Are YouTube audio reviews genuine?
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Friday April 26, 2024
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@Silver-e7m: A quality product speaks for itself, anything that is talked about too much is probably not of high quality.
@arthurriaf8052: You deserve to make money đ° that's the game to live these days, is it not?
@arthurriaf8052: Honesty and truth in product views is a very high standard to keep.
You so far have maintained that high standard.
I think your English accent is charming. Don't tell me you're Australian. If so, OOPS.
The reviews are a combination of nostalgic funny and informative.
You sold me on several items you reviewed.
Nice job. Art đ
@AudioMasterclass replies to @arthurriaf8052: Stone the flaminâ crows, mate! Iâm chuffed youâd think Iâm a fair dinkum Aussie, but Iâm not from the Lucky Country. Iâm as English as warm beer and a Sunday roast. Much as Iâd love to claim Iâm from the land of the big banana, Iâm just a Pom who knows my way around a good yarn! Throw a few snags on the barbie for me, and get me a stubbie - I'm as dry as a dingo's armpit.
@VEC7ORlt: How Hifi reviews work - reviewers take money, make a review, the audience happily gobbles it up.
I just know how this business works.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @VEC7ORlt: To be clear, I am not paid for any of my reviews. I receive the item and I say what I like about it. That's it.
@VEC7ORlt replies to @VEC7ORlt: @@AudioMasterclass maybe you are, maybe you aren't, nobody knows and nobody can check, but its funny how some reviewers often read the same 'script' accentuating same things.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @VEC7ORlt: I sometimes quote other reviewers, normally for their silliness. I try to make it clear when I'm quoting but, other than that, you will not find anything that I say in my videos that replicates any other reviewer.
@robertoney5665: Complain, complain, complain. Like you audiophiles do. On your high horse telling everyone you're way of listening to audio is inferior. Blah, Blah, Blah Mr HiFi.
@DeN-j9l: The ones who talk and talk about speakers or electronics and never play the sound demo are a joke that would include most of them. Never understood why so many people subscribe them .
@thomasbrouwer3243: So much cheating in the world of commerce! What to do? Thanks for your truthfulness!
@Mi-w9g: I 100% agree with you. I m get rid of many YouTube channels that I used to visit. Many of YouTubers trolled titles and exaggerated to get what they want from viewers.Keep it honest and simple and be happy.True colors shows eventually. Thanks.
@THXUK: YouTube should definitely notify the audience where products have been received for free by the reviewer AND where there is NO expectation that the item will be returned after being reviewed. This is just basic transparency. Frankly, I didn't know this was a thing for fairly expensive tech and HiFi products - I thought review samples were sent out by the distributor / manufacturer and that they EXPECTED the item to be returned fairly promptly once the review was complete. If the item is very low value and the cost of shipping is almost as much as the item value, then I wouldn't object for the reviewer to keep / discard or give away (but not sell) the item. Anybody who works for a company is OBLIGATED to declare any "benefits in kind" (bottles of wine, meals, theatre tickets, go-karting etc.) when this has been provided for free by a supplier or would-be supplier - I don't see why the rules should be any different for YouTube content creators.
@orangecat5036: It used tobe. Nowadays YouTube hifi reviewers are hit men.
@EricB256: Years ago, I wanted to make a satire on the popular genre of haul video by presenting a haul of used CDs I got from the clearance sale of my local used CD shop. But then, I decided against it because I had more interesting things to do.
Even reading reviews of new albums does not make me want to go out and listen to that music in general. But sometimes, the reviewer mentions some favourite musicians who play on these recordings. That is what I'm looking for in a review.
I guess most brands realize that most viewers of reviews can only be interested in the fact that a certain product exists, and not influenced into buying it. However, there are also people who will buy anything if that product's advertising is hitting the right spots on them. Bless them. They are keeping alive the economy.
@karmicmessenger: I've decided that if it feels like an infomercial that is most likely what it is. Anyway if a person is too lazy to research and learn they deserve what they've bought.
@ShawnONeal-w5p: Anytime a reviewer is doing a video I already assume they got the item for free, unless they say differently in the video. Having said that, I have no idea if they are also getting additional payment, although a few reviewers also make that clear at the start of the video. They usually claim this will have no effect on their review, however the longer a relationship with a reviewer and company is, it would only be natural for the the reviewer to give a long time supporter a pass on some things that should be red flagged. Bottom line, always take a review with a "Grain of Salt".
