Please disclose your commercial affiliation

I reject the notion of dismissing opinions.

Enough positive or negative opinions about a given component can provide a good indication that the item should be investigated further or dismissed, especially if the opinion(s) is from someone whose preferences coincide with your own.

This is independent of dealers or manufacturers who have reason to financially benefit by recommending equipment they sell or build, which as far as I can tell is the original premise of this thread.

an intelligent person will not rely on the opinions of strangers. regardless of the motivation, it is useful to use your own judgment and ears.

perception of sound is unique, as well as preferences. the use of terms is not precise. it is unlikely that another person will be so similiar in regard to all of the relevant parameters that are of concern to hobbyists that reliance on other persons' judgment can eliminate significant risk.

>>03-09-09: Mrtennis
you're a genius. if i stated what you stated, i would be villified<<

He doesn't display your pomposity, inflexibility, and arrogance.

MrT, using opinion as a starting point to choose to investigate something further is not the same as relying on the opinion of others to make a decision. I have never advocated the latter.

03-10-09: Mrtennis
an intelligent person will not rely on the opinions of strangers. regardless of the motivation, it is useful to use your own judgment

"A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others."

While I do agree that there is no substitute for listening in one's own room, with one's own gear and ears, there is simply too much gear out there to make this a realistic possibility. How can one try well over 1000 speakers, preamps, amps, not to mention cables in their own system? So some form of human interaction can be a positive act in narrowing down the choices. The key is to understand the poster's musical values to some extent. If I know the poster likes fast, neutral, transparent gear, and I like warmer, more musical gear, I can then pass on his recommendations.

For example, from reading your threads MrT, I feel that you like syrupy sweet, over ripe sound, in the opinion of most here. I like it on the warm side of neutral, but not as dark a flavour as yours. So I would take this into consideration regarding any recommendations that you have to make.

Cheers,
John