John
Twittering Machines’ Michael Lavorgna had just put to bed his written review of the Hifi Rose RS150b. I had just begun warming up a NAD M10 V2 for video coverage in early 2022. And yet Michael and I don’t agree on the utility of touchscreens found on hi-fi products. He thinks they’re a boon for beginners. I think they’re a poor and literally distant second cousin to any smartphone or tablet. What better way to kick off another episode of the Darko.Audio podcast than with opposing views? Fight fight fight!
Later in the episode, Michael and I pull back the curtain on how end-of-year lists are compiled by most publications (including our own) and how that contributes to the ongoing disconnect between 1) how end-of-year lists are presented and 2) what they actually tell us. For example, if my five favourite amplifiers of 2021 also happen to be the only five amplifiers I reviewed that year, my ‘Best Amplifiers of 2021’ list won’t tell anyone anything. No filter has been applied. Similarly, if I have time to review only one high-end network streamer in 2021, calling that streamer “High-End Network Streamer of 2021” is a bit of a stretch. Michael agrees: it’s why he calls his ‘best of’ list ‘favorites’.
Listen to us ramble through these two topics via SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn or the embedded player below:
Mentioned in this episode…
Twittering Machines Favorite Hifi Gear 2021
How much time do we need to audition a product?
After recording this podcast episode, I polled the Darko.Audio YouTube audience on the touchscreen issue:
