates. Hobbyists like us are not in the same position and so it makes it more logical that we will be critical about what we do and do not review. I personally don't bother with anything I don't like or even find too much of a risk. Heck, I decline stuff I like simply because of inconvenient timing. I still take my reviews seriously and always try to maintain a high standard and improve that over time, but that is because I enjoy that aspect of it as well and hope to make a positive contribution to the hobby (to counteract the dodgy review spammers).
Or you can just get a 7.1 system and call it a day. Imagine being bamboozled by Heifetz playing a cadenza that running from left to right and around the back of your head like "Man, how'd you move so fast?"
lololol I also have a 5.1 system in the same room but I still prefer the 2 channel
Play both at the same time and you would get a 7.1 system. It's simple math.
Well put.
The field is full of reviewers atm and many companies and stores seem to favor more the spam rather than detailed well thought out reviews.
I had less time last year and also this year due to a changed work schedule, two kids and others activities.
I still enjoy reviewing (mostly) but dont have the time i used to for the TLDR reviewing style. I also turn down more review units than i accept - going for the excellent, curious or companies that are small.
Its easier to write about what excites me or intrigues me - gives me an energy boost.
My queue is short, and getting shorter so i can dedicate proper time to each review rather than dialing it in with pretty pics, specs and surface sound impressions.
Most experienced reviewers could probably just use their imagination and write some word salad and the majority of readers would be none the wiser i would guess.
Anyway. Less gear to review ups my enjoyment of the writing, listening and photography process by allowing me more time to do it properly.
Once enjoyment stops its time to dial it back or stop completely. Imho.
Plus i need time to make irreverent memes
Cirkle ov Hife
That is what I have been working towards as well now; a short review queue and just selecting things that genuinely interest me. Well, that's the plan at least. I have the short queue down to a tee considering I have nothing in there at the moment, and now I just need to find the really interesting opportunities to spend some quality time with items of gear that for one reason or another capture my attention. No idea if it will work or if I will just fall back into the "I can't say no"-situation where I end up piling on too many reviews, but at least I managed to break the cycle, so that's a start.Well put.
The field is full of reviewers atm and many companies and stores seem to favor more the spam rather than detailed well thought out reviews.
I had less time last year and also this year due to a changed work schedule, two kids and others activities.
I still enjoy reviewing (mostly) but dont have the time i used to for the TLDR reviewing style. I also turn down more review units than i accept - going for the excellent, curious or companies that are small.
Its easier to write about what excites me or intrigues me - gives me an energy boost.
My queue is short, and getting shorter so i can dedicate proper time to each review rather than dialing it in with pretty pics, specs and surface sound impressions.
Most experienced reviewers could probably just use their imagination and write some word salad and the majority of readers would be none the wiser i would guess.
Anyway. Less gear to review ups my enjoyment of the writing, listening and photography process by allowing me more time to do it properly.
Once enjoyment stops its time to dial it back or stop completely. Imho.
Plus i need time to make irreverent memes
Cirkle ov Hife
The memes though... that I can never compete with.
Speaking of reviews and Stealth Sonics, here's my take on the U4!
Well, that's not a question?
:3 Oh Lime Ears
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