Audioholics Article Marking Changes for Previews vs Reviews

[Replicant 7]

I mean I always assumed when the word "Review" wasn't in the page title, and there were no subjective listening impressions, most people would recognize they aren't reviews. Also, if you go to the folder where the contents are, we have reviews on the left column and previews on the right column, as you can see in this example:

Audiophile Home Theater Subwoofer LFE Reviews

A subwoofer is designed to deliver the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel in a surround soundtrack. We rate bass output and set the industry standard in objectively testing and reviewing all

www.audioholics.com

I understand that some people think they are all reviews bc they go into a common folder for each category page with "reviews" in the description.

No worries, we made the distinction more clear now. The handful of haters on ASR are unlikely to change their views towards Audioholics and that's ok too. They are welcome to go there and converse but I don't have to put up with that bullshit on my own forum since I pay the bills here

@gene, I just don't get some audio peeps out there. Speaking for myself, how the hell anyone gonna talk smack on the only One on the internet that's bring the truth in audio.

 

[snbeall]

Gene,
Did you ever get your second unit from Starke for testing? The “corrected“ unit they promised you? Just FYI, a second random owner sent his unit in for testing over at ASR and it faired no better than the first. With yours, this makes 3 out of 3 completely random samples. This would imply a far larger problem than a “few” units with the incorrect voltage transformer. And I mean that in the largest sense of the term “larger problem”. If you notice, Starke doesn’t specify % distortion for any of their power amps. Are we back to the car amp power wars?

Sorry, this is a bit OT for this particular thread, but since there is no thread associated with the original product preview, there seems no other way to follow up on it. And it seems significant.

 

[Eppie]

@gene Different topic but site related, I would like to see the dreaded "The uploaded file is too large for the server to process " pop-up disappear when uploading images. People seem to complain about this every month and there is a simple solution. All you need is a server side script to automatically resize image files.

I understand the need to reduce storage requirements and the volume of traffic by keeping image files small, but this would not increase the bandwidth used. You have to download the image first to examine its size, so you already have the file at that point. Rather than discard the file and show an annoying pop-up, simply have the server resize the image. It could be as simple as a 50% reduction in dimensions, or a target file size range (a little more tricky), or setting a max width like 1920 pixels and resizing while maintaining the aspect ratio. Additional image compression could be applied at the same time. That should not be a particularly difficult task for any competent web developer.

 

[gene]

@gene Different topic but site related, I would like to see the dreaded "The uploaded file is too large for the server to process " pop-up disappear when uploading images. People seem to complain about this every month and there is a simple solution. All you need is a server side script to automatically resize image files.

I understand the need to reduce storage requirements and the volume of traffic by keeping image files small, but this would not increase the bandwidth used. You have to download the image first to examine its size, so you already have the file at that point. Rather than discard the file and show an annoying pop-up, simply have the server resize the image. It could be as simple as a 50% reduction in dimensions, or a target file size range (a little more tricky), or setting a max width like 1920 pixels and resizing while maintaining the aspect ratio. Additional image compression could be applied at the same time. That should not be a particularly difficult task for any competent web developer.

Sadly the guy that upgraded our forum to this new platform disappeared. I don't have any tech support as a result. I will try to find someone to do some maintenance for us and hopefully fix this issue too.

 

[gene]

Gene,
Did you ever get your second unit from Starke for testing? The “corrected“ unit they promised you? Just FYI, a second random owner sent his unit in for testing over at ASR and it faired no better than the first. With yours, this makes 3 out of 3 completely random samples. This would imply a far larger problem than a “few” units with the incorrect voltage transformer. And I mean that in the largest sense of the term “larger problem”. If you notice, Starke doesn’t specify % distortion for any of their power amps. Are we back to the car amp power wars?

Sorry, this is a bit OT for this particular thread, but since there is no thread associated with the original product preview, there seems no other way to follow up on it. And it seems significant.

No I haven't and they've gone pretty silent. We do have a tower speaker review elrwady to publish for them that was a bit of a mixed bag. Stay tuned...

