Posted 4/1/2024:
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I like the dude and his energy. But he never says anything negative really. He provides differences and that basically means nothing to the end user who does not have identical equipment.
Now he’s on about cables and this n that. Really hard to deal with reviewers when it’s a business they run.
He just probably made this video to finally say look I pointed out bad things lol. I have not watched it and hopefully this is the case and not click bait
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April fools click bait. Longwinded overview without mentioning brand or model.
Big reveal:
- SY brand with flashing lights and antlers.
- Pink headphones with pom-poms.
- Unicorn headphones with cat ears.
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I noticed that the pink frog headphones really suck stock but start to come alive when you add the optional gold crown field effect obfuscator.
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I thought it was a fun April Fools video, but then I had plenty of time to kill when I watched it.
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Lachlan is one of my favorite reviewers, and he is very ready to say he isn’t a fan of a product, or at least several aspects of a product. Look no further than his recent Abyss Diana MR review.
It’s safe to say that almost all products in the price range he’s reviewing aren’t going to be hot garbage, so his approach of explaining differences is pretty much the only way you are going to be able to decide whether or not you may like them. What one person or another likes is extremely subjective and will vary a lot, so one must try to triangulate their own preferences and experiences with a reviewer’s.
I also very much appreciate him delving into cables “and this n that”. Few reviewers do, so it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone tackle it.
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Hello forum members,
I included the date of the post intentionally, it is a huge hint of what is to come.
Posting is meant to be amusing… And if you are familiar with Lachlan, you know his stuff is the opposite of “click bait” He’s poking some gentle fun at himself and us.
If you enjoyed it great, if not better luck next time! 
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Absolutely hilarious video. Maybe appreciated more by those who are already fans of Lachlan (as I am).
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I know it’s meant in fun, and does not offend me. I’m happy to see engagement and contributions here.
Still, I’d not characterize this as an April Fools joke. It was akin to a mystery novel that hides a key fact until the end to keep you on the hook. AF jokes instead offer an outrageous story with a straight face, or the speaker goes against type and expectations. They set an expectations/judgement trap early along.
This video was a wandering blob that hid the products. It could have been a review of anything, and thereby didn’t set expectations. There’s all sorts of research on how people don’t retain information unless given a title or subject. So, I barely paid attention…
What am I talking about:
The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange
items into different groups. Of course one pile may be sufficient
depending upon how much there is to do. If you have to go
somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step;
otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo
things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than
too many. In the short run, this may not seem important but
complications can easily arise. A mistake can be made as well.
At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however,
it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to
foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate
future, but then, one never can tell. After the procedure is
completed one arranges the materials into different groups again.
Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually
they will be used once more and the whole cycle will have to be
repeated. However, that is part of life.
Answer and source: “Washing Clothes” https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758/PBR.17.2.237.pdf
You know what’s even funnier, this maybe what cookies and tracking is all about on the internet or maybe pure luck.
But I was on YouTube and this guy has channel, scientific audiophile, and he put this guy[lockland] on blast too. Never seen this reviewer before in my life, funny coincidence and it wasn’t an April fools joke.
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I’ve never seen that Scientific Audiophile channel, and I just watched the video you’re talking about. He come’s off like a real jerk, to my mind, especially because he feels the need to go after other content creators.
You don’t have to like a reviewer, and you don’t have to agree with their takes, but just coming on this forum and generically trashing a reviewer is not productive. If you don’t like Lachlan, don’t agree with his views, or just don’t enjoy his content, then don’t watch it. If you don’t believe cables can make a difference, then don’t buy them. We don’t mind; I promise.
Unless a reviewer has done something truly egregious, you’re welcome to come productively discuss their content, even if you disagree, but blanket dismissal of a widely-liked (not universally - but nobody is liked universally) reviewer does you no favors. I’ve interacted with Lachlan enough to know that he has no agenda and is truly trying to provide helpful content to like-minded audiophiles, and to share his experiences.
You might find more receptive readers on the Audio Science Review forum.
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When it comes to acoustic differences, I think its fine to call it like you see it. But there’s no need for people to be going after others unprompted in a mean spirited way, and despite what some people say about it that’s exactly what’s going on.
Like, I’ll say it. I strongly feel Passion for sound is wrong about cables. He may do a proper ABX at some point, and I’d encourage that, but so far nothing has been indicated as evidence of there being a difference that isn’t down to errors in methodology (and I say this, having made errors in the past).
At the same time, I have no reason to suspect that he isn’t genuinely experiencing a difference, due to whatever biases or factors may be contributing to those experiences. And while I’ll remain unconvinced until he can properly demonstrate it, I’m not going to make a video that’s out to get him or discredit him for having that experience. Human fallibility is a factor for all of us.
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Well said 
Sharing experiences is wonderful, ridicule is worthless.
