Negative HiFi Reviews. WHY I will NEVER do them.

Negative HiFi Reviews. WHY I will NEVER do them.

For the last four years I have stated around 100,098 times (ok, that’s an exaggeration) that I only review what I really like, love or find to be a great value. Yet again and again, people like to say that I only praise gear. I thought I have been pretty clear but let me explain. If I only review gear I like or love or feel is a great value, yea, I will praise the gear for what it does best. I will describe how it works, what it does and how it sounds. That’s what I do every day here.

I’m sure this post will not change this as I have said it again and again, but I feel there must be some who do not understand. Fair enough so I will try to be more clear and detailed.

I now receive new gear almost on a weekly basis. Not all of it gets reviewed and yes, I have found a lot of garbage out there that I would never use or review. My life is lived with positivity not negativity. It takes me weeks to work on a review. I’m not the reviewer who gets a piece in and reviews it the ext day after trying it for an hour. I put it through its paces. It starts by receiving the package then unbox, listen for 2-3 weeks, write review, film review, edit review, publish review, box back up, drive 3 hours round trip to Fed Ex to ship back. I do this for zero pay, just the ad revenue in my videos and here on the website, along with two site sponsors who pay for an ad (dealers). 

Why on earth would I do all of this work for a piece of gear I would and could never recommend? Lol, I wouldn’t waste my time doing this. I only feature gear that I have tested, vetted, listened to extensively and enjoyed. Period. So when you see a review from me you already know I will like it or love it.

Also, 90% of what comes in are review units, not purchased by me these days. I do not buy what I review before I review it, rather they are sent to  me in hopes I will review them. So when someone says “where is your Luxman 509Z”, well I never owned it, was not mine, it was a review unit on loan to me to do the review, again, no pay. I then send back to the manufacture or dealer.

Yes indeed there have been times that I have bought gear that I adored, but when I review it and use it for a while eventually something else comes along that I like more so I can then sell the other for a small profit. That’s one extra way I can earn a buck. It’s only when I get attached to a piece that it will stay. For example…my Duet 15’s will never be sold, we even burned the boxes ; ) Icon 12’s I will never be sold. We already burned the coffin sized boxes they came in. Nagra streamer, it’s perfect for what I love and it stays.

So when I have sold a piece it was to move on to the next with the hope of one day finding the one that does it all without compromise. After many years of reviews that has now happened. But yea, when I buy a review unit at a discount I can keep for longer, and sell for a small profit. Since I do not get paid to do these reviews that bring a ton of business to others, it’s not unfair to make $100-$200 on selling a piece. That is life. I also never understand why anyone cares if I sell gear, it is strange to me. Doesn’t mean I do not love it, I just found something else I like even more. That’s how this game works until finally you gel, you vibe and just find something you cannot let go of. It’s my life, my money, my enjoyment, not yours.

Being into this since I was a kid and getting to do what I do, even if it is for very low income, is a dream for me. I love it. I get to expand my knowledge base and hear hundreds of pieces of audio gear. This helps with reviews, for comparisons and for my own personal curiosities. I now get to hear all of the brands I have been curious about. We live cheaply and simply and my wife and I love listening to music, it’s our one “luxury” in life above all else but we are very rich in other ways. Love, peace, serenity, positivity and in so many other ways. That, to us, is way more important that financial riches. If one day I went fully broke of course I would sell gear as life is more important than audio. With that said, we go without to have this system and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

There is a method to my madness. On occasion, after a review, I may get an email from the manufacturer who is very happy with said review. If it’s doing very well for them (like my 1st Eversolo review for the A6, about 700k views and sold a ton of units for them, but I didn’t make a cent) and maybe they let me keep a product, and they did. This happens rarely but only after a review does well and they want to show their appreciation. I never get offered anything before a review and this also only happens on very rare occasions. Usually, and more the norm is that I buy review units if I love them, sell them later when something else comes in I enjoy a much or more. I then make a couple hundred bucks which helps pay for the hosting and security on this site which is $650 monthly. I have to earn here or else it goes away. That’s also life 101, business 101.

So let’s break it down so it’s easy to understand for those who do not get it. 

1. I only review what I love, period. I would not waste my time with junk or gear that has issues, and I have had a lot of gear come in with issues from some well known brands even. They get sent back, no review.
2. My reviews are positive because of point #1.
3. I sell gear on occasion to make a few bucks to keep this site and my channel going. If I can get a discount and later sell to earn a couple hundred bucks, then heck yea I will. I also get to keep it for as long as I like if I do this and sell when I find something else I want to keep for a while. This benefits me and the buyer who gets a deal as I do not mark up the product, I always give a great price.
4. I am a reviewer so this is now indeed my job so I will always have new gear in my doors for review, and to showcase.
5. If I sell something I loved or thought would stay for a while, so what, I move on to the next so I can enjoy the ride and maybe finally settle down, which I have now done. You can see my system HERE. 

There ya go. This should be easy to understand and comprehend for those who haven’t understood it for the last four years : ) I am sure there will still be be those in video comments saying “YOU LOVE EVERYTHING”, lol. Such is life.

Have an amazing day my audio friends!