@dannyfannyfoodle: Look at you all in a âhuffâ about shady YouTubers.
See what I did there? That dude is the worst of the worst offenders.
@a-borgia4993: All audio reviews are biased and subjective. (very few use repeatable, calibrated instruments that produce a value that can be compared.
@Alamo-cz5xc: I look at YouTube reviewers as presenters. Show me the product and I'll make up my own mind.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @Alamo-cz5xc: You're suffering from the delusion that human beings make up their own minds.
@Alamo-cz5xc replies to @Alamo-cz5xc: @@AudioMasterclass I'm thinking we may have different kinds of minds. Good luck
@PeterbFree: You have an air of honesty about you which is evident in how you address every topic that you present in each video. Anyone looking at you work can see that you are interested in the subject first, and whatever revenue gained from your work is secondary
@AudioMasterclass replies to @PeterbFree: You're not wrong, I am interested in the subject. I can't say I don't like the revenue though. Getting paid for talking about my interests is icing on the cake.
@xiaokang8692: Many people have honesty problem.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @xiaokang8692: I would think that in this case it's either an oversight problem or an 'is this really necessary?' problem with no actual ill intent.
@xiaokang8692 replies to @xiaokang8692: @AudioMasterclass you are good person believing in good intentions. Our old world seems to be gone.
@sudipchatterjee: Paid promotion must be declared clearly to the viewer, otherwise itâs cheating.
@moe5809: Most reviewers are just Chinese audio salesman you can bet the next Fosi, Topping, SMSL will be better than the last one. Guaranteed Giant killers
@AudioMasterclass replies to @moe5809: Hooray! I'm not one of those "most reviewers"!
@EricIolo: We just would not know! You could be Dodgy Dave? Who's to tell! Believing there are credible reviews on here is similar to purchasing item from Flee Bay. Its something you dont do if you have an ounce of sence.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @EricIolo: Or I could be Dependable David. Dependable enough to declare when I got the item I'm reviewing for free. Some others, not so much.
@bottomendbliss: Just thank you for this video greetings
@richh650: I consider your channel to be one of the extremely VERY FEW on YT that actually have a background to be qualified to discuss audio!!! BTW, you happen to be fun & very entertaining as well...
@tonydelvecchio1431: It sucks when trying to learn about a subject or hobby just turns into another marketing strategy by these companies. Thatâs the whole strategy with YouTube. The idea is to monetize your content so why wouldnât you take the product or kickback. Every reviewer stresses how important their integrity is but the line between honesty and profit is kinda blurry these days.
@sc0or: A review without a sample sound is just a marketing. I don't watch such "reviews". I'm not at hi-end league, and purchased equipment basing on sample sounds, but I made no mistake after that. Any "excuses" that YT compression will ruine a sound is a bs. Yes, we cannot trust YT in that, but with a same compression algorithm, a comparison always works. I take one device sample, another device sample and mostly everything is clear.
@fredashay: My approach to ads and paid promotions is this: If I see a widget advertised or reviewed that I suddenly realize that I absolutely need Right Now(tm), I'll ignore the advertised product and then go research similar products from other companies and then pick the one I think is best (this is rarely the one that was advertised and raised my interest). I'll look on Amazon, Sweetwater, Reverb, Tony's Trains, Nicholas Smith Trains, and others. But that's just me.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @fredashay: I would add an extra stage to that. When you have identified the product that seems best, go back and check the reviews. As we know, you can't fully rely on reviews, but they can offer insights. Anything I want to buy outside of audio, I definitely check as many reviews as I can. I may believe nothing but it's rare that I don't learn something I didn't know before.
@fredashay replies to @fredashay: @@AudioMasterclass Thanks for the advice! đ
@davidkclayton: Would you entertain the thought of reviewing a prototype preamp?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @davidkclayton: I'm not going to rule it out but my feeling as of now is that it would be a different thing to a regular review, probably more of an exploration.
@davidkclayton replies to @davidkclayton: @@AudioMasterclass That's a fair answer.đ
@jozefserf2024: There are 1000s of amplifier reviews and yet hardly any of them explain how they work.
