Michael Lavorgna strikes back.......

[YashN]

22 hours ago, sandyk said:

 

 How many members participating in this thread are here to discuss Computer Audio ?

 It appears that some come here simply to attack Audiophiles in general,

 and they contribute very little (if any) in the way of advice to further improve Computer Audio.

 

 

 

What's up? Hadn't seen you in a while!

[YashN]

3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I take this as a direct stab at CA and the business that feeds my family. Not cool.

 

I wouldn't care that much, but it doesn't help when I try to tell people about CA and they group us in with every forum wacko that has ever trolled the internet. The people here are a cut above and smarter than most people I meet on a daily basis. I've learned a great deal from everyone. 

 

I could go on, but hopefully others see his comments as more reflective of him and his current situation, than CA and the wonderful contributors here. 

 

Ah, fear not: while the expression of what he meant wasn't the most elegant and appears to single out CA at first sight, it actually refers to all Hi-Fi forums and the unhappy people he refers to aren't all the members here, it's a portion of them that those who are genuinely passionate about the subject have to deal with regularly...

 

CA is still one of the best if not the best IMO: what other audiophile forums are there where concepts are actually inspired on the forum, discussed there, and actual, quality and loved products are borne out of all of the process? Not many.

 

Problem: one of CA's strengths is also one of its weaknesses: the hands-off approach works really well with people who are knowledgeable and can behave responsibly, but the issue is the trolls can have a field day, polluting threads here and there (there are a few in this threads - usual suspects here on CA, and sometimes they even troll on other forums). Maybe mods to help you out can improve things on this front, but they should be knowledgeable mods.

 

Apart from that, a conversation with Michael could be necessary here, because although he might be well-meaning, the perception about how this was written on his site may give a completely different feel. He definitely could have nuanced it more. On the other hand, if the trolls can take over a forum and make it dwindle (a real possibility), that should be the focus of worry, not Lavorgna.

 

Let's not forget that Audiostream has really excellent posts by him and interviews by some of the greats of Audiophilia, including a multi-part John Swenson interview which should be required reading by anyone serious about the subject, so he's more like the good members in here than unlike. Nevertheless, I remember he was quite viciously attacked on this very forum, so this might explain some bitterness on his part for his experience here at CA (but as you can verify, he mentions all Hi-Fi forums, not just CA).

[YashN]

3 hours ago, Indydan said:

 

I was surprised to learn in the first posts of this thread, that ML had been banned. I have found that you Chris, are very tolerant and give posters a lot of leeway. Some posters here would have been banned on other forums. Hence, my surprise that ML had been banned. 

 

'should',  several of them, a long time ago. Too bad ML can't explain himself here anymore - didn't know he was banned. Not surprised he lashed out at some of the unsavory characters here though.

[YashN]

14 hours ago, firedog said:

Professionals often don't participate at forums or give up after trying  b/c they are hounded by a small number of impolite and ignorant posters who often disparage their motives. Why waste your valuable time at a forum when that is the response?

 

That is indeed the crux of the problem. It's an utter waste of time trying to further discuss with those people or even engage with them, especially if you are experimenting, researching and getting interesting results.

 

"It's clear his POV is that the technical stuff is secondary and the point for him is what brings more listening enjoyment. He doesn't seem to think the  the how, why, or "science" behind it  are very important, just the end result. So he has no issue with saying ethernet cables make an SQ difference. If that's what he heard, placebo effect or not, that's what he cares about.

 

Since he often states that POV pretty clearly. at least over at his site I don't think there is any point in challenging that. At a forum like this one he is a legitimate target (as a critic, not as a person)."

 

I am not too sure I agree here: the technical stuff is important at least to Audiostream. It is the pandering to the continually sceptical 'holier-than-thou' people who masquerade as scientifically-oriented looking for the complete, final measurements of all the gear that isn't important to him (or to the site), at least that's what I get from his comments on AS sometimes.

 

For the technical aspects, there is a treasure-trove of information from some of the greatest on the subject in "Industry Voices". If you haven't spent time reading those, they are going to be very interesting to go through.

[YashN]

Just now, plissken said:

I doubt Chris has anything to worry about in this regard. 

 

I've most likely been the most vocal with him. But here's the thing, I wasn't really involved the the thread and it was Raf of all people that ML did his typical semi-psychotic two face routine with. IMO ML is a little bit 'off'. 

 

Chris has to worry about people like you. He should have banned you from CA a long time ago.

[YashN]

19 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Hi Guys - Michael and I have exchanged emails this afternoon. I don't believe I'll be receiving a holiday card from him this year. 

 

Ow, too bad, but who knows, maybe with time...

[YashN]

20 minutes ago, mansr said:

You're not funny.

 

That's because I was being serious.

[YashN]

7 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Too funny. Michael Fremer and I are back on good terms. We patched it up at RMAF in 2016. 

 

Yep, and that was cool to see and it's a good thing.

 

I have missed part of that ML controversy here it seems, but he's one of the good guys in my book. Hopefully you guys get to see you're more alike with Computer Audiophile pursuits one day.

 

Hard not to agree with his post though:

 

- The problem he mentions is rampant in any HiFi forum

 

- If people have worked on improving their setup and getting big benefits from it, then why are some people on these forums (not just there, but they're here as well), always angry and unhappy?

 

A problem arises when these people interject in good conversations and thread and ruin them, without bringing any new additional information or without sharing anything valuable.

 

Then, what's your option as someone who wants to continue to enjoy great sound and share with other like-minded people your findings, your setup, your new music find?

 

If you're on the forum, you can use the Ignore function, or you can ignore manually, but the problem doesn't really go away.

 

Or you can just 'be like the ground' and go listen to your setup and have a fantastic time at that while doing other productive things.

 

And that's basically the fundamental problem of many of these sites where the trolls can become or have become rampant. I thought firedog described a mechanism by which people can go away from forums quite well. Moderation is one part of the solution, but I've seen forums push away knowledgeable people but giving a voice to the abrasive ones instead - so you'd need knowledgeable mods as well for it to be effective.

 

With that, I'm going to fire up the SET Tube Amp!