Readers occasionally ask why I will happily name a brand I admire, like Audioquest or Magico or Wilson, but rarely name a brand I think falls short. The answer is not cowardice or politics.
When I praise another manufacturer, no one accuses me of self-interest. When I criticize one, the math gets uglier in a hurry.
There is also the small matter of context. Audio gear interacts with rooms, sources, speakers, cables, and personal taste in ways that make any single judgment dangerous. The amplifier I find too lean might be perfectly balanced in someone else's system.
So the rule I have settled into is simple. I will name a brand when I want to give credit, because credit is rarely controversial and almost always deserved. I will avoid naming a brand when my comments would be critical, and instead talk about the underlying design choice or topology I take issue with. That keeps the conversation about engineering and not about scoring points. Listeners who care can connect the dots themselves.
It is not a perfect rule and there are times I bend it.
But by default I try to keep the discussion at the level of ideas rather than personalities.
Our audio industry is small and full of decent, hardworking people trying to make great products.
Truth is, we're all after the same thing: great sound.
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