[Flamess]

There has been alot of chances to beta-test things, etc. And I think it would be sooo cool if I could beta-test something. I'm young, I have time on my hands, and I do have a fairly well understanding of audio. (Not to mention I'm on low budget.) My applications on the posts are always well-written, but I never get picked. I looked at all the people who got the honor to beta test. They all had one thing in common, they have atleast 1 or 2 long reviews (thats a minimum.) I can review audio stuff I have, (I've had a couple of items, nothing real expensive.) And its disappointing to see all the older head-fi'ers come and suck all my chances away. (Sorta like the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.)

I said all that to say this: How would you make a comprehensive review? What aspects do you include? Can somebody pleease give me an outline or something? I feel like this will help other newbie head-fiers to start making epic reviews. You can also include tips, that would be awesome.
 
Thanks guys!

 

[Music Alchemist]

Follow the outline @twister6 uses in his reviews.
 
An alternative is to make tons of posts, like me! =D
 
(I don't publish full-length reviews, at least not yet. I just make straight, to the point posts about my experiences. Some people appreciate those types of posts more than longer reviews.)

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  Follow the outline @twister6 uses in his reviews.
 
An alternative is to make tons of posts, like me! =D
 
(I don't publish full-length reviews, at least not yet. I just make straight, to the point posts about my experiences. Some people appreciate those types of posts more than longer reviews.)

Agreed. 
 
Try to start reviewing the stuff you currently have right now, and use a pre-existing template from one of the more seasoned reviewers such as the already mentioned @twister6. The more equipment you already have, the more reviews you can write, and the more practice you get. If you don't have much stuff to go around, there are a lot of really cheap IEMs you can grab for $10 bucks a pop.
 
Practice makes perfect, that's for sure. I can say so myself, also being a young, budding review in the same boat. PM me if you want to talk a little more. 

 
Hope this helps!
~ thatBeatsguy

 

[twister6]

Yep, you gotta start somewhere, nothing comes overnight.  Use other reviews as a guidance.  Not sure if my reviews are a good example for starters because I have a flowing freestyle format.  You can just keep some outline in mind: unboxing, accessories, design, sound analysis, and summary. 
 
Add some pictures.  Try to be honest.  Don't use a slang or txt message short hand writing style - partition text in easy to read paragraphs, use punctuation.  Start with everything you have now and review it first.  Not sure if you are old enough to ever been in a position of applying for a job where you have to submit a resume.  Your reviews is your resume, your body of work.  Companies won't take a chance on you without seeing examples of your previous work. 
 
As Beats mentioned, there are plenty of cheap headphones to buy (like KZ stuff), and it adds to your experience and the list of reviews.  Just don't go crazy with 2-paragraph reviews to build quantity instead of quality.  Better have 2-3 long detailed reviews rather than a dozen of paragraph long impressions.  Stay consistent with review work, and lower your expectations.  Remember, it's not a job, but a hobby - so have fun with it!
 
twister6
-head-fi motivation speaker

 

[Flamess]

-EDIT -  nevermind, that was irrelevant XD

 

[Flamess]

Thanks Twister! And thank you to Music Alchemist and ThatBeatsGuy. All you guys had some awesome advice. You guys are the best! 

 

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  Yep, you gotta start somewhere, nothing comes overnight.  Use other reviews as a guidance.  Not sure if my reviews are a good example for starters because I have a flowing freestyle format.  You can just keep some outline in mind: unboxing, accessories, design, sound analysis, and summary. 
 
Add some pictures.  Try to be honest.  Don't use a slang or txt message short hand writing style - partition text in easy to read paragraphs, use punctuation.  Start with everything you have now and review it first.  Not sure if you are old enough to ever been in a position of applying for a job where you have to submit a resume.  Your reviews is your resume, your body of work.  Companies won't take a chance on you without seeing examples of your previous work. 
 
As Beats mentioned, there are plenty of cheap headphones to buy (like KZ stuff), and it adds to your experience and the list of reviews.  Just don't go crazy with 2-paragraph reviews to build quantity instead of quality.  Better have 2-3 long detailed reviews rather than a dozen of paragraph long impressions.  Stay consistent with review work, and lower your expectations.  Remember, it's not a job, but a hobby - so have fun with it!
 
twister6
-head-fi motivation speaker

That was about the best advice on writing reviews I could ever hope to receive from anywhere. Shame I had to learn everything the hard way. Kudos, Twister! 

 

[H20Fidelity]

There has been alot of chances to beta-test things, etc. And I think it would be sooo cool if I could beta-test something. I'm young, I have time on my hands, and I do have a fairly well understanding of audio. (Not to mention I'm on low budget.) My applications on the posts are always well-written, but I never get picked. I looked at all the people who got the honor to beta test. They all had one thing in common, they have atleast 1 or 2 long reviews (thats a minimum.) I can review audio stuff I have, (I've had a couple of items, nothing real expensive.) And its disappointing to see all the older head-fi'ers come and suck all my chances away. (Sorta like the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.)


I said all that to say this: How would you make a comprehensive review? What aspects do you include? Can somebody pleease give me an outline or something? I feel like this will help other newbie head-fiers to start making epic reviews. You can also include tips, that would be awesome.

Thanks guys!

It's quite simple if you break it up into sections. Never look at it like one big picture. Even do it over a couple of days, a week piece by piece.

For an IEM you want.

Introduction (bit about the company)
Price / Availability
Packaging (you could do a virtual picture unboxing)
Build / Fit / Isolation
Acessories

Then break the sound into 3 main sections.

Bass
Mids
Highs

To keep it going and expand you can add

Soundstage
Separation
Tonality
Versatility
Amping benefits
Synergy

Finally give a conclusion to your review, a summary of the entire write up.


Most importantly, keep it natural, real, your own style. Speaking in highly technical terms can be nice in small doses though not everyone understands. Keep it balanced.

Hint 1: A good reviewer should be able to see the good and bad sides of a product.

Hint 2: Quick reviews pumped out in 2-3 days of an arrived product are often inaccurate or unbalanced. Take your time, let any bias settle.

Hint 3: Don't be intimidated by Brooko encyclopaedia length reviews.

 

[Flamess]

Thanks, this also indeed helps ALOT. Now I know all the components a good review should have. The best I could do is study all the terms I don't know and try applying them!
Thanks H20. 

 

 

[talan7]

Thanks, this also indeed helps ALOT. Now I know all the components a good review should have. The best I could do is study all the terms I don't know and try applying them!
Thanks H20.

I'm about to write my first review and need some help. Where do I post it? How do I make the Pros and Cons boxes? Is there a form to use/follow?

 

[thatBeatsguy]

I'm about to write my first review and need some help. Where do I post it? How do I make the Pros and Cons boxes? Is there a form to use/follow?

You can search through the Head Gear archive and see if the product you're reviewing is already there. The "Write A Review" button should be there.

If the product doesn't yet exist in the archive, you can add one. Don't write your review there, though -- just put basic information of the product itself (or you can just copy-paste that info from its product page if it's available online).

Cheers and good luick!