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Best Hifi Manufacturer User Forum

I still frequent the Naim forum, mostly to post corny jokes (and read a few too). Despite having only Naim speakers, cables and plugs, and often posting about what I consider better sources, I've yet to have my posts removed, apart from one or two unsavoury jokes. I notice there's a long thread on there about “Life After Naim”, seems to be allowed to continue. Sure, there are some fanatics on there, but then, what forum hasn't got a few? I've met some great folks via the Naim forum, many of whom have become very good friends.
 
Suffolk Tony said:
I still frequent the Naim forum, mostly to post corny jokes (and read a few too). Despite having only Naim speakers, cables and plugs, and often posting about what I consider better sources, I've yet to have my posts removed, apart from one or two unsavoury jokes. I notice there's a long thread on there about “Life After Naim”, seems to be allowed to continue. Sure, there are some fanatics on there, but then, what forum hasn't got a few? I've met some great folks via the Naim forum, many of whom have become very good friends.
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I love your jokes there. Naim is pretty relaxed I think.
 
George J said:
Dear sjb,

I did cross some of the fiercer adherents. Naming no names - it was a long time ago - but I remember that I was pretty much finished with the Naim Forum after posting that I was doubtful that millimetre placing of cables makes a [high cost] system sound night and day better. I had some good Naim pieces, and from my own experience all that was necessary for full performance was to avoid mains cables running close to and parallel with music signal interconnects or speaker cables! Same for any replay really.

What followed was an almighty row, and I refused to withdraw my expressed view that expecting any revelation from cable dressing [beyond the ordinary sensible precautions] was not reasonable!

I knew then that I was finished as the "pack" had it in for me. Going toward firstly Quad ESLs and eventually amplification was a contributing factor in the serious personal posts to me, and in my view this showed more about the hard core members than me. Of course this hard core was a tiny minority, but enough to spoil the pleasure.

Fortunately I made some good friends there, whom I still know today.

Best wishes from George
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Sorry, George, I’m bemused. What did you say that was so terrible that it caused an “almighty row”? I think this must have happened at a time when I had taken a leave of absence from hifi and forums. Anyway it’s all water under the bridge now, and I’m glad to see you have settled in here so well.
 
Another ex HUG here - I could live with AS's protestations, it was his Forum and he could play with it as he wished. I just left because it was dull !

Did keep the speakers though :)
 
George J said:
I used to post on the Naim Forum, and very much enjoyed the moderating of Paul Darwin and then Adam Meredith. I managed to fall foul of the moderator who succeeded Adam. ...

I think the rot set in when I first got ESL 57s! Quad was a very rarely discussed make there.

I am glad of my time listening with Naim, and really enjoyed the old style Naim Forum. The Music Room was rather active in those days, which was a delight for me. I have not looked at it for a good five years.

Nowadays, I have found a much nicer Forum, and replay I prefer over a long period of time with next to no change in five years now.

PFM is the only "social media" platform that I have anything to do with, just as when I was on Naim Forum.

Best wishes from George
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George

I used to read the Naim Forum over the years and thought your input was top rate.Always enjoyed your Carlton threads.
And your musical knowledge was very,very educational.
It was a breath of fresh air seeing your system change over the years and one of your finest postings which I couldn't stop laughing when I saw it was the Statement S1 preamp and lots of pics of it in some very high ranking Naimee's active system who they seem to hang on his every word of set up....I cringed when I read on another post that he could hear the change in his preamp because he moved it 2mm...Insane....love to see that on a blindtest.
But you posted pics in his thread of your 57 and a Quad monoblock....it was like to me £300 000 of top Naim and maybe £3000 on your system and it did the job perfectly for you.
Don't look at that Forum much now.But joined PFM instead recently.
 
ryder said:
I was wondering how many hifi manufacturers have their own user group or forum where owners or potential owners can group together to talk about hifi or everything under the sun. I am aware that Naim and Harbeth have their own community or user forum since I own some pieces from both makers. Are there other community forums that exist?

The Naim forum has often received many criticism. To be honest I actually feel it's one of the best community around which actually practises fair moderation by permitting members to have relatively good freedom of speech. One would expect a certain animosity if Naim gear is described to sound worse than a competitors in their own forum . Nevertheless it's actually all good. Obviously you can't please everyone but it's quite a friendly and helpful community in general especially if one is looking for some advice.

In contrary I don't particularly find the Harbeth User Group to be a friendly place. It's quite a hostile forum particularly if you don't share the same beliefs, tenets or dogmas of the community. Posts will get deleted and members banned for expressing an idea or opinion that does not coincide with the principles set by the clan. The forum is previously accessible to non-members whereby contents can be viewed by anyone. The doors are now closed and one needs to register as a member to be able to access the forum.

Are there any other user forums that people would care to share?
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I concur with your assessment of the Harbeth forum. I joined and subsequently found it to be an extremely insular echo chamber. Any disagreement from the opinion of its moderators and Alan Shaw himself (who fully participates in the forum) is met with a tsunami of condescending attacks. I'm a published scientist and data analyst (as well as Harbeth speaker ownder) and was attempting to discuss their "citizen scientist" methodology and was drawn and quartered. Legitimate questions and comments that differed from the moderators and Mr. Shaw were either violently attacked or simply did not pass through the moderators filter to be posted. I found Alan Shaw himself to extremely arrogant and incapable of rational discourse. Love the speakers, but my experience with the Harbeth forum was incredibly negative.
 
