Hi Srajan, I wonder whether you've read Stu's think piece on golden ears? If so, what's your take on the subject? Do you think that reviewers consider themselves better listeners than their audience? If not, what qualifies them to be reviewers in the first place? Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter. Best, Frank
I don't know about reviewers, plural. I can only speak for myself. I don't know my audience, personally. I don't know their individual listening skills. I assume them to be all over the place, from basic to more attentive to very advanced so below mine, equal to mine, beyond mine. The only thing I have over most of them, regardless, is experience. That's it. I have listened to more stuff over my reviewing career than most shoppers ever will. That's the only true difference. Does that qualify me to be a reviewer? Did it qualify me before I had more than 20 years of accumulated experience; when I just started out at other publications? Does what I did before count—working in hifi retail, in sales and marketing for audio manufacturers and studying classical clarinet at the conservatory? That's for my readers to answer. As I stated many times, audio reviewing has no courses or tests, no sanctioning body, no formal certificates or degrees. Some reviewers come with formal writing credentials. Others may have credentials in engineering. But when it comes to reviewing, as far as I can tell, we're all self-made. Some may have come up with mentorship under an established reviewer or publication. Others went solo and simply declared themselves. One day you're John Public, the next Joe Reviewer. You're still the same guy. Now go on doing it consistently, honestly and with a self-imposed mandate to improve yourself. With enough time, you'll be a different guy. That difference is experience. Otherwise you're still the same. And that same guy, regardless of the experience… was he ever properly credentialed or otherwise gifted to work in this field? Is experience sufficient bootstrapped credential? What do you think? Srajan
I get your point. Perhaps I should rephrase my question. How much superiority and ego do you suspect come with the job the longer you do it? Best, Frank
If you expect me to answer on behalf of reviewers in general, you're still asking the wrong question and the wrong guy. I can only speak for myself though having friends and working with select colleagues in the field, I obviously have a sense for them. Within my small familiar slice, I only see folks who tired of jobs in the real world then opted to turn a hobby into a self-employed paying gig. Some of them who started after me watched my success then decided that if I could do it, why not them? What can come with this job the longer you do it is burn-out. Turning a hobby and passion into a job can kill the hobby and its passion. That must be managed if one wants to go the distance and still enjoy it. Once enjoyment dies, it communicates as rote. Given that home-based playback is an unnecessary luxury, possibly the top qualification a reviewer should have is infectious enthusiasm. Basic communication skills and knowledge are essential too but I'd rather read an enthusiastic lesser writer of more basic knowledge than a bored polished true expert. After all, reading or watching hifi reviews is far less about buying decisions and far more about entertainment and the audience's desire to stay abreast of what goes on in their hobby. As to you wondering whether success breeds superiority and ego; and how much of either – that should be a case-by-case diagnosis. I've seen big-shot reviewers act like big-shot reviewers at shows; or be perfectly humble and considerate. It's down to how individuals deal with growing their influence and enjoying more popularity as audited by viewer/reader stats; and the respect manufacturers accord them. Srajan
Good points. Thank you. Are you dealing with burn-out yourself? Frank
I continue to love wrestling with writing as a developing skill. Reviewing hifi and covering our industry stimulates ongoing content creation. On that score, no exhaustion at all. What's personally harder is the ongoing escalation of the sector's pursuit of the very wealthy. A lot of the stuff that gets press coverage at shows and in reviews I find less and less relevant. It's not what excites me. If that's all there was, I'd burn out very quickly. Thankfully we're living in a Golden Age of more affordable hifi getting better and better. It's simply a matter of canvassing the field. So no burn-out because I'm careful about what I focus on so pay attention to. Srajan
