[vitzijak]

Like the title says.  As a newbie, I am confused by the ranking system.  Perhaps I'm missing a FAQ somewhere.  The Nuforce is clearly well regarded -- but the best sounding amp in the world?
 
Perhaps there could be 2 ranks - one for value, one for sound quality?

 

[logwed]

I would ignore the rankings, and instead focus on reviews and impressions of people on head-fi. There is no clear cut rank because each individual has their own preference of coloration and sound signature, as well as their own list of priorities. 

 

[vitzijak]

Any one know how they actually get ranked?

 

[n3rdling]

fotm

 

[nikongod]

 
Quote:

I would ignore the rankings, and instead focus on reviews and impressions of people on head-fi. There is no clear cut rank because each individual has their own preference of coloration and sound signature, as well as their own list of priorities. 

 
Quote:

Any one know how they actually get ranked?

Read what I quoted.

 

[Currawong]

The ranking probably has to do with the number of stars the item receives across all reviews. 
 
Indeed, just ignore the rankings.  If something is Flavor Of The Month (FOTM) here, a bunch of people new to Head-fi will buy it, rave over it, and drive the popularity up, often regardless of its merits or lack of them.

 

[Landis]

Decide on your own ranking system! Buy used gear, try it out, sell it and repeat. You'll often break even and you'll get to hear what every brand offers.

 

[logwed]

Quote:

 
Indeed, just ignore the rankings.  If something is Flavor Of The Month (FOTM) here, a bunch of people new to Head-fi will buy it, rave over it, and drive the popularity up, often regardless of its merits or lack of them.

 
Or even a group of aged head-fiers will go mad for some product... I just enjoy the sell-off at deeply discounted prices that occurs in the subsequent months.
 
Or even a certain admin will basically shill a certain new amplifier...
 
EDIT: I want no beef with the moderating staff, if that is inappropriate, please strike it and/or warn me.

 

[krmathis]

I assume it is based on how many stars the items receive in these 5 categories.

 

[Currawong]

The Head Gear section will probably become most useful once there is a very large amount of gear in there and fills up with a lot of reviews, but it's a start.
 
logwed: I didn't want to come across as negatively as I probably did.  It's more people new to Head-fi getting caught up in whatever products are new, getting one, raving about it (without any other perspective than their iPod or generic sound card) and adding to the cycle.  I did it myself at one stage. 

 
It's not like you think though, I'll just say that much. 

 
I was actually in the midst of comparing some of my gear with the audio output of my MacBook Pro, pondering how far I'd gone, or not, and whether it was worth it, but the LCD-2s arrived...and... you know... can't stop listening with them. 

 

[vitzijak]

Thanks all.  I had no idea it was based on a few stars worth of reviews = much less value than one would guess based on its prominent location on the site!