Michael Lavorgna strikes back.......

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I think it is as other posters have pointed out. Audiostream and Michael Lavorgna are irrelevant.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

Or more to the point, forums like this are just getting more traffic than Audiostream, and ML's  attempt to create controversy is rather transparent.

 

The post begins with "I asked Bob Stuart...".  It's unmitigated MQA marketing propaganda masquerading as helpful consumer information. It even begins with an MQA marketing graphic of a handsome man wearing headphones with a wondrous smile on his face.  I guess we're supposed to believe he's over the moon for MQA, when in reality he's a headphone model and there's likely no sound coming out of those cans.

Pretty much an On The Money post...you nailed it.

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1 hour ago, realhifi said:

Do you seriously believe that?  He auditions and reports on more product in a month than this site does in a year. If you don’t think that’s saying something about both his veracity as a reviewer and reporter you are sadly mistaken.  Pretty sure he does not need to gin up controversy to be relevant. 

Yes. I believe it. I find Audiostream to be passe', and of no real value to me. i also don't need musical

recommendations from them, which seems to be half the content. I have a 1000 other better sources.

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13 minutes ago, christopher3393 said:

Some recent comments from Steven Plaskin from the Audiostream "Is MQA DRM" post (with responses from "DH"):

 

Steven Plaskin: I am deeply disturbed by the destructive anger that is being encouraged at another site dedicated to our hobby. Most audiophiles I know couldn’t give two shits about MQA. But the vitriol and devise behavior being propagated displays to me some serious issues that need to be addressed - and they are not audio issues.

Here is a direct quote about what I am referring to:

Lavorgna is a jerk

Make an 'objective' comment you are sneered at as a "mere cloth-eared engineer".
Make two and you're off.

And his lackey, the snake-oil freak Steve Plaskin, is even worse, though at least he is reasonably polite about it.

What normal thinking adult would want to be part of this?

When it was brought up that AudioStream turns out more equipment reviews, the owner of the site questioned AudioStream’s quality of writing. Just compare Chris Connaker’s review of the SOtM sMS-200 with mine. Reach your own conclusions.

There is a true disconnect from reality occurring that in the end, will only hurt our hobby.

 

DH: You are correct. But the context is that ML was banned from CA because of HIS language and behavior there, including the use of profanity related to someone's mother.

 

Steven Plaskin: And this language was sent in a private message. If Chris did not want Michael to post on his site, he could have told Michael in a private message. Chris decided that punishing Michael would further his economic goals. Naturally, I cannot know what Chris is thinking, but his behavior and tolerance of abusive posts suggests what I am referring to.

DH: I'm not defending some of the language used at CA. But some of MLs public posts were also not what I'd expect of a professional.

Chris doesn't allow the private messaging function at his site to be exploited for abuse.

I think that's exactly how it should be. I'm not really sure why you are excusing that kind of behavior.
ML isn't the first to be banned from the site for that type of stuff.

 

Steven Plaskin: This isn’t really about Michael’s “street language”. I think you know what I’m referring to.

 

edit: Michael Lavorgna has just added this: Chris allows abusive, offensive, and ...insulting language directed at people who do this for a living on his site - every day. To my mind, this is not the way a professional moderates a forum.

 

 

That is interesting. Because Michael Lavorgna posted numerous profanity laced tirades at Audio Asylum and was left untouched because it seems "reviewers" are given tremendous leeway. He even abused his colleague Doug Schneider with profanity and name calling.

 

For the record, I don't believe Plaskin has ever commented on MQA, so an unfair attack.

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3 minutes ago, Mercman said:

I didn't say EVERYONE, just some people. Most of AudioStream's readers are CA readers. Our hobby is very small.

 

"You pretty much say posters here are angry destructive people who have serious issues. Is that not what you meant?"

Absolutely not!!! My writing is very clear and doesn't need embellishment.

I will change my listing of Mercman. I have been coming here for years long before I was a reviewer.

Mr. Plaskin, first let me say you have been unfairly attacked as ML's "lackey".  That was uncalled for.

 

But if indeed most audiophiles could not give a damn about MQA, why does ML continue to cover it with a zeal

rarely seen in this hobby, as if it is the cure for cancer? I would appreciate an answer, because if most really don't

give a crap about it, clearly ML is out of touch. Tough to square away, eh?

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27 minutes ago, Mercman said:

Michael decides what to write about and post at AS. I honestly don't see what the issue is if he wants to discuss MQA. There are plenty of other things at AudioStream to read about.

 

As for me, I take Charley Hansen's view on this subject. But remember, I have never heard an MQA file or been to any MQA demo.

 

Diplomatic answer, for sure. But if MQA is not cared about by the vast majority of audiophiles, Lavorgna must then be clearly out of touch.

 

Or he is looking for click bait. And i am sure he is succeeding. 

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"MQA Partners" have provided The TEN Network with significant income.

 

This is a screenshot of an ad on the Stereophile website;

 

 

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12 minutes ago, John_Atkinson said:

 OMG! You found us out. :-)

 

But wait, looking at the advertisers on CA, it seems that "MQA Partners" like dCS, Mytek, etc, have provided CA with significant income, also. A paradox!

 

John Atkinson

Editor, Stereophile

@The Computer Audiophile How many MQA specific ads do you currently have running?

