Tough work

PSA

Paul McGowan wrote a while back .....

I am heading out this morning to visit a reviewer who agreed to listen to the BHK monoblock amplifiers. It’s exciting and I like to be there when reviewers have a chance to listen; there are always questions best asked and answered in real time. And no, I cannot reveal the name of the reviewer until the review is published, sorry.

I have always admired the work of a good reviewer. The best are open to new ideas, eager to see if a product flies or flops, and is fair. It’s a tough job and I doubt I would have the skill or ability to do it for a living. Think of the hurdles they face. Each month, sometimes even weeks, they get a new piece of kit, learn about it in detail, audition it next to… what? Their reference piece, or what’s floated their boat recently, or just good enough to compare to the sound of real instruments alone? Each reviewer has their own devices and, like a good movie reviewer whose opinions we’ve come to trust or disregard, they develop a following of readers trusting their judgment.

And then they have to write about it in a fresh manner. Seriously? How many times can you write different things and reach excited levels over the fiftieth preamp, power amp or DAC? And yet, they do it month in and month out – and most do it well.

I am appreciative of what they do and the effort it must take to put out another magazine, month after month, keeping things fresh and interesting.

Thanks.