 

[Eppie]

Sadly the guy that upgraded our forum to this new platform disappeared. I don't have any tech support as a result. I will try to find someone to do some maintenance for us and hopefully fix this issue too.

Man, that really sucks. If you were in Canada, we have some great web design companies I could recommend, several right here in London, Ontario. Hopefully you can find somebody local who is more responsible. I've done some web development but it's not really my forte.

 

[snbeall]

No I haven't and they've gone pretty silent. We do have a tower speaker review elrwady to publish for them that was a bit of a mixed bag. Stay tuned...

Interesting. Well they’ve also gone silent on their website. Overnight they removed the AD4.320 from the website completely - as well as the new 8 channel version based upon it. Which is as it should have been back when the problem first came to light. Please keep us updated.

 

[lovinthehd]

Interesting. Well they’ve also gone silent on their website. Overnight they removed the AD4.320 from the website completely - as well as the new 8 channel version based upon it. Which is as it should have been back when the problem first came to light. Please keep us updated.

Wow. Did the factory make their whole run of them the same way and noone checked for QC? Wow. I did think these guys were a bit marketing heavy from their appearance.....

 

[gene]

Interesting. Well they’ve also gone silent on their website. Overnight they removed the AD4.320 from the website completely - as well as the new 8 channel version based upon it. Which is as it should have been back when the problem first came to light. Please keep us updated.

Wow that is telling. I haven't heard a peep from them lately though we have a review of their powered speaker about to drop next week so that may change.

 

[snbeall]

For those interested, a few days later the AD4.320 has reappeared - sort of. They announced their "3rd Generation of Class D amplifiers" available for order this spring. No further stock of AD4.320 available. Nothing more about the abrupt withdrawal (or circumstances). But all promotional links to favorable reviews for the AD4.320 were back.

What is also unsaid is that in response to the initial testing and ensuing discussion at ASR, Starke had already announced a standing policy whereby any owner dissatisfied with their unit could return it for a full refund, regardless of date of purchase. This policy has not been well publicized elsewhere. And is certainly not posted or mentioned in these announcements.

 

[gene]

For those interested, a few days later the AD4.320 has reappeared - sort of. They announced their "3rd Generation of Class D amplifiers" available for order this spring. No further stock of AD4.320 available. Nothing more about the abrupt withdrawal (or circumstances). But all promotional links to favorable reviews for the AD4.320 were back.

What is also unsaid is that in response to the initial testing and ensuing discussion at ASR, Starke had already announced a standing policy whereby any owner dissatisfied with their unit could return it for a full refund, regardless of date of purchase. This policy has not been well publicized elsewhere. And is certainly not posted or mentioned in these announcements.

Sounds like a win for consumers.

 

[Trell]

Sounds like a win for consumers.

Sure, now consumers knows to stay away from Starke.

 

[snbeall]

More developments over at ASR. Although Starke still talks of "transformer defects", their fully functional unit submitted for "independent testing" (by an unspecified tester in China) essentially confirms the low outputs at any reasonable distortion level and confirms that they wildly exaggerated output claims. Starke is apparently issuing a recall and offering refunds on all units. Good catch Audioholics and ASR! Keeping manufacturers honest one exaggerated claim at a time...

 

[XIANV]

The Peachtree GaN400 article fell thru the cracks here.

 

[Teetertotter?]

I will say that I wouldn't use this as an opportunity to bash on ASR or Amir. He is putting in hard work, and he makes a choice to publish measurements when he takes them. This is a very different philosophy from Audioholics that sometimes holds back reviews when they don't measure up. As the thread on ASR shows, when a product has negative results, it leads to people who actually own the product and who have been happy with the product they bought, deciding they don't like it and returning it, because measurements are more important than your ears.

I don't disagree with many of the comments there about any of it. I think a manufacturer who finds a problem with their product should be reaching out quickly to let owner's and potential buyers know what is going on and how they will handle it. Much like a recall on your car, you should be an informed consumer. If ASR hadn't published the numbers would anyone even know about the power problem? If Audioholics is holding on on publishing data, is that helping consumers or the manufacturer? Is it right or wrong? I think that's a very PERSONAL decision and every person will think a bit differently on it.

