[the beautiful charmaine sheh]
a dealer advised me to tone down my exuberance in this blog, for many dealers have become very "worried" of what i said in this blog. he cited several cases:
[1] i tend to make conclusive remarks too soon - i tend to side certain products.
[2] i should avoid doing shoot-outs in the future for malaysian dealers don't like it
[3] i am too opinionated and that i should have more reviewers to review a particular gear before i publish it in this blog. i should have at least 10 sets of systems before i am qualified to comment on a product.
with regards to comment [1], i make no apologies, for this is my blog and i have my own personality and style. i have always maintained "the caveat emptor" condition - you read with knowing what i like and dislike. the last thing i want to be is a "mr. please all", to satisfy all the dealers but myself. i loathe selling-out.
i still maintain my huge enthusiasm for stage III asp gryphon and no one is going to change my mind. i still maintain that it sounds superb in my system. so if you don't agree with it, stop believing what i write and stop reading this blog.
so, it is important to know the blogger's biases (and whims and fancies) before you take his words seriously.
the addition of hifi kaki and other bloggers in this blog also shows that i am open enough to have varied opinions.
so i beg you - readers and dealers alike - read with caveat emptor.
with regards to comment [2], i admit it was my mistake. because i am an industry figure, i have a responsibility to educate and inform. i shouldn't pit one product against another. i shall stop doing shoot-outs in the future. readers are encouraged to read between the lines. and i believe my readers are smart.
with regards to comment [3], i make no apologies again. which revered reviewer does not have an opinion? would you rather read a wishy-washy article (like in many magazines) rather than one which has a clear opinion (like hifi+)? as i have said, the fact that i invited hifi kaki and master ken shows my intention to broaden the perspectives of this blog (and magazine). but maggielurva would always be maggielurva, that is having an opinion (not opinionated, mind you) and honest to his art. is it because malaysia is not ready to have a writer like me?
having 10 systems before i qualified to review hifi? come on, stop kidding yourself, even robert harley or jonathan valin doesn't spend time evaluating a piece of component in 10 different systems. everyone knows system matching is important. if i said a component does not sound good in my system does not mean it does not sound good in hifi kaki's system or master ken's system. you have to take my criticsim with a huge pinch of salt. again, no one forces you to believe what i write. if you don't like what i write, then why are you reading this blog?
so, in summary, i promise to be more diplomatic in the future but within what i think is fair, without compromising my integrity. it is a fine line between commercialism and honesty and i am still learning the balancing act. but just so you know - in politics, i rather be a lee kuan yew than an abdullah badawi. in hifi, i rather be a roy gregory than a ken kessler.
i am just an honest and straight forward guy, so please don't bother me with all these politics.
oh, btw, don't you think charmaine sheh is highly desirable?
infrequent updates
8 years ago
24 comments:
Wow ,no wonders the Malaysian dealers are struggling,They do not like the truth!!!!
I suppose we could expect little truth from them either,huh?
You have my full backing ,Maggielurva.
Gone were the days where you can walk into the dealers and get a sincere advise.
i hope you would not change.there are always products that are better than others,the dealers just have to accept that..
What do they want you to say?
That the Usher speaker is better than Kharma?
Or Promethieus Audio preamp could slay ARC Ref Preamp???
Please,no wonder I buy most of my stuff In Singapore/Hong Kong
Prices are way cheaper,the dealers are more knowledgeable...When will malaysian dealers will wake up????
Charmine Sheh used to be desirable!
You should not give in to item 2 either. When it comes to high-end everyone (even you MaggieL) can only give an opinion. It is your right being your blog to do so and you would not in anyway influence the sale of any product. In high-end what works for you may not work for someone else which anyone with half a brain and a high-end system will already know.
Hi Maggie, with Charmaine photo in your blog, it reminds me of http://malaysiafinance.blogspot. Inside there, every article he writes usually comes with one or 2 highly desirable female shots.
MaggieL,
I always think of you as Our Jeremy Clarkson.
Yeah,some product deserve a single star,that is the hard fact of life...
Like Anonymous said,and i fully agree with him;
1'it is your blog.
2'You should continue to report what work in your system.
Cheers,,,,...'''''
Actually it would be quite interesting if the dealers/local manufacturers could give their input also,just identify yourself..
Don't worry about the standard of English,we are after all Malaysians
I do not think you have to worry about having too many reviewers.
Take the example of Hi-Fi+,a reputable UK based publications
They have many contributors on their roll,but most of the reviews are done by Roy Gregory,and I have absolutely no problem with that.If anything,it add to the desirable factor of the magazine.
