You, our readers, visitors and potential buyers come first at Sound Advice. The whole site, the concept from the start and the inner workings are designed to help you choose, buy and enjoy world class hi-fi and home cinema products easily and confidently.
And we’ve got a team of the best specialist hi-fi and home cinema writers on the planet to help. Yep, it’s a bold claim, but we are okay with that, not just because they can string together a few words in an accessible style, not because they have some pretty discerning ears when it comes to sorting out the high notes from the mediocre but because they are utterly trustworthy in their approach, opinion and commitment.
To put that into context, here’s how a product gets from a manufacturer’s catalogue to becoming a Sound Advice outstanding product. It won’t take long…
Reviewing
When we get to hear about a new product, we call for it to be sent in for reviewing. After an initial assessment the product will go to one, or more, of the team for a full, in-depth review. At the end of that, we either add it into the list of Sound Advice recommended models, or, if we don’t think it’s a cut above the rest, we won’t. In which case you won’t hear about it from us.
After the words have been checked thoroughly, the review will be loaded onto the website for you to read and consider – and if you require more tailor-made information, you can request a consultation with the reviewer in our unique service to ensure you’re getting everything you need to make a considered judgement. All of this is at no cost to you. All we require is an email address or telephone number to be able to get in touch.
And it doesn't end there. If you want to experience a particular model in the flesh, so to speak, we will arrange for an approved, independent local retailer to give you a personalised demonstration – again at no cost to you. In other words, we want to make the process as stress-free and certain for you as possible. Any retailer recommended to you has been approved both by the manufacturer or distributor and by us to ensure that you get the service you deserve.
From start to finish, you are getting a totally unbiased, honest, independent opinion, without any influence from the brand or retailer.
Why are we telling you all this? Purely for the reason stated at the beginning. We are completely transparent in the way we operate and want you to be able to see that.
Ad free
You will see another welcome change – this site is free from advertising. We’re not fans of website ads, they get in the way, they distract and are generally a pain. We have chosen a different route for covering the costs so that you are informed across Google, Bong, Facebook etc about what we are featuring.
Instead, manufacturers are asked to contribute voluntarily to the marketing of the products. Some do, and some don’t but it doesn’t stop us reviewing and recommending products from both camps. What those that support us do get, is a more in-depth review, comments from other reviewers, a ‘living with video’ (we’re still in the process of getting that sorted), a gallery of images and, in some cases, a downloadable product brochure.
Starter's orders
So, that's a quick summing up of what we are setting out to do and how you can get involved. Our experts are looking forward to you making an appointment to chat and if you have any views about the site, you can send them to us here.
Over the coming months we will refine the content, change some aspects and probably ditch some bits as well – we are very much in the testing stage. We will add more top-class hi-fi and replace some recommendations if better products come along. We don't want the site to be endless, it would become too confusing, so we’re aiming for 10 to 15 models per category. We'll add some additional categories too, recommended systems seems a pretty obvious choice, so watch this space.
