[Beardyman]

A work colleague reviews Hi-Fi kit for various magazines & some of the stuff he gets to play with is mind boggling in regards cost. He is usually quite critical & will sometimes not get his articles published as it isn't what the manufacturer wants. That's a whole can of worms in itself! As he says, "Facts & measurable parameters go out of the window in favor of a wooden volume knob". He "reviewed" my cutlery box junk amplifier, I was expecting all sorts of cutting remarks. All he wrote was, "Honest with that full, warm, rounded sound we all expect from 87 year old valves. Deceptively loud for 3W RMS per channel, it could have done without the cheapo-nasty MP3/BT/FM gadget". He admits himself there is so much snake oil regarding audio it can be difficult to see the snakes from the grass. He won't entertain things like cable elevators or shielded mains leads, as he said, there are limits a person will go to for an extra income! I think it mostly comes down to people who buy this stuff for huge prices are unwilling to admit they are wrong. It could even be a question of "If you look hard enough you will find what you are expecting whether it is there or not". Psychological? Maybe.