First post in the thread is nice, we had a few discussions when you were a mod, but nothing personal.
I agree that we can call this forum "Ad-fi", it's not a good place for "correct" info, I use it to discover new products that can interest me (or not) or rant about something I don't like, also, it's very useful to improve my english.
About the "glowing" reviews to not upset manufacturers, this should be expressed in the review, like "I'm allowed to say only good things" or "I work for the manufacturer promoting this product", which, if specified, it's completely fair.
There's a very useful thread in another forum about this, which is called "...as if we didn't know Head-fi was the home of the shills..."
In the 3rd page, second post, there's some interesting legal info about this, I'll copy/paste it:
"I recommend familiarizing yourself with the FTC's 2009 guidelines on endorsements (attached hereto) and the recent guidance it disseminated regarding same. The FTC has made it very clear what the rules are and how to comply. I'll get you started. Example 7 concerning Section 255.5 seems particularly apt to me:
- Example 7 (section 255.5 disclosure of material connections): A college student who has earned a reputation as a video game expert maintains a personal weblog or “blog” where he posts entries about his gaming experiences. Readers of his blog frequently seek his opinions about video game hardware and software. As it has done in the past, the manufacturer of a newly released video game system sends the student a free copy of the system and asks him to write about it on his blog. He tests the new gaming system and writes a favorable review. Because his review is disseminated via a form of consumer-generated media in which his relationship to the advertiser is not inherently obvious, readers are unlikely to know that he has received the video game system free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, and given the value of the video game system, this fact likely would materially affect the credibility they attach to his endorsement. Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system free of charge. The manufacturer should advise him at the time it provides the gaming system that this connection should bedisclosed, and it should have procedures in place to try to monitor his postings for compliance."
Writing a review "to not upset the manufacturer" without saying it, like it is an honest user review, it's illegal, at least in the USA.