Spare Time - Visit to Audio Store

venomclan

Hi Guys,
I had some extra time last weekend so I drove to West Palm Beach to visit an audio store I had been thinking about for a while. www.audioadvisors.com

These guys have been in the business for a long time and I really liked their store. The store was pretty much empty at that time of the day so I got to play with everything.

I first demo'd some weird garbage can looking speakers from B&W called the Signiture Diamond. They are $18K/Pair 2-way design, run by all Classe gear. I prefered a more wholesome bottom end, but they did sound very nice.

Next was some $10K Snells run by all Mcintosh gear. I had never heard Mac gear before so I do not know if I was demoing the Macs or the speakers. I was not that impressed, I think it was the speakers. The Snells used some really small mid-drivers that I felt bottomed out a bit. It could have been the room too as there was a lot of other speakers in there and I was turning it up.

Next were a pair of B&W 803D's run by a Bryston (14BST I think) I liked these a lot better than the Snells. But the room was also too big for a 2 channel critical listen. They had some Classe monoblocks next to the B&W's but they were not hooked up. I had heard of some bad synergy between the B&W and Bryston gear. I would have liked to hear the Classe's on the D series.

It was a fun experience and these guys were very nice. I talked with them for a while and they were telling war stories about CES and CEDIA over the last 15 years.

They talked about "The Carver Effect", which is an apparantly well known term used for gear reviews. Bob Carver was known to always "hot rod" any gear he sent into a magazine for review. Thus, skewing it badly towards his favor. Funny how some glowing reviews are found to be insane to real world use. :eek:

If you are in the area, I recommend visiting these guys.
Venom

Early B.

venomclan wrote: »

They talked about "The Carver Effect", which is an apparantly well known term used for gear review. Bob Carver was known to always "hot rod" any gear he sent into a magazine for review. Thus, skewing it badly towards his favor. Funny how some glowing reviews are found to be insane to real world use. :eek:

If that's true, then it's very deceitful for Bob to do that.

I don't think that strategy would work well today because many reviewers look under the hood.

cfrizz

That 4th picture setup couldn't get any fuglier if it tried!

hearingimpared

Nice write up VC! Phil and I took another trek to Quest for Sound yesterday. My wife came with me . . . needless to say she was bowled over by the sound but what you and I would call eye candy she called fugly!!!

EDIT: Ha ha ha, I just saw Cathy's post . . .must be a woman thing!!!

mrbigbluelight

I don't know, I think Cfrizz is right about that one.

Looks like a 12v guy stuck a couple of 12" boomers in a couple of trash cans he stole from the local mall.

You'd have to put a couple of "THIS IS NOT A TRASHCAN" stickers on them to keep them safe if you have kids around.



Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though. YMMV.


I'm not allowed in high end stores.

venomclan

Early B. wrote: »

If that's true, then it's very deceitful for Bob to do that. I don't think that strategy would work well today because many reviewers look under the hood.

They said a lot of manufacturers were guilty of it over the years. If I was a reviewer, I would purchase all gear anonymously thru retail and test it so that there can be no bias.

cfrizz wrote: »

That 4th picture setup couldn't get any fuglier if it tried!

Damn Cathy, I just reserved a set of those for your birthday . Those are the Signiture Diamonds at $18k. They sound very good but I think $1800 is a more appropriate price. Oh, and they can only handle 199 watts max.

hearingimpared wrote: »

Nice write up VC! Phil and I took another trek to Quest for Sound yesterday. My wife came with me . . . needless to say she was bowled over by the sound but what you and I would call eye candy she called fugly!!!
EDIT: Ha ha ha, I just saw Cathy's post . . .must be a woman thing!!!

Well you know that extra chromosome makes them hear different anyway....:D

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

I'm not allowed in high end stores.

LOL, by the stores, your financial planner, or by your significant Other?

TroyD

In regards to the Carver effect.....I dunno what good it did him, if true. Both reviews that I read in Stereophile for his Silver 7t amps and the Amazings....Stereophile SAVAGED them.

I don't know of any other reviews out there to be honest, other than the Carver Challenge, in which that was the whole point, to hotrod a Carver m1.0t. I think he did the same thing with The Audio Critic with another amp.

Again, I'm not saying 'did' or 'didn't' but Bob didn't have many friends in the press besides TAS, Harry Pearson dubbed the Silver Sevens as Amp of the Decade, but, WTF, those were statement amps...there shouldn't have been reason to hot rod them.

BDT

BDT

shadowofnight

venomclan wrote: »

If I was a reviewer, I would purchase all gear anonymously thru retail and test it so that there can be no bias.

For a few years I was involved with PC hardware testing...the first year I was involved the stuff sent in by manufacturers was definately hand picked...cream of the crop hardware ( The biggest offenders were CPU's and RAM....they would send hand picked / tested units that very few of the on the shelf units could ever live up to )

High end "Gaming" market RAM was the absolute worst...the stuff sent could clock to sky high levels at extreme speed setting's ( CAS@2 ..not 2.5 or 3 ex. 2-2-2-5 ) and even take vdimm voltages that would crap out the stuff seen on the shelves. Once purchases were made at the retail level you got a true picture of what the stuff offered to mere mortals could do. I am sure car manufacturers...hell basically everybody has done it.

bikezappa

venomclan wrote: »

They said a lot of manufacturers were guilty of it over the years. If I was a reviewer, I would purchase all gear anonymously thru retail and test it so that there can be no bias.

QUOTE]


That's why I like Consumer Reports. They buy all the stuff from stores and review it. No tweeked up free bees.

markmarc

TroyD is right, Carver was always taken over the coals in reviews. The Stereophile challenge involved Bob Carver tweaking an amp to sound like tube equipment.

There is no way that 95% of the reviewers could purchase the equipment at retail, test then sell and stay in business. I can tell you that every piece I have received new came in standard, sealed boxes with the typical machine-folded plastic wrap. In all but one case, I open the equipment and check thru to see if any specialized solder, etc. has is visible.

I'd also like to point out that Consumer reports reviews BestBuy level products, not the smaller quality manufacturers.

bikezappa

markmarc wrote: »

I'd also like to point out that Consumer reports reviews BestBuy level products, not the smaller quality manufacturers.

You are right it would cost some change. That's why I don't buy the stuff the high end rags review because I can't afford it.

I have a best buy type budget but most always buy used at big savings.

It would be better if the high end rags did buy all that equipment from the store or what ever but I can understand why they don't.

Consumers reports buy the cars they test and that is big bucks.

cfrizz

Thanks VC, but you REALLY, REALLY, shouldn't have! You can keep it for yourself, if your wife lets you!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!