Power Sound Audio
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DIYer said:
Is that question for me?
Details like room size, layout, equipment used, measurement graphs, treatments, etc. that most pro reviews contain are much more informative than owner reviews with little or none of that info. I just prefer as much info as I can get before I buy a product.
I'm Towen.
Consumer reviews are questionable because, in general, I find two sorts of people write reviews: 1) People who had a bad experience or love to hate - and - 2) People who are fanbois and want to force their fanatical love for something on the world. In my experience, especially with gadgets and technology, most consumer reviews are from these two types. Occasionally a consumer will write a fair and honest review, but that is not the norm. However, you can learn a ton from the haters and lovers if you read between the lines. Like the lovers who will say that some complaint doesn't matter rather than claiming the complaint is a lie. Or the hater who argues that the negatives outweigh the positives.
Professional reviews tend to be more useful because most professional reviewers are consistent in their approach and biases. So, if you can read a dozen reviews by one reviewer you can get an idea of their approach. If you've ever get to experience some product they reviewed first-hand, you can generate a filter to interpret their reviewing style to what you know to be true to you.
Scientific reviews are my preference. I want to see the results of known test procedures, specifications, and test results with full descriptions of the process (if it isn't an established test). Then I can combine the objective results with the subjective results of consumers and create a relatively worthwhile opinion.
Consumer reviews are questionable because, in general, I find two sorts of people write reviews: 1) People who had a bad experience or love to hate - and - 2) People who are fanbois and want to force their fanatical love for something on the world. In my experience, especially with gadgets and technology, most consumer reviews are from these two types. Occasionally a consumer will write a fair and honest review, but that is not the norm. However, you can learn a ton from the haters and lovers if you read between the lines. Like the lovers who will say that some complaint doesn't matter rather than claiming the complaint is a lie. Or the hater who argues that the negatives outweigh the positives.
Professional reviews tend to be more useful because most professional reviewers are consistent in their approach and biases. So, if you can read a dozen reviews by one reviewer you can get an idea of their approach. If you've ever get to experience some product they reviewed first-hand, you can generate a filter to interpret their reviewing style to what you know to be true to you.
Scientific reviews are my preference. I want to see the results of known test procedures, specifications, and test results with full descriptions of the process (if it isn't an established test). Then I can combine the objective results with the subjective results of consumers and create a relatively worthwhile opinion.
D
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An interesting approach.DIYer said:
So you would never bother with the reviews in Home Theatre etc.?
So you would never bother with the reviews in Road & Track or Car & Driver etc. if you were looking to buy a car?
Or you would never bother with the reviews in PC Magazine etc. if you were looking to buy a computer?
Or you would never bother with any movie reviewer in any newspaper (paper or online) if you were looking for a just-released movie to see?
Or you would never bother with any review in Popular Photography etc. if you were looking to buy a camera?
So basically if any publication has BOTH an editorial AND advertising department you would never bother with them?
Curious.
Jeff
I think that Flint addressed that point by saying that you should read several reviews by the professional reviewer to determine if he's contributing valuable insight or simply being an advertiser's mouthpiece. It's certainly what I meant when I said all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.
Orbison said:
One review is a little overdue to be posted at hometheaterforum.com for the XS30.
There was an interesting quote on another forum recently(discussing a different manufacturer).
>>>>>They did a nice job of carpet bombing the internet with their brand. There's a cottage industry of review sites. It's like the military industrial complex. Their purpose is not only to make money which they do by writing effusive reviews but to do so in a manner that attracts other companies looking for a plug. They churn the market by making readers start to wonder about what it is they own. It's hard to tell if they're reviewing the product or albums because they tend to be so cookie cutter in nature. They don't dig or ask probing questions after all they're what passes for journalists today.<<<<<
We're really not interested in the "cookie cutter" reviews described above so that limits us to a small fraction of overall possibilities. Another hurdle is our lack of advertising budget. It is practically zero. Of course there are both "pro" and "con" to this. Pro = more investment into the actual product content. Con = you will rely more on "product selling itself" than the combination of "cookie cutter reviews + a million ad banners".
Not everyone is comfortable making a large purchase without seeing those mini-reviews of course. But they will eventually hear one of our products somewhere----friend's home, forum GTG, etc. We might hear from them after that..
Tom V.
Power Sound Audio
Thought I'd post a quick pic of the next production run for our wood veneer orders. These cabinets are all manufactured in Ohio not too far from our own facility in fact. We are very proud to offer real American wood veneer construction like this. And what we feel are *very* reasonable price points..
Tom V.
Power Sound Audio
Tom V.
Power Sound Audio
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Tom, I've got an XS30 question for you. I'm here at Zing's house, and he's got his dual XS30's set up symmetrically next to his speakers (that is, equidistant from walls and the listening position), with the boxes angled so the front drivers face the listening position directly. But he's got one XS30 turned around, such that both amp plates are on the outside facing the walls. My question is, are the two drivers in one box working in phase with each other, or 180deg out of phase e.g. one cone is moving out and the other is moving in? If the latter, wouldn't there be some cancellation with the two placed symmetrically but now with the front-facing woofers out of phase left-vs-right?
Though, I suppose we could (and we will) do the experiment of setting the phase one one sub to 180 (with the other at zero), that would effectively do the same as turning the box around 180 degrees... Again, assuming the dual drivers are out of phase.
Is this making any sense? Hopefully you can figure out from my description what I'm trying to get at.
Though, I suppose we could (and we will) do the experiment of setting the phase one one sub to 180 (with the other at zero), that would effectively do the same as turning the box around 180 degrees... Again, assuming the dual drivers are out of phase.
Is this making any sense? Hopefully you can figure out from my description what I'm trying to get at.
The phase control only affects the phase at the crossover point, not the entire signal. So, turning the control from 0 deg to 180 deg won't make any difference at all at 20Hz. It will affect the output at the crossover point and about half-an-octave to either side of the crossover point.