Mister Pig
Pigamus Maximus
So I decided to take some time off from AK, and spend some time thinking if I still want to participate in this forum. I have been here a long time, so its not a decision I want to take lightly. I may not be a founding member, but I would still think I am a fairly old member of this site. I can remember a lot of people I know who have come and gone over the years, and I sometimes wonder what led to their decision to no longer participate at AK. For some they lost interest, others find that they no longer fit into the level of gear that is generally looked upon favorably here, others had personality conflicts, or found boards they like better.
Speaking of personality conflicts, I imagine there are those who do not like me, as you cannot please all the people all the time. Perhaps a bit of disclosure is proper at this juncture, so I will get this stated so there is no confusion. For a lot of years, I have been, and still am a minor reviewer for an online magazine. I started with Affordable Audio, which was developed with the tacit support of AK membership, and the founder was an AK person. However, I was an Aker first, and this has been my hobby and passion since I was a teenager. So, I enjoy this board and the people I met as a hobbyist, and generally say very little if anything about being a reviewer. Now there is a downside to that, as some people feel it is misleading, devious, or downright deceitful.
There are some individuals here who feel that I am a schill for retailers. Who believe some of what I post is meant to part people from their hard earned money. Truth is this angers me, as I see it this is calling me a liar and a thief. And I do not tolerate this behavior, I don’t let it roll off my back, and I cannot ignore it. This has let to my current sabbatical from the site. Probably the majority of this contention comes from the discussion of wire, which is a hotly contested topic here, as on other sites. The thing is what I write is what I experience, what I spend my money on, and what I believe is to be reasonable and true for this hobby. People will say you are given this stuff for free as a reviewer, and that is not the way things happen. Yes I can buy at wholesale rate, but it still costs me my real hard earned dollars, and it is not cheap, at least the level of equipment I choose to buy. Manufacturers do not give these things out willy nilly as it costs them real money to produce. Truth is much of the gear I own comes from the used market, as it is cheaper for me to acquire it there than make an industry purchase. I am fortunate to have this avenue available to me, but its not all its cracked up to be.
As I said, I was an Aker before I was a reviewer, and I have been here a long time. So I do not want to give up the friendships made here, yet I will not tolerate being accused of being a liar. It is true I can write a cutting post, and I have done so in the past. I also have respect for spirited debate, and I have learned things from it. I am not sure how everyone sees their world view, but I am willing to take in new information, evaluate my beliefs and values with this new info, and change my beliefs if the evidence or experience is conclusive. I also have a great respect for engineers, technicians, and DIYers . I prefer to use a combination of experience and conjunction with electrical theory to explain our hobby, and I have a skeptical nature for the ambiguous explanations that can enter our hobby. With that said, I do place value on an experienced listeners report, as there is value there. Yes I know all the argument of expectation bias, placebo effect, and so on. Yet an experienced listener who takes notes, uses controlled variables to make one change at a time, and is willing to be honest with themselves is a valuable tool for evaluating equipment and systems.
OK back to that spirited debate. Not everyone has to agree with me. I am not always right. Heck because of AK I have been willing to purchase a couple of classic DD tables and give them a fair shake, even though they are not considered to be in the realm of fashionable vintage audio playback. But I am honest. I do value my friends. I never intend to lead anyone astray. And on the downside I have only so much tolerance, and I am not always nice.
So the question of whether I continue my participation at AK is still up in the air. I happen to be over my last bout of irritation and am willing to think about this issue. I am not sure I am back, but on the other hand I hate to give up the friendships made here. Perhaps I will lurk, perhaps not. I have not made up my mind…but I am thinking about it.
Regards
Mister Pig
Speaking of personality conflicts, I imagine there are those who do not like me, as you cannot please all the people all the time. Perhaps a bit of disclosure is proper at this juncture, so I will get this stated so there is no confusion. For a lot of years, I have been, and still am a minor reviewer for an online magazine. I started with Affordable Audio, which was developed with the tacit support of AK membership, and the founder was an AK person. However, I was an Aker first, and this has been my hobby and passion since I was a teenager. So, I enjoy this board and the people I met as a hobbyist, and generally say very little if anything about being a reviewer. Now there is a downside to that, as some people feel it is misleading, devious, or downright deceitful.
There are some individuals here who feel that I am a schill for retailers. Who believe some of what I post is meant to part people from their hard earned money. Truth is this angers me, as I see it this is calling me a liar and a thief. And I do not tolerate this behavior, I don’t let it roll off my back, and I cannot ignore it. This has let to my current sabbatical from the site. Probably the majority of this contention comes from the discussion of wire, which is a hotly contested topic here, as on other sites. The thing is what I write is what I experience, what I spend my money on, and what I believe is to be reasonable and true for this hobby. People will say you are given this stuff for free as a reviewer, and that is not the way things happen. Yes I can buy at wholesale rate, but it still costs me my real hard earned dollars, and it is not cheap, at least the level of equipment I choose to buy. Manufacturers do not give these things out willy nilly as it costs them real money to produce. Truth is much of the gear I own comes from the used market, as it is cheaper for me to acquire it there than make an industry purchase. I am fortunate to have this avenue available to me, but its not all its cracked up to be.
As I said, I was an Aker before I was a reviewer, and I have been here a long time. So I do not want to give up the friendships made here, yet I will not tolerate being accused of being a liar. It is true I can write a cutting post, and I have done so in the past. I also have respect for spirited debate, and I have learned things from it. I am not sure how everyone sees their world view, but I am willing to take in new information, evaluate my beliefs and values with this new info, and change my beliefs if the evidence or experience is conclusive. I also have a great respect for engineers, technicians, and DIYers . I prefer to use a combination of experience and conjunction with electrical theory to explain our hobby, and I have a skeptical nature for the ambiguous explanations that can enter our hobby. With that said, I do place value on an experienced listeners report, as there is value there. Yes I know all the argument of expectation bias, placebo effect, and so on. Yet an experienced listener who takes notes, uses controlled variables to make one change at a time, and is willing to be honest with themselves is a valuable tool for evaluating equipment and systems.
OK back to that spirited debate. Not everyone has to agree with me. I am not always right. Heck because of AK I have been willing to purchase a couple of classic DD tables and give them a fair shake, even though they are not considered to be in the realm of fashionable vintage audio playback. But I am honest. I do value my friends. I never intend to lead anyone astray. And on the downside I have only so much tolerance, and I am not always nice.
So the question of whether I continue my participation at AK is still up in the air. I happen to be over my last bout of irritation and am willing to think about this issue. I am not sure I am back, but on the other hand I hate to give up the friendships made here. Perhaps I will lurk, perhaps not. I have not made up my mind…but I am thinking about it.
Regards
Mister Pig