Now I've seen it all

philipb

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Don't know if this is the right forum.

What Hifi sound and vision has a bit of a reputation for eccentric reviews, but the new April issue has surpassed itself. In a review of AV stands I saw mine - Alphason 105s - gets only 2 stars. Why so I ask, dodgy construction, poor materials ??? Not so. Apparently when playing a DVD, presumably on a DVD player sitting on the stand into a display also sitting on the same stand, colours look washed out compared to other stands in the group test:confused:

Now I could be convinced that sound from speakers is influenced by the surface they sit on, but PQ from DVD players? Do I feel my ***** being pulled? Is this the April fool edition?

Next month I understand they are doing a group test of walls - plasterboard, brick, MDF, concrete etc - to test performance of plasmas and LCDs when hung on the various materials;)
 
if they were listening way above reference and with enormous subs either side of the stand...... yes there could be a performance difference..... but i somehow doubt in the way they say :rolleyes:

clearly there are alot of people actually beilieve this..... :D

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I hope you'd be as perplexed if it was someone else's stand getting slated and that you wouldn't then react with glee (i.e., thinking that "those suckers have got stands which make their colours washed out" :laugh: ). But, yeah, it's bullocks.

Mike.
 
Originally posted by philipb
Don't know if this is the right forum.

What Hifi sound and vision has a bit of a reputation for eccentric reviews, but the new April issue has surpassed itself. In a review of AV stands I saw mine - Alphason 105s - gets only 2 stars. Why so I ask, dodgy construction, poor materials ??? Not so. Apparently when playing a DVD, presumably on a DVD player sitting on the stand into a display also sitting on the same stand, colours look washed out compared to other stands in the group test:confused:


Theres always people so obsessed with having the right gear and peformance that they will lap this up. Its not based on reality or logic.
 
This is the first time that I have seen a magazine comment on picture performance from a stand. Absolute genius.

Next month- Which electricity company offers the highest quality substations :laugh:.
 
Originally posted by Tons of fun
Next month- Which electricity company offers the highest quality substations :laugh:.

actually, thats not as daft a question as you might imagine!

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Originally posted by buns
actually, thats not as daft a question as you might imagine!

I'm aware of the significance of mains- that nice Mr Andrews has a lot of my money to prove it :). Taking WHF to their logical conclusion- they'll make powergen and TXU fight it out for the coverted 5 stars for "best domestic mains supplier" giving the nod to one of them for a superior soundstage and better timing.
 
:D electrifying stuff that would be :rolleyes:

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Well soon as I can i'm buying only wind generated electricity - for that smooth fresh appearance. Maybe it'll boost contrast levels on my Pio plasma.
 
Originally posted by philipb
Well soon as I can i'm buying only wind generated electricity

Yep. Blows all other types away.
 
As someone who has no complaints about the picture quality on the plasma which sits on my Alphason stand, I think there could have been other contributing factors.

Maybe it was the carpet that the stand was placed upon. Was it a 100% wool twist or nylon ?
What about the underlay ? Gold, silver or bronze quality ?
Perhaps it was placed on wooden laminate flooring. How thick was the laminate ? Was it 'click' construction or glued tongue in groove ?
Were the floorboards up to standard ?
Who built the house ? Did they skimp on the subsoil below the foundations ?
Did they get a full geo-phys archaeological survey done on the ground below the house ? There could be 2,000 year old Roman ruins down there.
Maybe it was the type of cloth used to clean the Alphason before the plasma was placed on it. Was it a 100 % cotton duster, or an old pair of 'Y' fronts, with a bit of Mr Sheen sprayed over the residue of a 2 year old skid mark ?
:eek:

So many unanswered questions, that could obviously affect the picture quality. I think What Hi-Fi have skimped on their research.
:laugh:
 
If I were the manufacturer of the item I would be worried about how many people will actually believe this self-indulgent crap they sometimes come out with.
 
My plasma is on the wall. I now get a better picture after using Deluxe paint.

