Audioholics Online A/V Magazine is a serious e-zine whose intention is to reduce confusion and misconception in the ambience of HiFi Audio. And for this it should be commended.
However, the Audioholics forum is definitely not of the same calibre. The more I learn about this forum, the more I realize it is frequented by adolescent minds who in effect are living the high-school experience of either you are in the inner circle... the ''in crowd''... and you agree with those who dominate the various threads or you are an idiot. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.
These people resort to ridicule and name-calling. If you have been accepted in the ''in-crowd'' ... meaning that you have agreed with the ''superior'' minds on this forum (I'm guessing that this is the price of admission)... then you are one who ''should be listened to.'' If not then you run the risk of being assigned a name and that aspersions will be made about your intentions and intelligence... and, ultimately, that you should be ignored.
The fact that such a thing as ''dinging'' is even possible renders this forum a discredit to what I believe Audioholics Online A/V Magazine stands for. I know several people who will not post on this forum because they know that the chances are that anything they have to say will automatically be dismissed and discredited and that they run the risk of being ridiculed.
And now, I have to say that I agree with them. The more I learn about the Audioholics forum, the more I realize that it is not a place where I want to waste my time. I will continue to read the magazine because it offers much valuable information. But this is my very last post on Audioholics forum.
Of course, that won't deter the ''in crowd'' from true-to-form defending themselves with even more witty sarcastic posts whose only intention is to belittle.
Perhaps applying the word ''adolescent'' to this forum is too optimistic. Perhaps a better word to use is the word ''puerile.''
There are many other forums that are encouraging and welcome diversity of thinking. Better to spend one's time there.