Article: dCS, EMM Labs, Aurender Launch Premium Brand Boutiques on Superphonica

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[Danny Kaey]

Outstanding move and a welcome and refreshing outlook to this rather stale industry!  Well done Chris!

[PeterG]

Great idea--this could be big!

[The Computer Audiophile]

Thanks guys. This is only the beginning. 

[Tintinabulum]

Sorry to be thick but are these products cheaper or something? If you're buying new, what's the difference between a boutique here and there online shop/partner?

 

Whilst I'm on, I regret the demise of the classifieds where members can buy and sell. I don't get the format of superphonica, it has dealers in it, full price kit. That I can get anywhere, what you can't get is fellow hobbyists selling their kit in a single uncluttered cost effective way. No sticky fingers...

 

I am a bit of a dinosaur though, I don't get it, sorry. I'm looking for kit but I'm not really using Superphonica, looking at other classifieds instead. Good luck though, hope you get rich.

[The Computer Audiophile]

20 hours ago, Tintinabulum said:

Sorry to be thick but are these products cheaper or something? If you're buying new, what's the difference between a boutique here and there online shop/partner?

 

Whilst I'm on, I regret the demise of the classifieds where members can buy and sell. I don't get the format of superphonica, it has dealers in it, full price kit. That I can get anywhere, what you can't get is fellow hobbyists selling their kit in a single uncluttered cost effective way. No sticky fingers...

 

I am a bit of a dinosaur though, I don't get it, sorry. I'm looking for kit but I'm not really using Superphonica, looking at other classifieds instead. Good luck though, hope you get rich.

No worries. 

 

Most people don’t live near an area with a dealer, and they like to shop online. Plus, there is nowhere else to purchase certified pre-owned Meitner DACs anywhere in the world. 

 

Demise of classifieds?

 

superphonica is for commercial and private sellers. It’s great to search a product and have both new and used options available. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

P.S. @Tintinabulum - Purchasing through Superphonica helps CA hire more writers and expand, thus helping you the reader if you enjoy the content here. 

[Tintinabulum]

Personally I read the threads, non paid. No real interest in the other stuff. 

 

Not after a used Meitner either. The previous classified were great, easy to keep an eye on newly listed kit rather than wading through advert of fully priced gear/adverts. Hey ho. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

14 hours ago, Tintinabulum said:

Personally I read the threads, non paid. No real interest in the other stuff. 

 

Not after a used Meitner either. The previous classified were great, easy to keep an eye on newly listed kit rather than wading through advert of fully priced gear/adverts. Hey ho. 

Previous classified?

[stevebythebay]

Guess you won't be reviewing any products from participating "partners" or at least manufacturers.  A bit confusing, what will all the descriptors for Superphonica "associations".  Otherwise, that would at least seem to be a conflict of interest, even if it really isn't.

[The Computer Audiophile]

On 5/12/2018 at 11:19 AM, stevebythebay said:

Guess you won't be reviewing any products from participating "partners" or at least manufacturers.  A bit confusing, what will all the descriptors for Superphonica "associations".  Otherwise, that would at least seem to be a conflict of interest, even if it really isn't.

Can you clarify Steve?

 

I view Superphonica associations no different from manufacturers and dealers and distributors who advertise here on CA. 

 

Fortunately there are controls on the conflicts of interest that have been present since the day we started accepting advertising dollars in 2007. The fact that we don't censor comments on CA, either below product reviews or in the forum, is a great thing. If anyone reading a CA review thinks there is funny business going on, they are free to say so loud and clear. 

 

Some people have asked about a conflict of interest with Superphonica, and I don't blame them. The question I like to ask people is this, what's worse, CA taking money directly from manufacturers (via advertising) or Superphonica accepting money from manufacturers, dealers, and consumers in order to sell their components? It's a somewhat rhetorical question, but it's hard to say anything is "worse" than the current model of all publications that accept money directly from manufacturers in order to place a banner or advertisement somewhere. if there was another way, I'd sign up for it immediately. There's only one Consumer Reports. It's nearly impossible to get people to pay for something they believe should be free or that which they don't see enough value. 

 

One piece of Superphonica that I love is the fact that my brother runs the day to day business and handles all the relationships with manufacturers and dealers. I like to be as far removed from that as I can. We hope to move him into a similar role with CA and have him handle all the advertising relationships. It's something I hate doing. 

 

Anyway, I'm always open to discussing this and want to keep everything transparent. It's good for everyone, the consumers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, and CA. 

[stevebythebay]

No absolutes in this grey area of conflicts of interest. Merely the taint.  Not saying that there is any such thing as absolute, conflict free, transactions since we’re all making choices. You by making selections of what meets some level of interest of product/service or some person/organization offering up such.  We readers/consumers by what is of interest, fits our goals in computer-based Audio, etc. With Superphonica it’s simply an extension of your “enterprise”, so all of a piece. It simply makes one take pause when attempting to sense the underlying choices, knowing or unknowing, that you are making with respect to reviewing. 

[rickca]

6 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I like to be as far removed from that as I can.

Great.  When can you start focusing on reviews again?