Head to head reviews are better than puff pieces.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jozefserf2024: Eh wot? An amp takes a small input and turns it into a big output. I'll make sure to put that into all my amp reviews in future.
@gdubyadubya8961: Answer? Mostly no. Some start out with good intentions Iâm sure as maybe a â cheap audio âŚâŚâŚman !â then the lure of the click bait $ takes over. Itâs good to see a no BS opinion.
@PhoticSneezeOne: In a purely profit driven economy i trust NO ONE!
@clivesilver463: So who are these You Tubers, any names offered.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @clivesilver463: Here's a fun game. Go look for yourself. It won't take long.
@clivesilver463 replies to @clivesilver463: @@AudioMasterclass
All the y tubers I follow seem genuine, so If you have names I would like to know, Matthew Robinson, A British Audiophile, audioalholics, Paul Mac Gowen cheapaudioman, I watch alll of these but all seem fine, so I'm I missing something or are there people you know to avoid.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @clivesilver463: @@clivesilver463 I could say just watch the video again, but I'll repeat that some YouTubers are accepting products for free and not declaring it. Maybe they bought the item themself so that's OK, but if they were gifted the item they have to declare it. Many do not. I believe that this is mostly a misunderstanding of YouTube's terms, but YouTube states that if a reviewer received *anything * of value, they have to declare it.
@clivesilver463 replies to @clivesilver463: @@AudioMasterclass Fair Point, but we will never know I just find that most do criticise the products not kiss the backside of the company, but yes if they are being sent stuff they they should declare it.
@nebojsanestorovic1416: During the 70s, 80s etc there used to be at least half a dozen Hi Fi monthly magazines, which some of us fools (myself included) would religiously buy every month, we would many a time question our proposed buying and upgrade decesions based on the "Review Gods" that contributed to them, later in life we would start to trust our own hearing based on our experience, which saved us a fortune in so called upgrades. Although youtube videos do provide entertainment and amusement for many, along with some material gain for their makers, I think we should still regard them as an entertaining show, rather than a decesion making tool.
@albiepalbie5040: Love and Passion for all things audio is one thing But :
Itâs a big effort and probably eventually a massive hassle making reviews
Why would anyone be doing for nothing ?
If your good / people like you I hope you do well
@deanokay666: I unsubscribed from the âthe cheap guyâ reviewer as I suspect he sold out to the manufacturers.
@Zimmy_1981 replies to @deanokay666: I did too, never demos any of his items :(
@deanokay666: My gripe with the audio review âthingâ is, reviewers rarely do a bad review. Rather, if they donât like a product, they simply ignore its existence. That doesnât help buyers researching a short list of products.
@hellcat5music replies to @deanokay666: sure it does. if you don't find much about something, it's probably bad. if x reviewer doesn't do a video on x item, maybe because it's bad. check out other trusted sources, see what you find. if it's a lack of comment, that could be all the comment you need.
@Rob1972Gem: To be honest I take most hi-fi reviews on YouTube with a very large pinch of salt and you can always tell when a particular new item to the market is being promoted on YouTube because pretty much bloody everybody will be reviewing the same piece of equipment within a reasonably short time period so will be honest and let you know that they have been given it for review so will not as you mention in this video but I really think the majority of the general public are not as stupid as YouTubers think they are we know when weâre being sold a potential fabrication or an exaggeration of a product. There are a small percentage of people which just do not see the obvious and will believe anything they are told when people normally canât help in any form of life choices but you can tell a lot of the hi-fi reviews are very heavily biased towards the positive purely because nobody hardly ever mentions any negative problems or downsides which is quite common in pretty much every product I always use you to reviews as a way to see what the product looks like. See what sort of feature set and specifications itâs allegedly has and use that as a basis then go do some research of my own and maybe hunt one down in the wild actually in a shop and look at it for real and have a listen to it. I will never ever go and spend hard cash on a product purely based on some person on you. You going? Yes this is the one because anybody that does that really shouldnât be allowed on their own with money.
@biometrix1000: What Hifi,Hifi choice etc .The more advertising space you buy the best revies ,10 ten awards,eg NAIM ,Marantz and who does these tests .Total rubbish and a con.
@stevenewtube: I will watch/listen to your reviews as they are an intelligent and experienced perspective.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @stevenewtube: I do my best.
