Does What Hi-FI Ever Post a Bad Review?!?

[Messiah]

This is a Stuff review but I have noticed over the years WHF reviews seem to mimic Stuff reviews and it’s basically what WHF put in their review.

Pretty sure back when that review was written (2007), both brands fell under Haymarket so there were a lot of similar views across the 2 brands.

 

[jjbomber]

No, WHF is owned by Future Publishing .

I stand corrected.

 

[Holt]

Pretty sure back when that review was written (2007), both brands fell under Haymarket so there were a lot of similar views across the 2 brands.

Yes, that sounds right. 👍

 

[900sl]

I thought WHF reviews were generated by AI from a bag of word salad including 'verve, air, slam, grip, authority, careful matching' and you get an extra star if your product has Cambridge in the name?

 

[keithiepoo]

Well, I stimulated a conversation, didn't I. I appreciate some of the answers, and would like to believe that reviews are generally positive because the poorer products have been weeded out. I don’t know if I buy that or not, but I cannot disprove it.

Thanks folks.

 

[Holt]

I buy products recommended by WHF all the time and don’t regret it. 😎 I always have done going back 26 years now. 👍

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

I buy products recommended by WHF all the time and don’t regret it. 😎 I always have done going back 26 years now. 👍

If you buy such great products, why do you keep buying others?
Are you not happy with the quality of the products that you bought first?

 

[Holt]

If you buy such great products, why do you keep buying others?
Are you not happy with the quality of the products that you bought first?

I like and trust the reviews the rest comes down to personal choice and circumstances…

I also like upgrading a lot and WHF help me do that and my ability to find bargains too helps with that.

 

[Holt]

If you buy such great products, why do you keep buying others?
Are you not happy with the quality of the products that you bought first?

And sometimes that’s my own fault for not reading the review clearly because things I don’t like will then be highlighted in the review when I go and read it again after purchasing it, but I often buy things at really discounted prices I often ignore the downside bit too. So I suppose I am sometimes not happy with the quality of the products but that’s my own fault.

My decision making is not the greatest either.

 

[Holt]

Just shows how clueless they are.

They were actually spot on. I had the Pioneer then bought the Oppo and it was no better so I sold the Oppo surely after buying it. It was funny because they had the balls to give it 3 stars when no one else did. And it was funny watching all those Oppo fan boys leave the website because of the review! 🙂

 

[Steve983]

My theory is that there are a lot less products on the hi fi market than there used to be and a lot less brands too. Using the analogy of 'only the strong survive' my guess that most units by the well known brands are very good for the price and you can't go too far wrong.

I'm sure someone will disagree, can anyone name some really bad amps/cd players/speakers out there?

 

[Holt]

The Deno

My theory is that there are a lot less products on the hi fi market than there used to be and a lot less brands too. Using the analogy of 'only the strong survive' my guess that most units by the well known brands are very good for the price and you can't go too far wrong.

I'm sure someone will disagree, can anyone name some really bad amps/cd players/speakers out there?

The Denon 2800h wasn’t the greatest amp when it came to the subwoofer sound but WHF highlighted that in their review which I ignored when buying, so I ended up returning that refurbished one I bought for £400.

I have just bought the Sony 1000 amp for £400 refurbished too and WHF have highlighted it’s a bit trickier than the Denon to set up, so I am a little worried but hopefully I will be ok.

They are also examples where I sometimes don’t read the reviews clearly. And the B&W PX8 WHF highlighted they were limp at low volumes but I ignored that and still bought them but WHF gave the award for the best headphones to the Sony 1004 headphones and I bought them refurbished for £106 and they were better than the B&W pair just like they said they were.

 

[nopiano]

My theory is that there are a lot less products on the hi fi market than there used to be and a lot less brands too. Using the analogy of 'only the strong survive' my guess that most units by the well known brands are very good for the price and you can't go too far wrong.

I'm sure someone will disagree, can anyone name some really bad amps/cd players/speakers out there?

There seem to be new brands coming all the time, but I’ve no data to prove it. Obviously some, like Sansui or Oppo, disappear, and others like Leak or Dual get resurrected.

