NEW How To Use Polestar | Polestar Feedback

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - I hope you all saw our newest feature here at AS called Polestar. Here is the introductory post - LINK

 

To access the feature, click the Polestar tab at the top of any page.

 

This forum topic is for instructions on how to use the feature and for people to leave feedback. Please note the feature is in beta and we are working out inevitable kinks. If we waited to perfect it, the feature would never be launched. Thanks in advance for your feedback and to those who helped during the Alpha stage. 

 

 

How To Use Polestar (Find, Review, Rate Products)

 

 

 

 

 

How To Add A Missing Product

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

32 minutes ago, fas42 said:

As I'm sure you're aware, Chris, the Sort mechanism is still not working correctly ... I'll mention it here so people don't keep querying this ...

Yes, thank you Frank.

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 minutes ago, One and a half said:

Perhaps a series of checkboxes about the reviewer that could create some authenticity.

The checkboxes could be:

- Own this product

 - Heard at a friends'

- Heard at a show/dealer

- Read online review and want to make comments here

 

Maybe a rating for the review, the same as for posts, thanks, upvote, laughing, and the D....

How to stop the review from becoming a dissing match of opinions? That would be my worry.

 

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

I'm checking on our options for the items you mentioned. 

 

The reviews and ratings aren't a place for funny business. I will remove anything that isn't an authentic attempt to help others by leaving an honest review. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

14 minutes ago, One and a half said:

Maybe a rating for the review, the same as for posts, thanks, upvote, laughing, and the D....

I think this is what you're talking about. 

 

People can mark a review as helpful.

People can upvote/thank/like/laugh/etc... each review.

People can sort by newest or most helpful. 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 hours ago, One and a half said:

Yes that interface is familiar and well used, that’s what was on my mind. 
To make an example of a headfi review, the op review of hardware is then commented on, and can and does spiral into meaningless conversation. Would you be willing to moderate quite a bit of nonsense which could be demanding. 
I’m thinking of cable reviews where a powder keg is just sitting and waiting.

Absolutely yes. Polestar isn't a place for comments or conversation. It will be an easy one to remove that kind of stuff because a moderator doesn't have to take into account the context of a conversation or anything. If it isn't an honest review, it's gone. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, firedog said:

Hi Chris-

A little unclear to me: do you want just the dry facts about devices, or also a short evaluation?

Thanks for the question.

 

Dry facts or even some marketing info goes into the main product page. Below that are the user reviews and ratings, just like any review. Can contain objective and / or subjective information. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here's an example of a new pair of headphones I recently purchased. 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

5 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Would it make sense to have price ranges as subcategories?

It might, but I'm not sure how to implement it without making it a mess. How do you envision this? Maybe we are thinking of two different things?

[The Computer Audiophile]

37 minutes ago, mansr said:

Why are all the sorting options descending? When choosing to sort by manufacturer, I'd expect the list to start with A, not Z.

The sorting has a couple issues we are working out. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, mlknez said:

Perhaps a category for Preamps/Integrated Amps/AVRs

Preamps go into the Analog Components category for now.

 

Integrated are amps, so for now they'll be in the amplifiers category. 

 

AVR is a new category that I should add. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, mlknez said:

 

Where would you put a product such as the Marantz AV-8805.  A preamp with both digital and analog processing with no amplifier built in?  It is a preamp but no analog.  It is not an AVR as it has no amplifier.

I would look at its most likely use and that's a preamp. Marantz calls it a preamp. For now let's go with this. It isn't perfect, but I don't know that these needs their own category for now. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I added categories for AVR and Preamp / Processors

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, austinpop said:

Chris, how do you want to handle my (and others') front page reviews? Create an entry with a link to the review? Or exclude? I'm OK either way.

Create an entry with a sentence or two, a star rating, then link to your review. Here's how I do it.

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

Actually, I would just call this category "External clocks," unless you want to further separate into "Reference clocks" like the Ref-10, and "Word Clocks" like the Rossini and Vivaldi. 

 

I hate the term Master Clock, as it's a made up marketing term that is applied interchangeably to reference and word clocks.

For now I think the purely digital DDC category will work. There isn't enough of these to have their own category. Plus, the search tool can bring up all the clocks pretty simple.

 

I can always be persuaded if I've looked at this incorrectly. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, k-man said:

My suggestion was because of the many products in this field that will be put into the DDC category because of the handling of the digital transmission; it’s going to be a crowded category . Since the clocks I mentioned don’t process digital data (only making another clock be slaved to it), I thought it be best elsewhere. The other Mutec products have digital inputs and outputs so by definition remain in the category.

You're certainly not incorrect. This will be massaged as we work out the kinks.

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, SuperRoo said:

Would it be hard to have a way to view all new from the main page?

Yes, but the activity stream can do this for you easily. 
 

Try to access this stream or create one. 
 

https://audiophilestyle.com/discover/373/

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

5 minutes ago, SuperRoo said:

Would it be hard to have a way to view all new from the main page?

Yes, but the activity stream can do this for you easily. 
 

Try to access this stream or create one. 
 

https://audiophilestyle.com/discover/373/

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

if mine is inaccessible to some, the one below should work. 
 

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/discover/376/

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, Matias said:

I just tested Polestar by adding a new item (Mola Mola Makua preamp). Some observations:

- Preamps are listed both in its own category "Preamp / Processor" but also under "Analog Components". I think it should be moved from the latter into the former.

 

- If I understand correctly, Polestar is the same as Head-Fi's "Head Gear" section. But there when I created a new item it uses the picture I attached to display it large in before the item description. I think it looks nicer, could you enable this on Polestar as well?

Hi Matias, thanks for creating the entry for the Mola Mola amps. 
 

The main item photo is attached in the area near the bottom, in a separate field. I attached it there for this product. 
 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

9 minutes ago, Matias said:

I added 3 reviews by now to get it started.

Excellent. Thanks!!!

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 hours ago, baconbrain said:

Is it possible to post reviews which compare multiple components of a certain category, for example Ethernet Cables?

This isn’t possible unfortunately. Such a review is better placed in the forum. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, MetalNuts said:

It seems to me weird that there are a lot of gears listed there which I believed to be put based on the popularity and/or suggestion of the users l but there is not much review posted so far. 

 

However, if an individual post with a topic of XXX is great or sucks, usually there are at least a number of posts either supporting or disagreeing.🤨

Yes, we will get there. We are just getting started.