@donjohnstone3707: There is nothing wrong with paid reviews, as long as they are the honest opinion of the reviewer and are based on broad expert knowledge and experience with the type of equipment or devices under review. Any comments and statements about the performance/capabilities of a piece of equipment or device should always include comparisons with similar equipment and devices within a similar, general price range.
@donjohnstone3707: I'm still waiting for your video, "Electrical recording and playback, bad on so many levels".
@AudioMasterclass replies to @donjohnstone3707: I'll do that when we have something better.
@johnreilly2393: Worse culprits are the snake oil manufactures...
@barlow2976: Honesty pays. The audio channels I watch are produced by people who know what they are talking about, ie professionals. With the exception of S.G they are also all European. Frankly I've had my fill of loud gym-bunny Americans with printed t-shirts calling themselves audio specialists whilst a loud hum pervades their sound track.
Bikinis you say? Perhaps you could do some shorts with the audio-girls doing a try-on. Phwoarrr!!!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @barlow2976: I don't think that's going to happen. I still haven't been able to persuade Debbie to wear a t-shirt with my logo.
@jasonemanuel9070: I never trust a single youtuber reviewer,they are just salesmen.
@barlow2976 replies to @jasonemanuel9070: Even when they advise against the product they are reviewing?
@sounddoctor5decades: reviews are meaningless anyway, Audio products are totally subjective and everyone perceives the sound differently, telling someone what the sound is, is only that persons opinion. Way too many folks in You Tube telling what "the Best" is, just a bunch of CRAP. Thats like telling someone this is the set of glasses you must use, just because they work for you. This from someone who has been involved in the industry going back to the days of 4 track cartridges, that was before 8 track and right after Norelco launched the compact cassette as a dictating platform. It's unfortunate that most of the independent Hi Fi stores no longer exist so you can actually go listen for yourself, and through consolidation, very few autonomous Audio companies exist anymore.
@denizekin80: I think it's about time we call a spade a spade. An overwhelming majority of the "reviewers" are advertisers. Most review videos are infomercials, at best. Same brands reviewed by all reviewers in the same exact fashion. Even the so called "informational" videos like "different DAC topologies, do cables matter" are in fact reviewers pushing products.
I work in retail and we frequently work with reviewers and influencers. The cost of the affiliate commissions hit my marketing budget. The cost of the samples (products sent with no expectation to return) hits the marketing budget. As far as brands are concerned, reviewers are advertisers. Even the shipping expenses hit, you guessed it, my marketing budget.I doubt that any company will spend a penny on advertising if there was a risk of receiving a negative review. They know it, you know it, we know it.
The fact that reviewers feel the need to make these videos every once in a while is telling enough.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @denizekin80: Thatâs right, theyâre actually social media influencers, definitely not reviewers.
@bluelithium9808: Mosf are commercials. Erin who's genuine gets cease and desist letters.
@stevesmith3033: Most of these reviewers have no qualifications. They seem to know nothing about what instruments actually sound like nor do they seem to know anything about the recording gear and studios that where the music was made. So they safely throw around the same generic, vague, broad audiophile lingo so that they primarily can continue making new content and not offend the manufacturers that are sending them gear to be reviewed. All this to provide essentially meaningless content that provides no guidance to the consumer to actually making purchases that will bring a rewarding musical experience to the home.
@Douglas_Blake_579: I just want to point out one additional thing ....
As consumers we do not owe these companies a profit.
At most we owe them the retail price.
If a company is scamming consumers or producing a bad product they deserve to fail.
@Zockopa: There are very,very few real reviews nowdays. What nowadays is peddled as review is
in the overwhelming majority just a opinion piece. Which was back in the day the final
commentary of a review. So the de facto standart of a review today is one without the
reviewing part......
@tikilord66 replies to @Zockopa: In other words commercial ?
@Zockopa replies to @Zockopa: @@tikilord66 Often its a as "review" packaged advertisement.
But this isnt new at all and in fact one of the oldest marketing tricks around:
Get the costumer away from rational decision making.
@phildavis3105: Itâs always suspicious when some aspect of the hobby suddenly is the simultaneous hot topic among presumably diverse reviewers. For example, cheap amps (1000 watts! 50 bucks!); multiple subwoofers (are two enough? Six too many?); and CABLES! DACS! POWER COMDITIONERS! Ad nausea. The inescapable conclusion is to buy the cheapest amps available and to surround them with the most expensive bangles money can buy.