Or may be just me.:laugh:
 
I stopped buying What Hi Fi magazine about 18 months ago because i think they give favourable reviews to advertisers even when a product is not very good it can get a favourable review.
 
And don't forget to buy your audiophile quality air from Airheads.com :rolleyes:

Or alternatively create a vacuum in your room so the light from your screen travels uninterrupted to your eyes (and never mind you won't be able to hear anything, or live for very long, for that matter :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
Originally posted by FoxyMulder
I stopped buying What Hi Fi magazine about 18 months ago because i think they give favourable reviews to advertisers even when a product is not very good it can get a favourable review.
I tend to agree, great one day gone the next, like some Paradigm speakers I had the good fortune to exchange once.
 
Why aren't they testing those shady bionic implants that allow AV connectivity straight to the brain? In the future all audio and videophiles will have an 'AUX' flap in their foreheads, so shouldn't they get started reviewing said implants?

Also, when will they have a look at Vulcan ear surgery? The unique shape of Vulcan ears can improve sound by bringing out the smallest nuances, and increasing spatial recognition.

And why aren't they talking about other bodily tweaks to improve hearing, such as clamping your earlobes with laundry pins? Your lobes contain a lot of blood, so clamping them ensures the blood flow is redirected to the inner ear and increases the sensitivity of the hearing by up to 0.01dB.

The effect on picture quality by the rack? Sheesh, everyone knows about that... :rolleyes:
 
Reading the review, I think that they meant that the rack was a bit dull, perhaps some gloss paint would help improve the colour - red, yellow - maybe that would be bright enough!!!

I have long thought that they are either barking mad or taking the P, and our cash. (probably a mixture of both)
 
I feel sorry for the people that are still buying these mags.........:eek: :eek: :confused: :suicide:
 
Well I do... wish I could stay here... but I keep doing the silly thing and buy the mags...
takes about 2 mins to check out the mag against anytime on this site.
 
Here's the exact review text;

"Visual and Sonic performance is less impressive. DVD detail is acceptable - however, colours do appear slightly more washed out in comparision with some of the other racks. With music, vocals sound thin and high frequencies are tarnished with a rough edge. There's also a lack of weight and definition to lower frequencies.

Just for a quick test I decided to put on my DVE test disc and move my dvd player from its hard resting place to up in their air in my hands and slowly and repeatedly moved it back and forth while watching the tv for any sign at all of a different image. Then I did the same again in zoom mode so if any fine detail went missing I was more likely to see it and also it would show contrast and colour variations more easily. The test screen I used was one of resolution patterns. Then I tried a bit of Attack of the Clones and used the a-b repeat button so I was constantly seeing the same scene but again no difference.
 
Last night I noticed something VERY WORRYING with regards my home cinema and I feel this could affect ALL systems regardless of cost.

:eek:

At first I noticed the picture was not as stable as It should be and the clarity just didn't seem right. Then the sound began to sound like it was being played in a bucket!!!:mad: Then came the last straw the picture COMPLETELY FADED OUT!!! Unbelievable:mad:

I hope this problem was a one off, but I think it may not be! Perhaps I should just sell it all and forget the WHOLE THING. The film wasn't much cop either as it had little impact and I can't recall the whole plot, obviously a weak story line!!

I was so concerned I asked the wife for her opinion, especially considering the fortune we have spent on this stuff.:( But she didn't listen she was too busy clearing the empty tinnies and the wine bottle off the lounge floor (typical woman):confused:

EDIT: Anyone else experienced this anomoly?

EDIT: Well, the wife tells me these symptoms have always been associated with tinnies and wine, I'm beginning to suspect a connection!:rotfl: :p

Edit..Well at least I thought it was funny.......I'm off now, I feel the need to go and stand in the corner of a field somewhere...for a few days anyway........:suicide:
 
:rolleyes: im not sure whether to take that serious or not..... are you sure the paint on your rack wasnt creating hallucinations!?

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