Quote Originally Posted by ericl
HI EVERYBODY!!

My name is Eric and I am the new site administrator for AudioREVIEW.com! I am very excited to be here, and I'm sure you're all just overcome with joy as well!

A brief bit about myself, I'm a twenty-something audio geek with a professional background in tech. I've been a frequent "lurker" on audio boards around the web for many years now - I don't post much but I'm on all the time. Up to now my main interest has been two channel and vinyl, but a new surround system is just around the corner for me. You all know the routine. I'll divulge more details about myself and my system as time passes.

I've got big plans for the site, and look forward to working with all of you improve the site and make it as cool a place as possible. Now I don't mean to be a downer, but part of those changes will be some new rules about posting, discussion, and how to behave in general. I'm leaning toward a somewhat tough stand on making this a safe place for friendly, subjective discussion about all kinds of audio. There will be a special forum for those of you who wish to discuss lab results, double blind testing, or think that there is no difference between different types of cables or equipment, etc. I also plan on adding some new forums, such as a computer/mp3 audio board, perhaps a forum for vintage equipment. I'd like your input on that.

To enforce these new rules, we will FINALLY be implementing a real moderator program. We'll get into this more later as well. If you're interested in being a moderator, check out this link, and feel free to apply (if you've already applied, please apply again, as we've lost many of our old applications in the transition).

There will be other exciting developements, coming soon. I'll be attending the CEDIA expo in September armed with a digital camera and the objective of schmoozing and checking out as much cool new stuff as possible. I'll be report back to you guys with photos and details on all the cool new stuff coming out. I'm looking forward to serving you guys!

-Eric
Welcome and I hope you can do great things for the site.

As for your remarks on changing the rules of discusion, Eric, I'm with skeptic, DMK, and a number of others on this one. We should be able to discuss all the relevant issues and audibility is certainly one of them, as are technical issues and measurements. The rationalist types seldom have any thing against free speech kept within the limits of civility and neither do many on the subjectivist end of the spectrum. But some find talk about technical matters threatening and references to DBTs positively insulting, and I really think that is their problem. Cable Asylum is just as acrimonious as ever and mention of DBTs is ostensibly forbidden. I certainly don't agree to segregrate discussions on audibility and technical matters. It isn't working that well at Prop Head and Tech Square at AA, so why do it here?

I was away on a trip from early December to the end of April helping my wife deal with a family crisis. So I didn't post as much for a while, having to depend on computers in public libraries a lot. But I have been pretty regular for quite a while, since at least 1999--I know AA was already in existence when I started. But if we can't discuss the real issues then there my participation will be curtailed considerably, possibly limited mostly to Rave Recordings, where my main interest is in so-called 'classical music,' although I read and learn from many of the other discussions.

I have volunteered a couple of times for moderation in the past and received a polite acknowledgment but nothing more. Will anything more happen now? I know it's hardly your fault, but ho-hum.

And the reviews certainly need looking at. I believe that is one of the reasons many in the general public would visit this site, but perhaps you have data. There are many which say nothing, a good many multiple reviews, some reviews of another product instead of the correct one, some which simply make a complaint about service (usually very vague!), and I dare say, some which seem to show no actual knowledge of the product though it is hard to be sure. I'm not talking about a product from an obvious spoof manufacturer that has been part of audio humor for quite some time and offers an opportunity for creative and very funny writing.