@CarlVanDoren61: You'd luv â¤ď¸ my setup đ
Expensive, but top notch đ
@MichelLinschoten: In short no, if it's affiliated or supported by a third party (as most are these days)
I wouldn't even bother , there is always a healthy dose of bias. After all this hobby, as any is subjected to emotional bias.
In the end, it's the small insignificant channels I rather hang out at. Than the big Andrew , Jay, Steven guttenburg what not channels. That clearly are sell outs ...
@Temperature980: Just like the news these days. All opinions.
@scottlowell493: The other thing about reviews: Imagine you are a big fan of EDM or extreme metal. They almost never play that music. So what happens when you get these speakers? They break up or sound awful because they can't handle quick bass beats or more bass heavy material.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @scottlowell493: This is incredibly true and something that is rarely mentioned. Slow jazz can sound good on pretty much any speakers, but once you start pushing a pair of speakers with hard and fast beats,, they completely lose their composure and sound like crap
@scottlowell493 replies to @scottlowell493: @@AndiGomez-yu2dx I found expensive speakers like Sonus Faber and full range fostex sound horrible on EDM and metal.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @scottlowell493: @@scottlowell493 thatâs interesting. Do you have any recommendations of speakers that do sound good with EDM. I DJ trance music, and always on the look out for a potential upgrade for my DJ set up.
@scottlowell493 replies to @scottlowell493: @@AndiGomez-yu2dx I never recommend. People have to listen for themselves.
@LSib32: I'm now afraid to search "bikini haul" and forever compromise my search history algorithm suggestions
@scottlowell493: Carver audio was pretty blatant. They use to give reviewers stuff for free and called it "memo billing". Other are provided stuff for cost, and are allowed to re-sell for profit. It explains the massive amount of fraudulent Stereophile reviews, dating back to the Alon fiasco at least. (They originally gave a "C" rating to the expensive, but incompetent speakers, later, magically revised it to an "A".) iI's also why speakers like sonus faber lumina and some paradigm with obviously flawed tweeters are getting stellar reviews. And lets not forget the "measuring" reviewers like ASR and Erin.. The measurements only count for more budget gear, but when Topping or $7000 Dynaudio measure badly (and they do) "Oh, but they don't SOUND that way!" Trust no one.
@scientificaudiophile: Thanks for your honesty. I assumed saying it was sent was enough and giving it a bad review isn't a promotion, but you're right. I went back and just marked the items I received, that I was allowed to keep as "paid promotion". And you should have called me out - hell if any channel deserves a slap in the face, it's mine.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @scientificaudiophile: Legend.
@davidspendlove5900: Listening to the equipment at home with your other kit in your room with your ears and tastes is the only thing that matters.
@MartinLloyd-w1u: Excellent
@tonyrapa-tonyrapa: Interesting perspective on reviewers who buy their own products - it seems obvious now but I never thought about confirmation bias in their reviews.
@chaoticsystem2211: thank you for your service! :D
I'm offering to clean your house for free. It looks very neat already and maybe you can review one of those nice Vorwerk vacuum cleaners...
@davidcarr2216: Are YT audio reviews genuine ? HiFi reviews are all about maintaining the rabbit hole. When you've got people down the rabbit hole you can sell them something. Audio components shouldn't sound very different at all (and don't when they're properly designed). But we all know that HiFi guys love reviews which tell them that "if you put this amp on, it does this, and sounds like this, and makes your Pink Flioyd sound different (better ?), etc." So then they go to the shop and say "I want one of those amps, that do this, and sound like this, and make my Pink Floyd sound better." "Certainly sir, we've got those in stock, would you like to hear one ?" ..... "Oh yeah, I can hear it now, it does this, and sounds like this, and makes my Pink Floyd sound better". It's called Audio Populism - or telling people what they want to hear.
@jimhines5145: Very informative indeed. I would love to create a channel for my adorable, beautiful and unique wife. lol. She makes me laugh always, and would make everyone else laugh too. She is really creative with editing and FB even ask her twice to make some of her videos public (for money) because of the number of private views. She refused. It's gonna be a hard sell. I would love personally doing equipment tear down and repair videos, but those would never be popular. :D
@nickmoranis2865: Never quibble! Quibbling is quibble for quibbleâs sake.