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3 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I think we have one banner that has the letters MQA because the name of the product was changed to include MQA in the name.

 

Other advertisers certainly have MQA certified products.

Thank you. Does anyone have a current print issue of Stereophile?

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7 minutes ago, beetlemania said:

I do. What are you looking for?

 

I think TAS will write pretty much anything you want for a price but I don't see this dynamic at Stereophile. I can only speculate the reasons why JA and crew are propping up MQA but I doubt it has anything to do with revenue from specific advertisers. Magazine sales, perhaps, but not to appease certain advertisers. It would be interesting to enumerate the pro- and anti-MQA manufacturers. I don't know that the second pool is a majority but it surely is significant (Schitt, Linn, Ayre, mbl, PS Audio . . .).

 

Doug Schneider is taking a reasoned approach here, waiting for credible listening tests. Even then, the multiple downsides to MQA need to also be considered. Stereophile has completely ignored these as far as I can tell.

I am simply curious to how many MQA specific ads (MQA log) are in the current issue, nothing more.

 

I think you slightly went around the heart of the matter. It is not that Stereophile or anyone else will write anything

to help specific advertisers, it is that they have done no critical reporting, and when they finally did  point out some

of the objections to MQA it was/is in a clear passive/aggressive manner.

 

They are creating ad revenue markets by backing MQA with all their might. And I doubt "magazine" sales are worth anything to them. Maintaining their current subscriber #s is all they need to do to continue to keep their current advertising clients.

 

I honestly do not know how many copies they circulate via actual news stand sales. Outside of crowded major metros, do news stands even exist?

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7 minutes ago, Spacehound said:

That's be a laugh.

To be fair, it would be better to read the article before attacking it.

 

I read the first two parts, and formed some conclusions about the agenda,

But am not pre-judging Part 3.

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4 minutes ago, Spacehound said:

I see it's all gone. And yes, his was "a nasty little flame"

You are  in charge, so fine. It's not a 'forum' after all.

 

But I think you should have a serious word with Lavorgna.  He  writes stuff  like that  and tells a CA reader  GFYM.

 

And he wrote a long article in Audiostream, his  little blog, and an offshoot of  Stereophile, about 'internet anger' when he did that. Is there something wrong with  him?

..and we could go into how deplorably he treated Doug Schneider of Soundsage on public forums, and how he insulted Mark Waldrep.. And how he got banned here...

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26 minutes ago, Spacehound said:

Yes he should be kicked out. If I was in charge it would have instant when what he said here was revealed. I told JA my view at the time. More to  snitch on Lavorgna than anything else, in case JA missed it, I personally  dunno what  'being shocked' is

I think it is clear the standards are exceptionally low.

 

Witness Michael Fremer calling a Wall Street Journal reporter an "asshole" and declaring his career "is over" in a childish meltdown:

 

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/why-wsj-writer-neil-shahs-career-over

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4 minutes ago, Indydan said:

ML says he will review this device,

 

https://www.audiostream.com/content/barn-gigafoilv4-–-inline

 

I honestly am not sure of the benefits this can provide. Has anyone tried this device, or one similar to it?

They absolutely do work.

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1 minute ago, skikirkwood said:

 

I heard a rumor you were gone and would be coming back to CA with a new persona.

??

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2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

That device looks like an opto-isolator and it is not clear what else.

Same principle. But these services generally use transformers and they are even used in mission critical

medical and military applications.

 

But for hifi, I own 3 different Lan filters/isolaters, and they all work as advertised. i have no experience with the one

linked above.

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Just now, crenca said:

 

What is "ethernet noise", exactly? How do you know "the all work as advertised" - I assume you are measuring this ethernet noise, or know someone who can?

 

A google search on "ethernet noise" mostly leads to "audiophile" sources, so my voodoo sensor starts chirping...

 

to be exact...the models I have direct experience with work as advertised...i cannot speak for all of them.

 

My subjective conclusions were the sound was better, and justified the purchases. 

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15 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

no worries...just wondering if there is any measurements or even a rational explanation as to what exactly "ethernet noise" is.

i would say that purportedly isolating your streaming device from the rest of the network is really the selling point...and by the way i do use modestly prices Supra and Rosewill Cat 7 cables. No $1000 cables here.

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12 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

When you say 'same principle' do you mean this one doesn't actually use optical isolation?

 

Their "FOIL" trademark stands for fiber optic isolation link so I assume it really is fiber optic.

 

This is a brochure for their older models:

 

https://www.djmelectronics.com/GigaFOILv3 Brochure.pdf

 

correct. these are the devices i own: 

 

https://www.amazon.com/EMO-Systems-EN-30-Network-Isolator/dp/B00OL54Y7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520390618&sr=8-1&keywords=emo+ethernet

 

and

 

https://sotm-usa.com/products/iso-cat6-lan-single-noise-filter

 

fyi, i did not pay anywhere near $350 for the SOtM.

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1 minute ago, Em2016 said:

 

Yes those are transformer based isolators (filters).

 

Optical isolation should provide better isolation (in theory) against RF and leakage currents, so I'm interested to hear more about this Gigafoil thing. 

 

If it turns out to effectively be a pair of FMC's in one metal box it could be interesting.

 

I do see from the photo it needs 5Vdc input.

Yes, good synopsis. My devices are passive.. 

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15 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

Another good reason to spend less time on Facebook...

+1. Children.