I also agree that the dealers,should contribute and identify themselves.I find that MaggieL is quite generous in the way the blog is being run with less formality compare to some other blogs....
And about language? Don't worry ,we only speak one language;the language of our love for music.
CHEERS
I think you have fulfill your requirement as a reviewer..
whether the dealers like it or not ,I do not think they have any choice.
Yo have singlehandedly put the Malaysian hi-fi scene on the map,what have they done for you??
I think the least they should do is to carry the 2V1G in their shops for free....help you distribute
kongkk,
I support you. The price here is damn high. I also stop buying from Malaysia dealers.
Don't put all the blame on the Malaysian dealers.
Understand that there are taxes and most hifi distributorship in this region is in S'pore.
Keep buying from S'pore and the sales volume will remain low in Malaysia. This will only keep distribution out of S'pore.
There are some dealers that parallel import or import direct. Look out for those. There are some good deals to be had.
Anonymous,
Tell me how much are the taxes,?17 % max..the same as it is in Singapore.And we are better at paying as little tax as possible{even I know that,and how much margins our people are making actually]
Just to quote an example,I made an inquiry about Mimetism CDP to a local dealer,I was surprised when he quote me the price of 32k..
I call the Singapore dealer,he said the official retail price in Singapore is 10K[sing dollar] but he normally gives a discount of 10 %.And he said since I call from Malaysia,he will bear the cost of Shippingand throw in a cd that he thought I might enjoy listening to .
Now,you tell me where I ended up buying from?How many people has Heard of Mimetism and want to buy one?The Singapore dealers realized that hey here is a classy customer,not your typical hifi buyer,i do not have to make a killing all at once,he sure will keep buying" and he is absolutely right
No need to argue.... is a REALITY. Price for hifi here is MUCH MUCH MUCH more expensive than our neighbours Singapore. WAKE UP !!!! Malaysian dealers else all the business will go to Singapore.
"understand that there are taxes and most hi-fi distributorship in the region is in Singapore"
that is pure and utter BS.
1]Taxes and cost of doing business in malaysia is WAY,WAY lower than in tiny dot.
2]Indonesiua,Thailand,Phillipines do not rely on Singapore distributors.
I think Malaysians just have less balls
Maggie,
I am surprised by some of the response given by hifi dealers to your blog and our review mechanics.
I thought they should be more open-minded about reviews. I am just surprised that they say a reviewer need something like 10 setups to evaluate a product correctly. To do this, we will need to have the reviewed product with us for something like 6 months to do this.
I bought my Stealth Indra Ic fr Singapore and get 20 % discount from official US price.
10 se t up my a**.It is what in between the 2 years.
Please tell the dealer s that
The local dealer for Mimetism is probaly taking the same product from the S'pore dealer/importer.
So he gets it and have to pay tax and freight and then have some mark up. So 32k is justifiable.
Of course if you import from the same dealer you save some. You just have to handle the transaction from S'pore yourself.
Now if that same dealer imports directly from EU, he may offer S'pore prices maybe lower.
Examples: Harbeth, Nagra and some
Look for those Malaysian dealers that import direct from the manufacturer.....that's my point.
Can somebody PLEASE explain these to me:
1]Why are our dealers have to go through the Singaqporean Dealers-and ended up paying tax to Singapore and Malaysia gov.
2]If rentals and cost of doing business here are SIGNIFICANTLY lower here why are the prices higher?
3]Is hi-Fi business still profitable??
4]Why can't all the dealers have one shop in Ampang/Amcorp together with music /Cd shops..
I do hopew somebody would answer those questions
My experience in Penang and Ipoh is somewhat different[Except CMY Penang,of course]
The dealers are nice,knowladgeable and extremely passionate....You will meet a lot of hardcore hi-fi 'kaki' loitering and are ever willing to give good advise.
Maybe you all KLite should travel up north instead???
maggieL,
I think it is up to the dealers to conduct the business the way they seem fit .BUT they have absolutely no business telling you how to run your blogs.
I second the motion that propose the dealers to carry the 2V1g in their shops.WE need to support this project so that at least we can be on the map....
hi all,
thanks for the support. i am only doing what i enjoy (especially the blog) in an honest way. if it can contribute to the hifi economy and general interest of the hobby, all the better. if one day i stop enjoying it, it is the day i will stop.
read my latest blog on how the loca l chinese magazine attacked me.
i shall not comment on malaysia dealer vs singapore dealer issue. everyone has his point; it is way too complicated.
maggielurva,
what is your blog ? wanted to know what the magazine comment on you.
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