@yc-tai: Buyers beware.
Wot's in it for me.
Or, is it just entertainment?
BBC is a state sponsored media?
@razeredge-cm5wx: Many fake reviewers like GoldenSound who also has a 15TB music server for paying Patreons to make profit while having ties to manufacturers.
@EddyTeetree: You sir though are not âevery reviewerâ of whom many do give positive reviews for free (especially Chinese made) products both supposedly hifi and not, as they want to keep receiving free products to keep or sell.
@TD05SSLegacy: What about reviewers that send back items? They are in âthe industryâ and or by proximity over the years go to events, dinners, meetings, presentations. People that know everybody and get sent the choicest stuff due to industry relationships. Guys like Steve G. who never has written a bad review in his life. What about that?
Youâre a codger how about owning up to who you know and how they influence you? We wonât hold it against you. The British Audiophile trades on this. So do many others. Itâs part and parcel of being a âtrade journalistâ i.e. influencer. I think you need to film an addendum to this if you really want to âcome clean.â
And then again why? This is free content and what youâre doing is just shopping. And we get to watch. Lucky us. I donât think youâre taking yourself too seriously. But donât start either. đ
@AudioMasterclass replies to @TD05SSLegacy: Codger says no thank you.
@HilPon-d1l: So here's a question. Do I buy the new monoblocks or do I save up for a Rotel a11
@AudioMasterclass replies to @HilPon-d1l: What you're going to do is watch several reviews of the Fosi V3 Mono, several reviews of the Rotel A11, then probably just stick with what you have already.
@rabit818: âI want to believeâ, X-Files
I donât detect conflict of interest on your reviews, I love the light sarcasm.
@thexfile.: Thanks!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @thexfile.: Thank you, much appreciated. DM
@scruffy8861: Let's call them promoters, not reviewers. The fact that they love so much product indicates a lack of discernment and a reason to pay little mind to what they say.
@Blepherk: idk, but british accents makes me believe them automatically
@marcusbrsp: If skimpy YouTube reviewers can be dirty about their income, imagine the politicians...
@davelistenstohifi: The reviewer who openly admits to competing with other reviewers is calling out reviewers for dishonesty and unfair advantage. Hmmmm who to trust...im sure this guy is on the up and up, but it still doesn't make for a very convincing argument.
@jasonk5979: I guess I don't really have too many issues with free stuff per say. The only thing is some manufacturers start not sending items after negative reviews. Now it's not the same as some people I have watched. Started shilling specific brands of expensive power cables for ahem (apple TV) and efficient class d amps saying it made them sound way better. I quit watching. It was obvious who was sponsering the videos.
@johnbrentford5513: I'm not interested in you doing a bikini haul.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @johnbrentford5513: They don't do them in my size.
@peters7949 replies to @johnbrentford5513: There is definitely an audience for that out there, Iâm not part of it, but itâs out there.
@johnbrentford5513 replies to @johnbrentford5513: @@AudioMasterclass They make bikinis for men. Let me stop before I encourage you.
@zavatone: Your useless pointing at nothing in particular seems clickbaity.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @zavatone: Maybe Iâm pointing at you my friend.
@zavatone: ANY channel that uses useless (and clickbaity) arrows in their thumbnails gets blocked by me because it is clear what their motivation is.
@zavatone: No. They are not.
@jimbeveridge5185: Appreciate your transparency David. The worst reviews IMHO are the ones where a high profile reviewer does a hatchet job on a product in order to switch purchasers to a competitor.
@adotopp1865: It doesn't matter. I wouldn't buy anything of any value based just on a YouTube channel review.
@jamesstewart1357: Rule 1: Trust nobody.
@polarbear3427: When you see appearing a lot of reviews at the same day on the same product, I assume that they received it for free. Usually comments are only positive, so they are rubbish.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @polarbear3427: This is not a problem. Itâs the same as an embargo on a press release. Way the world works.
@enricoself2256: Youtube should have various levels of âpaid promotionâ warnings: though the reviewers will anyway be a bit biased (âif i talk too bad of an item they will not send me anything more) there is clearly a difference between a a) loan, b) a freebie c) being paid for the review.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @enricoself2256: Worrying about being sent more stuff is not an issue. Today I turned down a haul of ladies clothing. Too narrow in the waist for me.
