Group tests - WHF always misses out something

[admin_exported]

After a few years of reading the mag I have noticed that WHF group tests tend to miss out at least one price-comparable contender. Sometimes it's Rega, or Cambridge Audio, or something more obscure, but often it's another one of the major brand component choices in that price bracket.

Example being the last mid-price CD player group test - I mean why not include the Naim CD5i? It is relatively new and many readers would be been eager to know how it stacked up against the Cyrus 8SE (and/or 6SE).

Is this a cynical attempt to keep readers buying the mag, in the hope of some future, more definitive test?

Sure, we don't need a magazine to tell us what the 'bestest' is - I can still listen for myself. It just kind of defeats the purpose when the group turns out to be an inadequate representation of what's generally available.

 

[Anonymous]

The CD5i is one of my favourite CD players.

If you are interested in one go and listen at a dealer rather than rely on WHF.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Captain Destructo:Is this a cynical attempt to keep readers buying the mag, in the hope of some future, more definitive test?

No - it's usually just down to what the manufacturers are able to, or choose to, supply us within the deadline for the test.

 

[chebby]

Eddie Pound:
The CD5i is one of my favourite CD players.

If you are interested in one go and listen at a dealer rather than rely on WHF.

My favourite (at the price) too now I finally have one.

Eddie, we agree about something!

I would go further and say demo stuff at home wherever possible. Case in point is my CD5i and Nait 5i

On two previous dealer dem room auditions they sounded awful. It was only when I finally heard them at home that everything sounded as it should.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:

Captain Destructo:Is this a cynical attempt to keep readers buying the mag, in the hope of some future, more definitive test?

No - it's usually just down to what the manufacturers are able to, or choose to, supply us within the deadline for the test.

So no-one owns a CD5i in the office and there is no other way of gettting hold of one?

The Roksan K2 was also noticeably absent...

I just don't get what group tests like these are supposed to achieve.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Captain Destructo:I just don't get what group tests like these are supposed to achieve.

A comparative test of a number of products sharing a broad price-band or other attribute.

And there's another reason why products are sometimes left out - we get almost as much stick for always reviewing the same products time after time.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
Captain Destructo:Is this a cynical attempt to keep readers buying the mag, in the hope of some future, more definitive test?

No - it's usually just down to what the manufacturers are able to, or choose to, supply us within the deadline for the test.

How disappointingly prosaic. Surely there must be a conspiracy to be found somewhere....

 

[Andrew Everard]

I know - bit of a let-down, isn't it?

 

[Anonymous]

Just to be clear Andrew, are you saying that manufacturers will deliberately withold supply of a sample, in case it rates poorly against others in the test?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Manufacturers may be unable or unwilling to supply product for test for a variety of reasons: stock levels, an impending but as yet unannounced replacement, a poor showing in the past, an innate belief that their products are too good to appear in a group test and should only be reviewed on a two-page feature test, preferably with flashing lights...

But the fact remains that while we have a limited budget to buy products for review, for the most part we are dependant on loan samples from manufacturers/distributors for review.

 

[Alec]

Captain Destructo:Just to be clear Andrew, are you saying that manufacturers will deliberately withold supply of a sample, in case it rates poorly against others in the test?

Was that an attempt to force words into someones mouth...?

 

[Andrew Everard]

al7478

Just to get this straight, and purely for academic interest of course, are you suggesting that someone on here might be trying to trap someone into saying something they might otherwise not say?

 

[up the music]

Out of interest where do you offload the kit you occasionally end up buying? Does it tend to go to staff or have I missed the What Hifi EBay sales?

 

[Andrew Everard]

The latter.

 

[Big Aura]

so you flog on eBay?

And of course, the kit in question is flogged with a glowing WHFS&V 5 star review. Manufacturers delibrately withhold mediocre equipment, hoping what hi fi will buy their own version and then need to review it well to ensure a sound re-sale value. Didn't take long for the conspiracy theory to emerge, did it?!

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, we sell on the equipment we buy in regardless of the star rating it gets. Some is bought by staff before it gets to e-bay, and some is transferred to other magazines within the group for various staff incentives, charity requests and so on.

 

[Big Aura]

I know. It was a joke, Andrew......

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:

Captain Destructo:I just don't get what group tests like these are supposed to achieve.

A comparative test of a number of products sharing a broad price-band or other attribute.

And there's another reason why products are sometimes left out - we get almost as much stick for always reviewing the same products time after time.

By "like these" I was refering to the aforementioned mid-price cdp group test, which is only of use to readers with an exclusive interest in the 4 components that happened to make it to the start line. .

Aside from this whining, I was wondering which of the Cyrus 6SE and CD5i was more musically involving or, er, fun to listen to (in your opinion), since it's not possible compare the two in the same store over here and home demonstrations are a drag (they create obligation).

...or maybe I should just buy both and sell one on ebay later...

 

[Andrew Everard]

Big Aura:I know. It was a joke, Andrew......

Sorry - the constant pillorying of the magazine going on in some other threads kinda took its toll on the sense of humour last night.