A admin Audioholics Robot Staff member Apr 16, 2004 172 0 0 May 20, 2014 #1 With the decline of Brick and Mortar stores, being able to read a review is imperative. Obviously, arming yourself with knowledge about the product you are buying is the key to your success. You won't be able to accurately gauge the veracity of a review without knowing a lot about the product. If you are shopping for in-ear headphones but expect them to fit like earbuds (or a minivan that you expect to handle like a Corvette), you can't know if a product is being misused. You also need to read a ton of reviews of all sorts of gear. This way you can identify the industry jargon and see past the backhanded compliments. In the end, you should trust your ears. And us. You can definitely trust us. Discuss "How To Read a Review - An Insider's Perspective" here. Read the article. Reactions: zhimbo
With the decline of Brick and Mortar stores, being able to read a review is imperative. Obviously, arming yourself with knowledge about the product you are buying is the key to your success. You won't be able to accurately gauge the veracity of a review without knowing a lot about the product. If you are shopping for in-ear headphones but expect them to fit like earbuds (or a minivan that you expect to handle like a Corvette), you can't know if a product is being misused. You also need to read a ton of reviews of all sorts of gear. This way you can identify the industry jargon and see past the backhanded compliments. In the end, you should trust your ears. And us. You can definitely trust us. Discuss "How To Read a Review - An Insider's Perspective" here. Read the article.
H herbu Audioholic Samurai Aug 1, 2011 2,944 0 113 NC May 20, 2014 #2 Richly vanilla article that waltzes effortlessly through the myriad of pitfalls lurking within reviews. Great read for the uninitiated! Reactions: BoredSysAdmin
Richly vanilla article that waltzes effortlessly through the myriad of pitfalls lurking within reviews. Great read for the uninitiated!
3db Audioholic Slumlord Sep 7, 2002 16,486 0 113 65 Ottawa Canada May 21, 2014 #3 Thanks for the article... I read the article for those mega buck cables that were called danceable. That reviewer has lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned and I would not value his opinion to help me pick out a toaster. IHO, he's a dude that sells snake oil for a living and has nothing to do with evaluating a piece of equipment.
Thanks for the article... I read the article for those mega buck cables that were called danceable. That reviewer has lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned and I would not value his opinion to help me pick out a toaster. IHO, he's a dude that sells snake oil for a living and has nothing to do with evaluating a piece of equipment.
H herbu Audioholic Samurai Aug 1, 2011 2,944 0 113 NC May 21, 2014 #4 herbu said: Richly vanilla article that waltzes effortlessly through the myriad of pitfalls lurking within reviews. Great read for the uninitiated! Click to expand... Lest there be any misunderstanding, the above comment is pure sarcasm & humor playing off of statements in the article, ("vanilla", "waltzes" and "Great read" or "good for".)
herbu said: Richly vanilla article that waltzes effortlessly through the myriad of pitfalls lurking within reviews. Great read for the uninitiated! Click to expand... Lest there be any misunderstanding, the above comment is pure sarcasm & humor playing off of statements in the article, ("vanilla", "waltzes" and "Great read" or "good for".)
BoredSysAdmin Audioholic Slumlord Aug 21, 2007 15,616 0 113 New Joisey May 21, 2014 #5 As I was completely happy with my all of AH articles I had a pm from a forums buddy urging me to read the newest one published about reading online reviews. I was very skeptical to read it first but eventually he persuaded me to read it through. As I dived into reading this article I couldn't find anything which i am not familiar with. What a disappoint, What a waste of time I thought in anger !! Right then and there I decided to post an angry response. During this communication with author I got the suggestion urging me to read between the lines. Obviously I had to go back read the article more carefully, now reading between the lines. OMG, I saw the light !!! Reading between the lines I was able to enhance on sub-context and see the true meaning of this amazing price writing. It's truly worth Pulitzer award for most dancible writing!! I am so glad I had decided to read it and now my life is truly complete. I will never again read another new article Last edited: May 21, 2014 Reactions: herbu and agarwalro
As I was completely happy with my all of AH articles I had a pm from a forums buddy urging me to read the newest one published about reading online reviews. I was very skeptical to read it first but eventually he persuaded me to read it through. As I dived into reading this article I couldn't find anything which i am not familiar with. What a disappoint, What a waste of time I thought in anger !! Right then and there I decided to post an angry response. During this communication with author I got the suggestion urging me to read between the lines. Obviously I had to go back read the article more carefully, now reading between the lines. OMG, I saw the light !!! Reading between the lines I was able to enhance on sub-context and see the true meaning of this amazing price writing. It's truly worth Pulitzer award for most dancible writing!! I am so glad I had decided to read it and now my life is truly complete. I will never again read another new article
3db Audioholic Slumlord Sep 7, 2002 16,486 0 113 65 Ottawa Canada May 21, 2014 #6 herbu said: Lest there be any misunderstanding, the above comment is pure sarcasm & humor playing off of statements in the article, ("vanilla", "waltzes" and "Great read" or "good for".) Click to expand... I got that right away . I was recounting this article about $1000/ft interconnect cables that the reviewer was obviously trying to sell as a "value well worth your money" product and how it still p?sses me off.
herbu said: Lest there be any misunderstanding, the above comment is pure sarcasm & humor playing off of statements in the article, ("vanilla", "waltzes" and "Great read" or "good for".) Click to expand... I got that right away . I was recounting this article about $1000/ft interconnect cables that the reviewer was obviously trying to sell as a "value well worth your money" product and how it still p?sses me off.
agarwalro Audioholic Ninja Jan 31, 2005 4,320 0 113 Pittsburgh, PA May 21, 2014 #7 Talking about online reviews by consumers, the need to filter out background noise is a really good point. This is made worse by fake reviews posted by paid shills. This is not just a problem specific to AV products, but, consumer reviews in general. I try to read as many possible positive and negative reviews, then see if there is a discernible trend. In context with AV, like most here, I gravitate towards the measurements side of the pro reviews. If there are no measurements, I'll read the article for entertainment value (perfectly lighted high resolution images, picturesque language) and because there may be something (like features or settings) that turn out to be of interest. I'm one of those compulsive researchers when selecting a product. Then research some more to understand pros and cons before committing money. For example, I read the whole Onkyo NR818 and Denon X4000 threads on AVS and the manuals for both AVRs before buying one. Laborious, but, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
Talking about online reviews by consumers, the need to filter out background noise is a really good point. This is made worse by fake reviews posted by paid shills. This is not just a problem specific to AV products, but, consumer reviews in general. I try to read as many possible positive and negative reviews, then see if there is a discernible trend. In context with AV, like most here, I gravitate towards the measurements side of the pro reviews. If there are no measurements, I'll read the article for entertainment value (perfectly lighted high resolution images, picturesque language) and because there may be something (like features or settings) that turn out to be of interest. I'm one of those compulsive researchers when selecting a product. Then research some more to understand pros and cons before committing money. For example, I read the whole Onkyo NR818 and Denon X4000 threads on AVS and the manuals for both AVRs before buying one. Laborious, but, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
AcuDefTechGuy Audioholic Jedi Jul 10, 2007 34,057 0 113 May 21, 2014 #8 Read? You guys still do that? These days I just watch the review or listen to it.
