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Should an editor openly display bias ?

estreeter

estreeter

Super Member
I guess it's *his* magazine, but I had come to expect a little more from Jeff Dorgay, publisher of Tone Audio. In his glowing review of Naim's Unitiqute (http://www.tonepublications.com/magazine/toneaudio-issue-29/ ), Jeff opines that :

"I've listened to more than my share of inexpensive solid-state integrated amps, and most are rubbish"

Really, Jeff ? 'Most', not 'some' or even 'many' ? I guess it comes down to where you draw the 'inexpensive' line, and if you 'part out' the UnitiQute the amp section definitely appears to be a bargain, esp. if ole' Jeff is prepared to place it above Nait's own Nait 5i and the original Uniti, but apparently pretty much everything else at the entry level is 'rubbish'. Coming from Fremer, Colloms, Salvatore or any number of other notorious curmudgeons, this would barely have raised a blip on my radar, but as Editor of the mag Jeff periodically reviews amps (and other components) under 2K USD yet somehow fails to mention that they are 'rubbish'. Curious.

If it was just a late night at the keyboard, fine, but it looks fairly clearcut to me and goes a long way to explaining why Jeff tends to concentrate on the aspirational end of the hobby. I really dont have a problem with that - the photos are gorgeous (seriously - the best I've seen anywhere in the audio press) and I enjoyed 99% of the review in question - but why bother reviewing budget and vintage gear when you clearly want to target the Burmester crowd ?

If I look for anything from professional reviewers, its that rare moment when they sit down to review something with very low expectations only to have those expectations back-slammed into the sticker prices on their own reference gear : it has happened with a couple of the 'digital direct' amps, and seems to happen increasingly with small speakers. I'm not looking for the 'competes with <gear> 5 times the price' cliches, but I *am* looking for something resembling excitement. Knowing how Jeff views entry-level gear, can I now read any of his reviews without wondering exactly which advertiser/dealer he needed to placate ? What other reason could he possibly have for even unboxing something he 'knows' will be rubbish ? Life is too short, Jeff. :scratch2:

Advertising obviously pays for Tone Audio - fine - but why not simply acknowledge that if your heart isnt in it when you put fingers to keyboard ? I would still download the mag purely for the great photography (even the ads look yummy :D ) - but I cant read any of Jeff's reviews of entry-level kit without applying the same filter I use when they send Fremer to review a digital source. It's like asking a vintage car enthusiast to report on a Hot Rod show .........

End rant ;)
 
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As I said, I dont really have a problem if that is their 'demo' - folks with large disposable incomes - but why bother pretending otherwise ?
 
A review is the reviewer's opinion. That's what a review is.

Even if the review includes objective measurements, the overall interpretation, applicability, and relative importance of each measurement is the reviewer's opinion.

And, as always, your opinion may be different.
 
Fisherdude is correct. An op-ed piece, by definition, calls for a position or conclusion by the writer. The fact that this one happens to be written by the editor of the magazine is irrelevant. However, if a copy editor showed similar bias or inserted the same opinions in a straight news piece, he would quickly be shown the door -- at least in my newsroom.
 
That's what an editorial is. A written declaration of an opinion. People need to stop thinking of these magazines as Consumer Reports.
 
Fisherdude said:
A review is the reviewer's opinion. That's what a review is.

Even if the review includes objective measurements, the overall interpretation, applicability, and relative importance of each measurement is the reviewer's opinion.

And, as always, your opinion may be different.
Click to expand...

No argument - it's subjective, and I get that. My question was 'why bother to review gear that you *know* leaves you cold ?'. In the case of a staff writer who is assigned gear to review, obviously that isn't your choice, but Dorgay has total creative control over his online publication.

I'm not going to link to Issue 1, but Jeff made a point of saying that TA would *not* be focused on the stratosphere - how do you make that undertaking when you believe that 80% of the amps at the entry level (my estimate - YMMV) are 'rubbish' ? I would actually be happier if he had the balls to nominate the gear that he deems unworthy, but I have yet to see a writer who depends on advertising show that sort of intestinal fortitude. Even the nutters like Lampi and Salvatore make all sorts of veiled claims that they will 'name names', only to get cold feet when they realise the legal implications of doing so. Cowards, one and all. :thumbsdn:

http://lampizator.eu/Thegoodthebadandtheugly.html

After giving it a thought - I decided that making a black list could be seen as being aggressive, and making broad generalizations. So I decided to make a white list only. The black - you must guess from my writing elsewhere. It is not difficult.

I'm not aware of anywhere else on that crazy site where he appears to have given anything 'a thought', and 90% of Lukasz' prose is 'aggressive'. Sad.
 
I think that every issue is meant to be completely separate. In other words, if what they say now contradicts what they said a few months ago, ignore it. I can't begin to count the number of times I've read, "the best I've heard at this price point" or words to that effect. If it had been true each time, by now we would have perfect sound forever.
 
stereofanboy said:
I can't begin to count the number of times I've read, "the best I've heard at this price point" or words to that effect. If it had been true each time, by now we would have perfect sound forever.
Click to expand...

Or maybe it's simply the case that the equipment keeps getting better and better.
 
Regarding reviews of anything, I've learned a bit from my brother, who uses movie reviews so he doesn't waste time on crap.

Over the years he has come to realize which reviewers he is in agreement with, and that's who he reads. Problem is there is so much equipment and many reviewers, too many for one person to review all.

Editorial = I'm the rich bastard who is in charge here, and I'll push my own agenda for a while if you don't mind.
 
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