September
2022

Hardware coverage selection

How do you decide what to review? 'twas the short form of Raul's question. My answer isn't complicated. If we invite you over to dinner, you eat what Ivette made. Obviously we already asked you for dietary restrictions. But the rest is up to her. Fancy something else? Eat out then settle the bill. Same for 6moons. It's another dictatorship; in my kitchen. You read what I write. If not, zero bad vibes. We're all adults. I learnt long ago that you can't please everyone. Don't even try. You'll pander to the lowest common denominator and still won't win. Do quality work according to your own vision. Stand for something; whatever is really important to you. Then hold steadfast to that for consistency and unmistakable identity. Now trust that existence has for you an audience. As long as it's big enough to pay your bills, you've built yourself a sustainable job. It's the dream of all the self-employed. It'll only come true if you take the necessary risks and put in the long hours.

But don't you worry over what readers want? Never. They're my readers. They like what I offer or wouldn't be coming back. I can see how enough do come back. For that all I must really do is keep my original enthusiasm for this hobby alive. That automatically informs my decisions on what to cover and how to go about it. Like-minded enthusiasts recognize themselves and feel spoken to. Why should I fuss over those not of like mind? They're someone else's audience already; their concern. I've got my hands full with my own house. That's what I must keep tidy; only that.

I was born with a pronounced schnozz. So I keep that to the grindstone of global hifi news everywhere. It's a daily quick scan across many websites and fora. Staying informed is part of the job. When I learn of new companies or solutions, I get curious. And what do enthusiasts do then? It's no rocket science. It's why you recently saw reviews of MonAcoustic's SuperMon Mini, Cen.Grand's Silver Fox and Acoulab's Première S, all brands you hadn't heard of before. Its why for new stuff from established firms, I'm already booked for Meze's new 190 Pro open-backed dynamic; why John Darko and I just put the Mark Levinson N°5909 Bluetooth headphone to bed. If I must choose between a Jern cast-iron speaker or another MDF box, I'll pick the former any day. Likewise for yet another repackaged Eigentakt amp versus a proprietary GanFet circuit. Isn't that obvious?

In any case, that's how I do it. It's very basic indeed. So why fix a benign dictatorship which clearly ain't broke only to welcome the endless red tape of democracy, polls, dissenting opinions and worrying over what others think? Two chefs in the kitchen are already one chef too many. If you can't stomach that, eat somewhere else. Better yet, open your own joint. Your place, your rules. Not that any of the above was meant confrontationally. I'm merely emphasizing how in the win column of self-employment flies the freedom to do things as we see fit. Public servants enjoy other benefits. Freedom isn't one of them. But paid vacations and pensions are…