I created this FAQ in response to questions that I frequently get on Youtube.
Amos
Can you review (product)?
Yes. No. Maybe. It depends if A: It’s something I want to review or think would be good. B: The company can send it to me directly in Japan. Some companies will absolutely not send anything except through their distributor, whom most often doesn’t have any interest in helping out someone who doesn’t ever review in Japanese.
It also depends on time and practicalities. There are way more products that I’d like to review than I have time for. I don’t like rushing reviews, as then I tend to miss things which could be a show-stopper for people who are interested in buying the product.
When are you going to post your review of (product)?
When I shoot, edit and post the review. I don’t give times and dates for reviews because, after the consideration of having to assemble everything I want to say, or should say about a product, inevitably one of three things happens on the day I plan to shoot if I do:
- Something noisy is going on outside, like construction, grass mowing, or a typhoon. Yes, nature has stopped me shooting a review.
- Something comes up with my other work or family which can’t wait.
- I shoot a bunch of perfect takes only to find out that I had equipment failure half-way through.
- I find a problem with the footage I shot (errors or things I forgot) and have to shoot another take, and by that time I have to be somewhere else, so we’re back to square one.
So… it’ll be ready when it’s ready.
Do you know if (insert technical question about the product)?
Why not ask the manufacturer? I don’t really understand why you think I would have better knowledge than the people who made it. If you’re going around spamming the comments section of Youtube channels trying to get an answer, rather than asking the manufacturer direct, you’re really wasting your own time.
Which is better...? Can you help me...? What do you think of ...? etc.
I get asked advice a lot, and while I’d love to be able to spend all day helping people for free, that simply isn’t practical, as reviews have become a major part of my actual work, and not just a hobby.
However, given that you’re probably about to spend hundreds, or possibly thousands of dollars on audio gear, I’m asking that you help me out, for as little as $2. If, given my experience (you can see what I’ve used or owned on my About page) you’d like my help deciding what is best for you, consider supporting my work. In exchange, you can ask me questions, join in the discord chat, and get my impressions of new gear as I listen to music with it, and we both benefit. I think if you compare that to how much you’re planning to spend, it really isn’t that much.
If even $2 is too much, there is always Head-Fi. People will answer your questions for nothing.
If you do decide to become a Patron or Member, please check what equipment I’ve had experience with. The list is on my About page. I mostly wont answer questions about headphones or other audio gear I haven’t used.
You have affiliate links. Can I trust you?
I don’t ever ask people to take me at my word about anything. I don’t consider myself as being any more special than anyone else. That being said, the biggest benefit for everyone, myself, the consumer and the manufacturer comes when the consumer buys the most ideal product for their needs, and that is what guides my reviews. If people are buying products on hype that don’t meet their needs, then they end up unhappy, often vocally, with the reviewers, and the company.
With that in mind…. affiliate links only pay out if the product is not returned by the customer. Most companies pay out a month or so after a sale, as that is the common return window. Amazon pays out about 3 months afterwards. Due to the way Amazon operates, it’s possible to end up with a negative balance with them, which has happened to me a couple of times.
As a result, it is of zero benefit for me to create overly positive reviews just to get sales, as i’ll end up pissing off the companies such as APOS, Audio46 and HeadAmp if most of the sales I push their way end up returned, and my affiliate accounts or sponsorship would end. I’d also get a bad reputation. Most importantly, I’d feel awful if people wasted their money on products because I’d mislead them. Everyone benefitting is far nicer.
Heck, if I wanted to just make as much money as possible, I’d spam top 5 or top 10 videos sponsored by anyone I could find.