Howard said:

Marc Phillips wrote:

When I wrote for Ultimate Audio, I was informed that most audio
distributors
would give me stuff at the "reviewer" price, which was 50% off. I was
tempted
to take advantage a couple of times (especially with a Benz-Micro H2O), but
something always seemed kind of hinky about the whole thing, so I
refrained.

And went out and paid list price for the thing. Yeah.

I didn't buy it at all. Thanks again for speculating wildly and trying to pass
it off as a valid argument.


Actually, the reviewer is doing a manufacturer a favor if
they do a purchase. (I always note if I purchased the
component in my reviews.) This is because they do not have
to pay for return shipping and then deal with a used item.
Also, if the component is a good one you might mention it
later on in another review as part of a comparison.

Thanks for agreeing with me.


Nothing wrong with that, provided you tell the truth about
the stuff you have on hand. (Of course, why say great things
about a piece of junk and then accept that junk at a
discount price to use in your system?) Actually, in order to
do good reviewing a reviewer needs a lot of gear on hand, so
that he can do decent comparing. I keep stuff hanging around
just for jobs like that. There have been times when I had
stuff piled all over the place for months. The wife got
tired of it, even though I built a new air-conditioned
storage area attached to the house.

I
do still get free LPs and CDs from a couple of labels, but I can't seem to
make
them stop, and I never really asked in the first place.

I get them too, although no LPs are sent, needless to say.
Some outfits just keep pumping them in my direction. I also
have regular connections with outfits that send review
copies from lists and catalogs they have previously sent or
emailed to me. Of course, I also write reviews of those
recordings. Some are good; some are, well, not so good. I
state that in the reviews.

When you have limited means, like Howard, I guess you tend to take
everything
you can get, ethics be damned.

Actually, my wife and I are very well off. Indeed, we just
paid cash for two new cars, plus fifty grand in cash for
assorted home upgrades. I rarely purchase audio gear at
accommodation rates these days, because, to be truthful, I
got all the gear on hand that I can use.

Why do you need to defend your financial situation all the time? That's what
poor people do.

Boon