Your discussion with Blaine and @GoldenSound the other day was so helpful. Deconstructing the myths of hi-fi and emphasizing what aspects actually matter. That’s the type of content we need more of imo. I think that video should be added to this forum somewhere to further the discussion! Thank you @Resolve
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I never heard of Scientific Audiophile before seeing the comments above, and watched a few of his videos just now. He’s more of a commentator and industry critic than typical reviewer. I hear more humor, parody, and sarcasm than spite or a mean spirit, but humor typically has a biting edge. I hear the ghost of George Carlin and his cultural commentaries.
In one video SA stated that he respects some subjective AND objective reviewers. He argues that subjective reviews can be based on science, as the Harman curve is derived from the preferences of trained listeners. So, with average hearing and without financial conflicts of interest, subjective reviewers are thereby Harman reference sources and “correct.”
I’ve heard a lot worse than SA, and I dreaded that he’d be another ASR from name alone. But he’s not. He went hard after Passion For Sound over cables, cable pricing models, and the history of reviewers failing blind cable tests. That’s a common position.
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Ehhh… While I actually agree with his criticisms, it feels a bit like clout chasing to me. It’s easy to do that, far harder to produce something of substance. Not saying PFS has done that IMO, nor would I defend him in this regard.
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Well that is very true, but I will say I’ve enjoyed his content for some time. He seems like a very genuine guy with good energy. I do believe he has a passion for sound, but like most YouTubers what they run is a business, and that’s not a bad thing. I will say I honestly didn’t think this was an April fools joke, and my opinion is biased but hear me out.
Simply put, for a while now I feel like there has been a shift in his channel and it maybe part of my imagination. But that is my opinion and I’m simply stating it.
We got the British audiophile and he’s fairly new to the scene and been in the industry for a while. Similarly, and he’s always been about cables make a difference. Now he’s sponsored too and he always mentions his cables.
It’s clearly a fine line, you don’t want to burn bridges by giving your honest opinion. Also clearly aware people can’t just go out and buy every product to provide a realistic objective and subjective take on a product.
On the contrary, we hpdotcom and @Resolve reviews. Those are phenomenal and are open to no bias. Unless you firmly believe that objective performance is meaningless and that is perfectly fine. Overall, I feel the need for these style of reviews to continue. I’m not sure who came first but look at DMS, or Crin or GS… They too have a similar approach and call it as it is.
If you don’t care for resolve we have all of the rest of headphonesdotcom’s team who provide a purely subjective and comparison reviews.
I mean what more can you ask for.
What would I respect far more? You believe in cables, and you can review them. But give people the notion you can make your own[DIY]. Even me the guy who doesn’t fully accept the matter did that because it’s so much cheaper. I got all my interconnects from a reputable company with both objective and subjective performance. It cost me about ~1400 for bulk cable. This includes power, rca’s, xlr’s[plural] and speaker cables vs the same manufacturer with cables made in house would have probably been around 5000 or more.
Im not an audio professional, and besides speaker cables this was my first attempt at DIY. Who knows if I did a good job. But they work and look factory made.
I’m only stating this just to be clear I’m not bombing the guy strictly cause he’s suggesting cables. But I hope all these points provide better insight to my opinion.
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Yea that guy definitely isn’t anything to rave over. It’s just his video that randomly popped up. Clearly he’s trying to make click bait as a new reviewer or whatever it maybe. No clue how long he’s had his channel. By stirring the pot or whatever it takes.
Honestly wouldn’t have even watched it if it wasn’t about passion for sound.
I just think as reviewer you wouldn’t want your fans to be skeptical. The cables isn’t what did that for me. I could be purely hallucinating or delusional.
But on the topic he started talking about cables, fine. I recall he was talking about this one brand and they were moderately priced and nothing crazy. Said virtually they were his go to without breaking the bank. Then now it’s on to the next thing, of course, that these cables are amazing. So for me the viewer, who is potentially interested in buying, which one is it. Sure one can try something different or newer that they never have and now have a change of heart. But the question is how accurate is his take on it and what’s his level of honesty. We clearly know he didn’t buy the cable.
Also on another take, you would assume that’s how this starts… you don’t want to step up to the plate to your platform and be like yea this 5000 dollar power cord made a world of a difference when you’ve never done a cable review. Certainly a company wouldn’t even send you that product either until you dabble in the matter. That would be a major curve ball for the audience.
My point may have been improperly projected criticism and to some degree unprofessional, but Andrew hit the nail on the head with his response. I don’t know if Andrew has been watching his channel for years or not, clearly he has all the products available to not need reviewers. But for me, the audience, I just feel there was a shift in that channel going back to late 2022 or early 2023. Can’t recall just a ball park figure.
Throwing fuel on that fire clearly makes me more skeptical. Take it like this, if that was me in his shoes the first and last thing I would say to be courteous to your subscribers is this review is for people who are near the end game and I would much rather have you use your money to upgrade your current setup to a higher tier prior to investing in this would be a kind and genuine notion.
Clearly the company who sent that cable out for review would be irritated.
SA comes across as a stand-up comedian. Full of twisted intentions. Some love that, some hate that. I’m neither pro nor con, just looking.
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