[money4me247]

Reviewers are NOT expected to write positive reviews. That is incorrect. Honesty and openness is what is expected. The fact that HF testers are a random collection means that feedback will be patchy and some will say opposite things to others as happens on Headfi every day.

They're only allowed to discuss the sound in open forums not materials or build. There are conditions that come with the deposit. On an open forum, good, bad and ugly are discussed. Whether the product is sent free or not. It's a cheap headphone for those that want to buy one early. Great, if that's what they want.

I have never been charged for a proto or finished product if it was for review. Are you saying that I'd be more inclined to write a negative review if I bought it?

In any case, I don't like this appearing here personally.

I hope the headphone lives up to all the Beta testers hopes since they will have paid for it in any case. How much do you think it costs to build one?

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect your position. I do disagree though. Professional reviewers and manufacturers often have an 'implicit understanding' prior to getting the review unit. There are many big-name professional reviewers that will not publish a negative review if they find the review unit unsatisfactory. Tyll is one example, and I still have the upmost respect for what he does. That is why I think it is nice that the beta test is open to non-professionals as well.
 
I think a random collection of testers gives a better judge of the final product. As long as the reviewer provides the sonic impressions relative to direct comparison of the gear and states their personally preferred sound signature, I can always get something about of a review. It offers a wider range of perspectives that can only be good for prospective buyers.
 
I am not implying anything about your reviews. I do think that writing about the performance per dollar when a free product is received is definitely not the same as actually having to deal with the performance per value after paying for the item out of pocket. I think some of the best reviews are ones done by people who purchase the product for the purposes of doing an extended at home demo and are deciding whether or not to keep it. The review is written within the return window when there is no vested interest. I do see a lot of positive reviews that conclude something performs well for its price point or is a good value... but those phrases do not mean as much to me if the reviewer didn't actually go through the process of working with a limited budget and deciding where to allocate their money against other competitors on the market. I do personally think a review done on a free product will be biased in a way that makes it harder for actual consumers with a fixed budget to relate to. The total cost and performance:dollar are not taken into consideration as much (imo).
 
All headphones and audiophile gear have very large marked up. It is the nature of this industry. Beta tester would have paid a security deposit, but there is no pressure to like or dislike the item. The security deposit is temporary, and will be refunded upon the return of the item.
 
edit: at the end of the day, we all have different perspectives on this issue. I just wanted to offer mine. Feel free to disagree

 

[money4me247]

  Absolutely, the more you pay the more you expect, that's where placebo kicks in.
 
(Seems like I can't avoid posting after all

)

I do totally agree with that there can be "expectation bias" with increasing prices. This occurs regardless of actually paying for the item, just need a sticker price for that bias to come into play. I do think that if you are aware of that phenomenon, you can mitigate that effect through controlled testing.
 
What the previous poster is talking about is 'vested interest bias' or 'ownership bias.' This bias is prevented if the money invested is refundable and there is no obligation to keep the unit.
 
cheers!

 

[bhazard]

While it isn't necessarily wrong to request a deposit that is almost the full cost for such an expensive headphone (and is a beta unit), it is very disappointing that this wasn't disclosed prior.

Instead of sending out 100+ units, send out 5-10 to some of the more trusted reviewers here without the massive deposit, with stipulations in writing to protect Hifiman's asset.

God forbid anything happens to the unit that I can't prove was defective beforehand, or it gets lost in shipment, I would be on the hook for a massive amount of money. No thanks.

No terms have been disclosed on how or when you would actually get your deposit back. With such a large transaction involved, not having this info available makes the legal side of my brain very cautious.

Remember, the feedback you provide is comparable to testing that many companies pay the individual for. To ask for money on top of this for a non final unit is a bit of an insult in a way.

 

[reddog]

Well said sir, I do not mind paying a deposit, it will be refunded after I am done. Because I have a vested interest, my impressions will be more balanced. I will want to honestly describe the sound signature, and how it compares to other cans I own.

 

[qwerty36]

I am definitely interested. Thanks for this opportunity!!

 

[gurus]

Just too many wanna be lawyers offering legal opinions in this thread.
 
Nobody is going to take anybody to court over this messed up beta testing offer! If you like the beta offer take it and if you don't,  complain about it by posting, which a large(r) percentage is doing.

 

[czy6412]

As a HE6 owner I am very interested in seeing the performance of HE1000 on my system!

 

[Icenine2]

Sadly I too have had to withdraw from Beta testing due to the deposit.  If I was single I would have jumped here but.................  I was thinking initially it would be approximately half the MSRP covering manufacture and I would have to decide on that.  Not that is intended as such but this is quite a genius move to sell a number of these at a great price.
 
Those having a hissy-meltdown over the cost of Beta testing should take a deep breath and decide if they want to own this phone at a great price.  I doubt you will be able to pick these up at this price come the release date.

 

[iancraig10]

There's nothing about legality in this thread. Why on earth are you talking about wannabe lawyers? I think we're talking more about ethics here?

I'm happy to buy a post Beta headphone for the difference in price.

 

[rb2013]

  I do totally agree with that there can be "expectation bias" with increasing prices. This occurs regardless of actually paying for the item, just need a sticker price for that bias to come into play. I do think that if you are aware of that phenomenon, you can mitigate that effect through controlled testing.
 
What the previous poster is talking about is 'vested interest bias' or 'ownership bias.' This bias is prevented if the money invested is refundable and there is no obligation to keep the unit.
 
cheers!

I agree and in fact I would say there would be a bias toward what you already own and obviously like the sound of.  So the new HPs would have to overcome that and the inherent intent bias of not wanting to spend money - and so the mind justifying the current equipment.
 
HiFiMan takes a big risk to put so many out there with equipment most likely not equivalent to their sota demo amp.  So risking a negative review from some folks who are not really equipped to run such a high end HP.  With the 560's it was different.  These HPs need wattage from what I hear.

 

[kapanak]

I agree and in fact I would say there would be a bias toward what you already own and obviously like the sound of.  So the new HPs would have to overcome that and the inherent intent bias of not wanting to spend money - and so the mind justifying the current equipment.

You might be in the wrong forum. Everybody here loves spending money

 

[rb2013]

You might be in the wrong forum. Everybody here loves spending money

We might - but my wife is not so inclined!  And she wields a mean rolling pin. LOL! Who else has Fedex drop the packages in the bushes on delivery. Lol!

 

 

[kapanak]

Just a word of warning to participants: don't discuss anything on other forums, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook or whatever else. It seems Hifiman is legit set on secrecy (as is their right), and checks everywhere.

 

[jelt2359]

I just remembered another programme where plenty of beta testers/ "explorers" ponied up cash (in that case, $1500) for a product.

Google Glass.

 

[iancraig10]

Really. Is this an American marketing practice?