I linked a couple of my favourite duffers in post #15 above, but here is a recent and shockingly awful CD player on another review site. Looks like Fiio are releasing some howlers as well as some decent stuff. 🤔

Fiio DM15 Review (Portable CD Player)

Hello Everyone, This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fiio DM15 CD Player and Transport: Note that I did not remove the blue protection cover for this picture. Fiio DM15 - Presentation Fiio themselves present this new DM15 as "slimmed down version of the DM13" which I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Jasonovich]

No, WHF is owned by Future Publishing .

I like them better when they were under Haymarket Publishers. They had unhinged reviewers like JM Hughes and others of the same ilk. I use to subscribe to WHF because the reviews were like stories unfolding, you heard the the manufacturers design philosophies, you heard about the heritage, all this layering, and despite all this, the outcomes had same predictability as today.

When it was under the wing of Haymarket, you sort of knew from the start, which of the reviewed brands were the Chosenites and which of those made up the numbers and we knew those that wasn't in the golden circle met an untimely demise, death by one star or two stars if the reviewer was merciful.

What made it different, they were entertaining but flawed and free from AI drizzle!! 🙂

 

[nopiano]

They had unhinged reviewers like JM Hughes

Did you know that Jimmy still reviews classical recordings over at Hifi Choice and Hifi +. I’ve not seen any gear reviews though.

 

[Jasonovich]

Did you know that Jimmy still reviews classical recordings over at Hifi Choice. I’ve not seen any gear reviews though.

No I wasn't aware, glad to hear he's still active in HiFi journalism.

 

[nopiano]

No I wasn't aware, glad to hear he's still active in HiFi journalism.

From Hifi + (Hifi plus) Here’s a recent example.

 

[Shrek]

Ive never seen a bad review of any Sonos products makes one think .

 

[Jasonovich]

From Hifi + (Hifi plus) Here’s a recent example.

View attachment 11203

He certainly found his safe space reviewing records, read parts of it, had me grinning, love his style!

The old Jimmy was so fiercely opinionated and passionately tangled in his audio obsession — a Flat Earth radicalist of the highest order, preaching Linn/Naim philosophy like it was sacred scripture and treating speaker‑cable debates with the solemnity of a UN crisis meeting.

He stirred up controversy about silver foils, musings of Peter Belt, green markers and all sorts of beautifully weird tweaks, delivering it all with that infectious, evangelical energy of his.

Honestly, I think some of it rubbed off on me. Music passes through cables not from placebo!

Here's Jimmy!


Ps. Alvin Gold, Malcolm Steward (deceased) also come to mind. I kind of miss the insanity!
check this link.

A daily does of Hughes: Jimmy Hughes and his (sometimes) contrary views / Taking a step back"

Some years back I saw a TV programme about the Turin Shroud – a holy relic believed by some to be the burial cloth used to wrap Jesus Christ after He was taken down from the Cross. The Shroud carries what is in effect a ‘negative’ image of Christ’s body, and only fully reveals itself […]

www.hifianswers.com

 

[Holt]

The Deno


The Denon 2800h wasn’t the greatest amp when it came to the subwoofer sound but WHF highlighted that in their review which I ignored when buying, so I ended up returning that refurbished one I bought for £400.

I have just bought the Sony 1000 amp for £400 refurbished too and WHF have highlighted it’s a bit trickier than the Denon to set up, so I am a little worried but hopefully I will be ok.

They are also examples where I sometimes don’t read the reviews clearly. And the B&W PX8 WHF highlighted they were limp at low volumes but I ignored that and still bought them but WHF gave the award for the best headphones to the Sony 1004 headphones and I bought them refurbished for £106 and they were better than the B&W pair just like they said they were.

The Sony an1000 amp craps all over the Denon 2800h, the Denon should’ve lost a star in my view but I don’t know if that still happens though.

The Sony 1004 headphones are way more comfy than the Sony 1006 headphones too.

 

[Holt]

If you buy such great products, why do you keep buying others?
Are you not happy with the quality of the products that you bought first?

Yeah, I suppose I am not happy with the quality of products that I buy all the time, you are right. The iPad Pro was way to heavy for my left hand and resulting in a lot of pain too, I now have the IPad a16 again and I am delighted with it. I also weren’t happy with the quality of the IPhone 16e, it got to warm in my hand when using and it wasn’t a good feeling, I now have the iPhone 15 and it’s a lot better the feeling in my hand, I think the casing on the iPhone 15 is a lot better than the iPhone 16e.