@grandadgamer8390: Great vid, I normally spot these vids from a mile off. Also seen channels implode because they have allowed themselves to be used. I think as any channel grows, regardless of the subject, some can develop kind of blasĂŠ attitude. But they underestimate the savvy of their subs. Keep going man, great channel đ
@supercompooper: There was this magazine, absolute sound, with a picture of the Magna Pan 30.7, saying it was speaker of the year. I ordered one, and it took more than one year and I still did not get it. After more than one year they said I couldn't have it in the color I ordered, which was the color on the magazine. Never listen to a magazine review and also never buy a magnapan loudspeaker. Those two companies are just filthy filthy filthy filthy filthy filthy filthy liars.
@hartyewh1: A reviewer being honest is not even half the story since they need to have a sensible approach and the skill to communicate it to be of any use. Not many have all three elements.
@ptg01: Full disclosure would be great to let your audience know that the manufacturer is ok with you keeping the equipment. Makes you come across totally above board !!!
@ericdere: Another word for "paid review" or "paid promotion" is "ad".
@marxman00: If you reviewed the implications of pot noodle and its effect on the audio chain i would watch it ......And ,of course as long as it wasnt a "gift" ...that would cross the line !
@AudioMasterclass replies to @marxman00: I buy my noodles from an excellent noodle shop quite close by. Sometimes as many as three flavour sachets
@imqqmi: I always take it with a grain of salt, I never base my purchases on a single source. If something piques my interest I usually search a few forums about it, which is also subjective but they are not incentivized to lie about it or not tell the whole story.
The above goes for technical stuff like PC components and the like. But audio stuff is even more subjective, and more deeply ingrained with snake oil.
I watch a lot of speaker reviews or improvement videos. Not to buy them or upgrades but to learn from them. I build my own speakers so I know exactly what goes into them, are tuned to my tastes and no money is wasted on things I don't care about. And I really enjoy the whole process of building speakers.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @imqqmi: The only reviewer I fully trust is Erin, from Erinâs corner.
@imqqmi replies to @imqqmi: @@AndiGomez-yu2dx Sure. Still, it's better to not blindly trust him or anyone either, always stay critical and use multiple sources.
@tam8197: Payola is as old as the hills, or pop music at least.
@marcomazzini: Just thank you for this video ⤠greetings from Peru
@keanueraine: When YouTubers receive flights and hotel stays to "review/test" items then come back and don't have that banner it really irks me. This bestest ever item is now Sus every time I see those video. A certain YouTube streaming company gets an all expense paid trip to test paint and I call them out on it in their comments and then get told that because I don't post videos myself to go pound sand, well they lost a Sub and made me very wary of other YouTubers.
Your video sir was very classy in calling out such behavior out. Bravo.
@pimpthyride: As sad as it is, I have reached a point where I just don't trust ANY reviews on Youtube (or nearly anywhere for that matter). Most reviews are just 'paid promotions', they all say that they give their honest opinion, but, who are we trying to fool ?
It is just so hard to trust any one / channel / blog these days, because there is so much money to be made and they are not going to bite the hand that feeds.
And in any case, I am always sceptical of a review someone makes when they did not have to spend their hard earned cash on said product because it was given for free.
@AndiGomez-yu2dx replies to @pimpthyride: The only one worth trusting is Erin from Erinâs corner. If you donât already know his channel, I highly recommend him!
@pimpthyride replies to @pimpthyride: @@AndiGomez-yu2dx Thanks, I will check it out.
@maidsandmuses: I thought not declaring a conflict of interest was the 21st Century way of conducting business (and politics)? Seriously though, all these forms of compensation should be declared.
The only reviews I would give some credence are those where the equipment under review has to be returned, and the review is paid for by the viewers, if at all.
Biased reviews are often easy to spot though; disproportionate praise tends to be given to features that clearly of no real use, whereas obvious flaws are completely ignored or dismissed as not a real issue.
@ShikataGaNai100: I have come to a point that the only reviewers I watch are your channel, Guttenberg's channel, and cheapaudioman's channel.
@Douglas_Blake_579 replies to @ShikataGaNai100: Well... one out of three isn't very good odds.
@georgebliss964: Too many shysters masquerading as independent reviewers.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @georgebliss964: Shh, weâre masquerading as YouTubers. Tell no-one.