Quote:I am hardly surprised that not everyone agrees. This IS audio after all. And when all is said and done, the tone on that form isn't that bad. But understand that the critique on that thread is over two things: whether people believe Steve (hype category perhaps), and whether Steve ought to supply review samples free of charge
I came across this thread and the AudioCircle thread the same day -- a day before the AC thread was cleaned up with a lot of posts deleted by the mod. Being a mod can be a tough job and I do understand why certain posts were deleted. The conversation had gone way off topic, yet a couple of things come to mind about the deleted posts and the locking of the thread.
First, the mod himself, a pretty fair guy at the end of the day, seemed a little antagonistic to the OP's first couple of comments so right away, something seemed "up". More on this later.
Second, a lot of the deleted posts were a back-and-forth about the Decware website. I have posted on the Decware forum and elsewhere that I think whoever writes the copy for this web site does an excellent job at drawing the reader in. I can think of at least 5 - 8 small manufacturers who could take a few lessons from Decware about website design and marketing.
Some on the AC thread, consider a lot of the info on this website pure hyperbole with some very extravagant claims made. That is why, after first reading the AC thread and then tumbling to this thread, it all seemed so interesting. It was terrific juxtaposition. As for me, I find the product descriptions a little over the top here and there but then again, Steve has product to sell, so I don’t hold it against him at all that he markets rather well on his site. Reading through that thread now, though, most of those posts have been deleted but it did get a little heated, mostly about the cost of the FRX driver (is it hype or is there real value added on by Steve's mod?) and the graphs Steve has posted. In fact while he denied it after being called out on it, TurboFC3S called Steve, in so many words, a liar.
Me, I don't understand graphs all that well and haven't taken the time to learn them which is too bad because the crux of the matter. Were the graphs Steve posted credible, particulary the FR, or not as TurboFC3S stated who further went on to indirectly insult a lot of people who read this forum and buy Decware products for being taken in because they too can't possibly read graphs well enough to know they are being duped.
It's too bad that the mod deleted Steve's reply to some of TurboFC3S's statements. The final editing of the posts by the mod makes Turbo seems a lot more reasonable and fair-minded than he really was, especially since Turbo is a speaker manufacturer himself. Calling Steve "liar" was really in bad form.
Quote:or whether his 30-day money-back guarantee is an adequate way to test his claims
A thirty day policy is fairly standard for internet-direct companies, and I agree with you that is adequate, at least in most cases and for most products. I have seen a few as short as 15 days and some go out as long as 120 days, which in my view, is really about the right amount of time although I will admit that it is a very generous policy and can well understand why it isn't the norm.
For TurboFC3S to state that Steve should send him a driver free of charge rather than take advantage of the 30-day policy was further evidence, in my mind on at least this occasion, of his unwillingness to engage in fair debate.
Which brings me to my last point. Early on when the thread began, the mod seemed a little tilted toward TurboFC3S and against the OP and, in the final analysis, Steve. I don't recall now if there was just one response by Steve or more than that and unfortunately, none of the cached pages I can find on the web are of the relevant days between June 1 and June 6th. All we have left are posts by a competing manufacturer stating his case, a response, or responses, by Steve being deleted, and a final comment by the OP wondering why Turbo's posts weren't deleted while Steve's were before the mod locks the thread.
That there is value in Decware products, there can be no doubt. Is it hype? Ultimately, the user in the end decides.