I'm not sure this post was about Audiotroy but since he maintains it is about him and mentions me as someone who will "swoop in", I must respond. I have criticized Audiotroy ONLY when he hijacks threads, usually devoted to Wilson speakers, to promote his own products. The OPs in the last 2 threads Audiotroy hijacked were asking other Wilson owners, in the first case, which of 2 Wilson speakers would work in a room of a certain size and in the second instance whether the OP should opt for new Sabrinas vs used Sasha 2s.
In both threads, Audiotroy came in with his usual hundreds if not thousands of words to extol his dealership, his experience and his products (in a subsequent post in the last hijacked thread, he mentioned additional products that he did not carry so that it appeared as if he were being generally helpful--rather than just shilling for himself), his experience with Wilson which he says he used to sell and his professional opinion that Legacys, Paradigm Personas and any number of other brands that he sells are better values for the money---but, of course, he avers, Wilsons are good if you like that kind of sound. In addition, he usually comments in his posts about his excellent reputation in the industry and how he, unlike other dealers--most of whom are just out to make a buck--truly cares about his customer's needs and that is why he is hijacking. He's here to help us all.
I'm a big boy and can easily handle anyone who comes into a thread about a product to suggest another. We've all known the poster who comes into threads to tell the uninitiated that he has found the "best" of its kind and that the OP would be well advised to have a listen. Sometimes that enthusiasm causes me to look that item up and check it out.
However, Audiotroy has invaded numerous threads in which I was a participant and he has invaded them in the fashion stated above. I find these invasive postings extremely distasteful due to their length, promotion of self and denigration of other dealers in the NY metro area--all of whom I (and my audiophile friends) patronize.
The types of postings Auditroy makes when he hijacks threads are not consistent with the club-like camaradarie that this site used to engender.
In these threads, to assist the OP to place Audiotroy's ostensibly educational hijacking in context-- I choose to provide a bit of personal history which involved my encounters and the encounters of numerous members of my listening group with Dave Lalin who had, years ago, worked at Sound By Singer. To a man, when any of us went there, we would ask Andy Singer to make sure he was not the salesperson any of us would be stuck with as he would keep us there forever, talk our ears off--and then attempt to sell us something we did not need. i also have dealt with Dave at audio shows where the hyperbole goes on to infinity.
So---yes I'm for the free flow of information including the occasional dealer or manufacturer posting providing insights into questions about their own products or issues of general interest (thanks always to Atmasphere, Jonathan Carr and others). But if every dealer---or even 10 dealers-- behaved like Dave did, each extolling his brands over the other dealers' brands in a thread where an OP asked nothing about those brands--how much fun would that be?
