Simon Price
I’ve just reached my first benchmark of 1000 YouTube Subscribers after a year of work. OK no chickens are being counted, and there is a fair away to go yet before anyone gives me the YouTube 100k subscriber MBE – a Member of the Best Entertainers, don’t you know.
Only joking, I’m not counting anything really. Or not placing any massive importance on numbers. Maybe I might now count how many HiFi boxes are evading my living space 🙂
In fact the subscriber count is mainly a measure of palpable support, which my followers have steadfastly shown over the last year. And for this I am truly appreciative and why I am posting this – so thank you ALL!
More than anything, this is an effort at credible, balanced and engaging HiFi reviewing…. I think you can only really be a HiFi reviewer if you walk firmly down the middle between consumers (in giving credible advice and information) and manufacturers (for promotion). If it is JUST promotion, as so many of these so called review sites are, there is no reviewing going on. A review is a “critical appraisal” (if any need of criticism is justified – which in most products is seldom). Equally I have to give fair dues to manufacturers where it is a matter of taste and choice and where my own views are by the by.
Unsurprisingly the best HiFi component I’ve tested thus far – see here
So what I’m saying is that subscriber numbers don’t really matter to the extent of quality, which is far more important to make this site sustainable. I’d rather have 1000 people believe me than someone else who has 20k followers, where credibility is possibly lower. It is a journalistic pursuit for me too and I believe I can carry on doing this if I stay true to my balanced and credible aims. It might be a long road, but I’m on the journey!
Anyway, the videos take tonnes of effort, sometimes up to 3 days for 10-15 minute clips. This might sound hard to believe, but if you’ve done it you will know what I mean. I love the creative side of this process and this is why I do it, as well as conveying my experiences to others, as a lover of audio. Let’s be clear, you don’t need special skills; just ears, eyes and perception and an ability to analyse and evaluate and convey. Oh and bags of enthusiasm and effort!
So if you haven’t already subscribed to my channel, please do so by clicking on the subscribe icon above or here. It will be a pledge of support and a reason to carry on, more than anything.
A Year of Work – the Content so far as @ April 2020
Please look down my list here (in chronological order – newest to oldest) for videos you might have missed. Some of the products rank well because they are well known, but don’t discount ones just because they perhaps are not as marketed. You find out as a reviewer, it is often lesser known gems that offer best value for money and performance.
- KEF LSX Active Speakers
- RME ADI-2 DAC FS – DAC
- ATC SCM40A Active Floor-Standers
- Are you a Objectivist of Subjectivist Audiophile? (opinion piece about HiFi reviewing can be objective)
- Bristol HiFi Show 2020 – some stand out products / best £2k systems
- Innuos Phoenix USB Re-clocker at Bristol 2020
- The New PMC twenty5i series speakers at Bristol 2020 – interview with Keith Tonge
- AudioQuest Red River, MacKenzie, & Yukon XLR Cables – best value cables is where it’s at.
- HIFIMAN Jade II electrostatic headphone system
- Sonos Port Streamer
- My new camera and Mic – Canon M6 Mk2 and Zoom H1n + Rode Mic’s
- Cyrus ONE Cast – part 2 : Features & Sonics
- Cyrus ONE Cast (Streaming AMP) – part 1 : unboxing and contents
- Musical Fidelity MX DAC – DAC of 2019?
- HIFIMAN TWS-600 true wireless earphones
- Have a laugh – Not the Nine O’clock news HIFI sketch
- Chromecast Audio budget Streamer – dead but still kicking
- Allo DigiOne Signature Streamer
- dCS Bartók – ultra premium DAC and streaming headphone amp
- HIFIMAN HE1000 v2 premium headphones
- IsoTek Aquarius & Sirius Power conditioners
- PS Audio DirectStream DAC – a smooth operator
- AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt headphone amp/DAC
- Schiit Jotunheim – headphone amp/DAC
- Focal Clear headphones
- Meze 99 Neo Headphones
- KEF Anechoic Chamber – a look inside at Maidstone
- Periodic Audio Carbon IEMs and Nickel headphone amp
- MAS Audio Science X5i headphones
- Ophidian Minimo Speakers – mini bookshelf speakers
- NORD NC500 DM Mk2 Class D stereo amp
- Nord Unboxing film
- CanJam London 2019 – a film
- M2 Tech Young MkIII Pre-amp & DAC
- Tellurium Q Black II Speaker cables
- ISOL-8 Substation Integra Power Conditioner
- WAVE High Fidelity Storm F and Premium BNC Cables
- Chord Hugo M Scaler upscaler
- Chord Hugo TT2 DAC and pre-amp
- Innuos Zenith Mk 2 Roon Server and source
- Chord Qutest DAC (1st video – May 2019)
My Favourite Products I’ve reviewed in my Films;
It easily has to be the dCS Bartók & ATC SCM40A speakers, on all out capability. But best value for money (not necessarily cheapness) goes to Google’s Chromecast Audio Streamer, RME’s ADI-2 DAC FS DAC and Allo’s DigiOne Signature Streamer with Shanti linear power supply. Best value for money IEM headphones I’ve tried are MAS Audio Science X5i
Also a £4000 premium Hegel Mohican CD Player I am currently reviewing represents amazing value for money too. It’s at a level of sounding like a £4k DAC and source, all rolled into one.
