True guys. I admitted and will continue to admit my folly for stating or giving my impression that JH16's (or 13's) are objectively better or the universal "consensus" pick as best.
Certainly it's partly subjective, partly dependent on music interests, and also dependent on source gear -- all which vary widely.
In retrospect, I didn't state it properly, but my feeling (and attempted point) was simply that more audiophiles (here and elsewhere)
seem to prefer JH products.I should have made a less strong or objectively sounding statement, because the reality is that there is no official measure. Again, I stand corrected. Even popularity is misleading (and I do
believe that JH sells more than Westone, and possibly UE) -- because even if that were true, it means nothing objective about quality either. Sales is more a function of marketing versus other factors (like quality) -- and if sales = quality, Monster Beats (or a mass product like that) would be "best."
One thing I
DO feel - which ties into this thread - is that our perception of consensus, even if not objective or officially 100% accurate, is VERY important and often how buying decisions are made online. I'm quite sure most JH customers purchased based on reading many favorable reviews, even favorable comparative reviews, and I'm sure the same will be the case with the 3A. If there are a lot of favorable reviews and the consensus seems to be that it's awesome, many will buy on that basis. Including me. It can lead to more mistakes, but if didn't judge by this, then it would mean sitting on the sideline waiting forever to demo the product
Like I said, doing comparative tests is not always possible - in many cases it's rarely possible - except for the very small minority with connections, or who attend meets.
I've admitted my error in pushing my perception of consensus of JH/"best" as fact, yet overall we shouldn't fault people for trying to read many reviews and come to some sort conclusion about whether a product is worth trying/buying based on that sort of assessment. It's actually a MUCH more evolved way to purchase vs. impulse buying that many consumers do, more than ever online people will purchase this way in absence of seeing/touching/experiencing the product beforehand.
Also, different reviewers have different weight. I really value what those like Warp, JP and others have to say about the product -- and so if enough guys like that have positive impressions it can be persuasive.