[heliuscc]

Hi
Do the reviewers on here pay for their IEMs, or are they given to them. In the interests of transparency I feel it would be good to know. Someone who pays £400 may feel influenced to like them as they've paid for them. Or someone who has been given a £400 pair of IEMs may feel they have to review favourably or they won't get any more freebies. I'm not knocking anyone, I just feel it would help me to calibrate a review if I know how the item under review is sourced. Thanks.

 

[rawrster]

It varies. Some of them do and some don't. It could be something they bought, given by a manufacturer or sometimes loaners from other members.

 

[heliuscc]

It might be nice to know in a review though, don't you think?

 

[Ivabign]

Most reviews (and reviewers) reveal that information in the body of the review. I have read many times a shout out to whomever supplied the headphone. In addition, many of the reviews tend to be of borrowed headphones - that is to say, someone else bought it, but it was shipped to the reviewer temporarily so they could share their insights. I imagine there are some reviews here on the site with dubious motives, but based on just reading a lot of reviews - I get a feeling that for the most part, everything is on the up and up - that is to say - for the benefit of the reader in the spirit of helping us find products that fit in our budget and sonic preferences.

 

[heliuscc]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting that, I just wanted to know. Are review samples lent, then returned, or just given?

 

[Radio_head]

If you have questions about any particular reviewer's situation with loans/samples/whatever, I'd just ask them.  There's a whole lot of red flags to help you figure out whether someone's review is worth anything to you.  Source of the item is only one of them.

 

[ostewart]

I get sent most of the things I review by the company, I always state who sent the product. Also I try to write honest reviews, as I think it's better for whose reading. I wrote pretty negative things about some of Sony's products, I still work with them. The companies usually favour honest reviews most of the time I think.
And, I'll write an honest review, if it's bad I'll say what's bad about it, even if they decide not to work with me anymore., at least I've written an honest review.
Dunu thank me for writing honestly and stating where the products don't fare as well.
Even when given the Shure SE535, I didn't feel bribed to write a glowing review.
Most samples I get to keep, some I have to send back.

 

[heliuscc]

Thanks for telling me, appreciated.

 

[Asr]

Review samples typically should be returned to the manufacturer (or whoever provided the sample). If you ever see a case of that not occurring, you should report it.
 
Quote:

Someone who pays £400 may feel influenced to like them as they've paid for them. Or someone who has been given a £400 pair of IEMs may feel they have to review favourably or they won't get any more freebies. I'm not knocking anyone, I just feel it would help me to calibrate a review if I know how the item under review is sourced. Thanks.

 
I wouldn't say every reviewer is compelled to rate something positively that they paid for or received on loan from a manufacturer. (I'm one of them and will honestly rate something negatively whether or not I paid for it or received it on loan, even direct from a manufacturer.) Every reviewer also has their own motivations - some people might write only about the products that they like, for example. Or in the case of a negative review, it just might never get published and is sent back only to the manufacturer for improvement of the product. There are likely other explanations for the fact that positive reviews generally outnumber negative reviews on Head-Fi as well.

 

[Ivabign]

Quote:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting that, I just wanted to know. Are review samples lent, then returned, or just given?

If I lend something to a reviewer - I want it back!! lol
 
Also - if you notice in the for sale/trade forums - a lot of the reviewers end up selling the stuff they bought to review - it is a hobby for most, I imagine...