Are reviewers biased towards equipment they own?

Everyone is biased by everything they know - not just by their gear.

Tripper, So... I don't get it. Would it matter whether I paid $100.00 or a $1000.00 for a power cord, given that any manufacturer would “accommodate" me, wouldn't I still buy and recommend what I like the best as a audiophile reviewer? Granted, many products are simply out of my reach only because I can't justify the price. If your were making a case for "accommodation" pricing inflating what some (most) reviews call “reasonably affordable components” I would be in total agreement. For the vast unwashed multitudes spending a hundred bucks on a power cable is pure insanity! To us, try and find a descent cable for a hundie?! Fat chance. Even a Shunyata entry level Diamondback retails for twice that. Fact is many of us have found something we like without comparing ten different cables so what do we know anyway? I think reviewers have their place and if we’re smart, we read between the lines and glean a little from those who are fortunate enough by trade to have experience with a range of product in excess of the common audiophile. Remember, what a reviewer has to sell is his or her entertainment value, nothing more. Good thing there's A'gon and a used gear market. Happy Listening

Of course they are! That's why the bot the equip in the first place! Wouldn't u?

As the North American distributor of Metronome, I want to weigh in with a few thoughts on this very interesting topic.

Before distributing, I was a consumer just like anyone else and to a certain degree I still am by selecting and investing in products I want to listen to.

As someone noted, all reviewers are biased to some degree with their sonic preference. But by reading closely, one can ascertain if the reviewer prefers 1)the clinical, analytical sound, 2)the soft, warm, colored sound or 3)somewhere in the middle of a pure, analog-like uncolored sound.

Certainly, if the reviewer is laying out his own money, he certainly believes in the product and it fits his listening bias/preference.

I tend to believe that by focusing on reviewers that share a similar bias to us, we all get a better perspective of how a component sounds and if it "fits" our own listening bias and preference.

Just as the 6moons reviewers of the Met Kalista noted how the transport sounded similar to vinyl, one can assume their listening preference is somewhere in the middle as noted above. Keep in mind, we all have different tastes and biases and not one type of sound is "right" for everyone.

That's enough rambling this morning...back to work!