The takeaway for sure is that Previews need to very differently labeled from any type of reviews. It can be extremely painful when running a website to move content around, but it is something the owners need to consider on every website when something like this comes up and they want to do well by their content readers (us) and their potential sponsors who help pay the bills. Which isn't wrong either.

I am a big fan of buying a product off the shelf and taking my measurements, then letting the numbers be what they are. It isn't always nice to the manufacturer, but once again, it informs the potential buyer and is honest.

A lot of this is not about Audioholics or ASR though, it really is about the product and the manufacturer and how they will respond.

Forums will have loyal participants and fanboys all the time. They also all have those few who really like the rabbit hole they dig into. Most of them are good natured though. I won't rip on any other forums or websites even if I disagree with certain aspects, or members, it isn't the entirety of the site. I will continue to enjoy the honest reviews from any site that delivers them and Audioholics honesty in reviews has remained solid over the years.

Thank you for putting in PROPER perspective!

 

[BMXTRIX]

I think that the honesty of the reviews can only be checked in person or by knowing the product. I like reading reviews here too and I trust people's opinions on the forum about what's new to me.

Most people don't have the equipment to properly check any reviews out in person. That's the problem. This means that one of the best ways to find out how a review stacks up is to read multiple reviews of a product and see if the numbers are the same.

There are certainly a ton of 'opinions' out there. I think these are far different than reviews. Personal opinion of a product is also quite helpful when buying a product. Personal ownership can help understand the headaches of day-to-day use of some things. I've run into people who give a product a 4-star review because they ONLY need to reset it once a week. (WHAT???!!!???) So, I feel the need to read owner reviews quite carefully and consider the experience, or lack thereof, of the person giving that review.

The honesty of reviews on websites should be determined by the quality of previous reviews from that same website. The website itself is holding itself to a certain standard of quality. But, then those reading the reviews need to research the quality of that actual website. This is why ASR and Audioholics are both quite solid. They have a strong reputation of accuracy. The way it is received by readers is entirely personal opinion.

I can't begin to tell you how many 'review' websites are not at all reviews or recommended lists, but simply a portal to get you to buy a product from Amazon or some other etail partner.

 

[tensyo]

Most people don't have the equipment to properly check any reviews out in person. That's the problem. This means that one of the best ways to find out how a review stacks up is to read multiple reviews of a product and see if the numbers are the same.

There are certainly a ton of 'opinions' out there. I think these are far different than reviews. Personal opinion of a product is also quite helpful when buying a product. Personal ownership can help understand the headaches of day-to-day use of some things. I've run into people who give a product a 4-star review because they ONLY need to reset it once a week. (WHAT???!!!???) So, I feel the need to read owner reviews quite carefully and consider the experience, or lack thereof, of the person giving that review.

The honesty of reviews on websites should be determined by the quality of previous reviews from that same website. The website itself is holding itself to a certain standard of quality. But, then those reading the reviews need to research the quality of that actual website. This is why ASR and Audioholics are both quite solid. They have a strong reputation of accuracy. The way it is received by readers is entirely personal opinion.

I can't begin to tell you how many 'review' websites are not at all reviews or recommended lists, but simply a portal to get you to buy a product from Amazon or some other etail partner.

Websites should be responsible for the quality and accuracy of the reviews they publish. This includes not only technical standards but also ethical principles that foster user trust.

This text raises important questions about the reliability and quality of product reviews. It emphasizes the need to carefully analyze multiple reviews and evaluate the reputation of the websites publishing these reviews. Indeed, many so-called "review" sites are more focused on directing users to make purchases rather than providing objective assessments. User reviews play a crucial role as they offer insights into real-world issues encountered during product use.

Experience with the GPT chat plugin for generating articles and essays also underscores the importance of thorough information verification. This tool https://chatgpt.com/g/g-a0ULgFcuZ-essay-helper helps quickly create quality texts, but as with any resource, it is essential to carefully review and edit the results to ensure the highest quality.