CSP said:
I concur with your assessment of the Harbeth forum. I joined and subsequently found it to be an extremely insular echo chamber. Any disagreement from the opinion of its moderators and Alan Shaw himself (who fully participates in the forum) is met with a tsunami of condescending attacks. I'm a published scientist and data analyst (as well as Harbeth speaker ownder) and was attempting to discuss their "citizen scientist" methodology and was drawn and quartered. Legitimate questions and comments that differed from the moderators and Mr. Shaw were either violently attacked or simply did not pass through the moderators filter to be posted. I found Alan Shaw himself to extremely arrogant and incapable of rational discourse. Love the speakers, but my experience with the Harbeth forum was incredibly negative.
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Mirrors my experiences too.
The HUG had one effect on me, to sell my Harbeth speakers and never, ever to consider a pair again !
 
CSP said:
Any disagreement from the opinion of its moderators and Alan Shaw himself is met with a tsunami of condescending attacks.
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I just don't say in places like that any more. This place used to be a bit that way I that there were a few characters who were vindictive and launched endless personal attacks. I left and if it happened again I would leave again. Life's too short.
 
Darren L said:
Most motorcycle/ chopper/ custom forums that I would of frequented in the past had a strict no religion, politics or sport rule.
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The Wild Guzzi forum is heavily moderated to stop politics and religion causing arguments, but the Indian forum was quite something. I stopped visiting it in 2015, as the American presidential election was dominating it.
 
Thorn said:
The Wild Guzzi forum is heavily moderated to stop politics and religion causing arguments, but the Indian forum was quite something. I stopped visiting it in 2015, as the American presidential election was dominating it.
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That would not be good, I don't visit any bike building related forums anymore, to he honest I don't even think they exist now. They generally attracted a wide and varied selection of people for a wide and varied selection of reasons, I mostly used it as a source for 'how to' and technical information and advice. Also a good source for bikes, parts and services.
Owners clubs and related forums generally attract a different kind of person though I don't recall any political, religious or sports being discussed. Likewise a good source for relative information.
 
I used to post in the music room in the old Naim forum, it was an OK place. The hi-fi room was always bonkers, Naimies are just weird once they get beyond a certain level of financial investment in their gear, always have been. I've been on PFM since the cretaceous period and it's always been the best all round hi-fi forum. It was pretty flat earth when it started, but it always had a healthy number of interesting music fans, and I have met lots of great people over the years through it.
 
I used to post rarely on the Naim forum, when I had their stuff, I didn't find it very friendly. I have little used membership at Art of Sound and I presently post here and on the Wam. I posted on several football forums quite regularly a few years back but now visit them only rarely as my interest has waned. I don't post regularly here but I have been a long term member (since early noughties) and I do like it. I think this forum is well moderated to the extent that if someone is bang out of order they are shut down pretty quickly (this also applies to the WAM). PFM in particular seems to appeal to a generally fairly well informed crowd which I really appreciate. You can explore many topics and however obscure there will be generally be at least some people posting who actually know their stuff, which is always welcome.
 
badger748 said:
Mirrors my experiences too.
The HUG had one effect on me, to sell my Harbeth speakers and never, ever to consider a pair again !
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It certainly saps some of the love I have for my Harbeths. I still say they are some of the best sounding speakers I've heard, but Alan Shaw as a person appears to be (in so far as HUG is concerned) as intellectually dishonest as they come.
 
hifinutt said:
tons of facebook groups , does that count ?
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Absolutely, I’m on the “Linn Owner’s Group” and the “Linn Sondek LP12” group on Facebook, there’s the odd bit of misinformation from time to time with them not being official manufacturer groups but generally people are happy to be tactfully corrected.


I’ve just joined the “Naim Audio” group now that I actually have a Naim system. I might join the Naim forum too… it turns out Naim kit does actually sound very good after all, as does Linn, so I can understand the push back against anyone who says different on their dedicated groups/forums.

I did get bored with the official Linn forum and stopped posting there long before it closed down, it did become a bit too “religious” for me… I have had more Linn kit than everything else put together, because I do very much like it, but I’m far from blind to other stuff and have long enjoyed a large variety of kit in different systems… and I can resist the urge to jump at the latest upgrade. One of the few “big deal” upgrades I have done is the Karousel bearing on my LP12, but it was a significant improvement and I’d costed that in before I even bought the LP12.
 
I’m a member of the LP12 Facebook group, which is odd as I don’t remember joining at all. I am also a member of the TD-124, Leak, Quad, LS3/5A and I think two Tannoy groups. I know everyone will accused me of bias but I really don’t think Facebook works well for audio discussion at all. The interface just doesn’t suit structured discussion by topic etc.
 
Tony L said:
I’m a member of the LP12 Facebook group, which is odd as I don’t remember joining at all. I am also a member of the TD-124, Leak, Quad, LS3/5A and I think two Tannoy groups. I know everyone will accused me of bias but I really don’t think Facebook works well for audio discussion at all. The interface just doesn’t suit structured discussion by topic etc.
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Fear not Tony, my loyalty lies here… but I’ve made a couple of good friends on the Linn owners group, I was in St Neots with one of them having a few beers whilst listening to some tunes and having a natter about mostly non HIFI stuff.

The Facebook groups are more like the system pics thread, but with the pics having their own dedicated thread if that makes sense.

PS, Gaius is one of the mods on the Sondek LP12 Thread so maybe he added you? He’s a good guy and helps make that group a pleasant, and surprisingly non religious group.
 
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