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October 18, 2005 - 2:08pm
#1
The review sample was so good, I bought it....
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Reviewers generally purchase products at industry accommodation price, which are about the same as that paid by dealers, ie, between 50% and 70% of retail. Sometimes they pay less, for example, at the price a company sells the product to its employees. If you think this a bad thing, consider a) that reviewers generally have to agree not to sell the component for a fixed period of time, especially not on eBay etc, b) that they generally buy more than one of the same kind of component in order to have references handy.
Speaking personally, I have bought almost everything I use long-term in my system, at a cost over the years of many 10s of 1000s of dollars, even at industry accommodation prices.
Also speaking personally, I believe postings such as this are much more about jealousy than they are about critiquing reviews and reviewers.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Assuming that reviewers need only pay discount prices for equipment that they review, I don't see what difference it makes whether they buy item (A) or some other item. The fact that something impresses them to the point of purchasing a review sample translates to me that if I'm in the market for that sort of item, I'm putting it at the top of my list to evaluate.
I view this along the lines of seeing the same equipment used in numerous reviewers systems to evaluate gear. If I see 5 reviewers using company X speaker wire, I'm going to make it a point to listen to company X speaker wire.
No, no, a thousand time no!
Not jealousy at all, I just think the endorsement "so good I bought the review sample" is given out of the consumer context.
Please, you can all have champagne dreams and caviar whatevers you want and I'll applaud you for having fun, but if a reviewer touts a purchase as a sign of endorsement, then let me know just how accurate that endorsement really is.
I enjoy automotive magazines as well, and I cannot recall any of those authors saying that they enjoyed a car so much they made special discounted arrangements to buy it.
A reviewer making a value judgement based on that kind of discount is making decisions in a context that is outside of what he just made a recommendation about. It's fine, but spare me the "so good I bought it" part.
How about, "This product is so good, I am keeping it on as a reference."???
It just seems a little too too to offer up "endorsement by discounted purchase."
I do not begrudge any of you any equipment, it's your job to have the best tools available! Heck, I think the review equipment should be non-time limited and available to the reviewers for the life of the product! The more equipment you have to use and compare, the better for me!
Do carry on!
Methinks he doth protest too much.