- Joined
- May 4, 2022
- Messages
- 548
- Likes
- 596
It's never bad to be skeptical.Historically, it wasn't very common.
Maybe it's better now?
I am somewhat skeptical.
I'll share my experiences, though.
1. I bought a miniDSP SHD without ever first hearing it. Amir's review, in combination with researching its feature set, gave me everything I needed to know that it was the right unit for me.
2. I had my eye on the KEF LS60 Wireless speakers. After seeing Erin's measurements and subjective comments on these speakers (Erin's Audio Corner), I bought them for my office - having never heard them in person. They sound exactly how I expected them to sound based on Erin's data.
3. I bought Elac Uni-Fi Reference bookshelf speakers for my family room prior to ever hearing them. The driving factor there was that they were the best match to our decor that I could find but, again, Erin's data informed me on what to expect from these speakers. It was dead on.
4. I decided to make my Elac speakers all active to overcome some of their weaknesses (which are clearly apparent in Erin's data). To do so, I purchased a Hypex Nilai 500 Stereo amplifier and two Topping LA90 Discrete amplifiers based on Amir's reviews. They sound fantastic. I also replaced my miniDSP SHD with a miniDSP Flex HTx to get 8 output channels, having never heard it. The Flex sounds just as good as the SHD.
In sum, my systems sound fantastic, and I bought all of the equipment based on testing performed by Amir and Erin, without ever having heard any of the equipment before purchasing. In this regard, I don't know of any retailers in my area that even carries them. Perhaps I could find the LS60s or Elacs on display somewhere locally, but the rest of the equipment probably not.
Last edited: