[轉載]An Open Letter to Emotiva and Their Fans

chhanthony

http://www.andrew-robinson-onlin ... iva-and-their-fans/

by ANDREW ROBINSON on NOVEMBER 27, 2012

I recently had the good fortune to evaluate and review the Outlaw Model 975 AV preamp from the Internet direct company, Outlaw Audio. In my review of the 975 I compared it to another, Internet direct, affordable AV preamp from a company by the name of Emotiva. Emotiva made a comparable product in the UMC-1, which at the time of its initial sale was among the more affordable AV preamp solutions available in the marketplace. The UMC-1 has since been discontinued and will soon be replaced with its successor, the UMC-200. While I stand by my review and in it my comparison to Emotiva’s UMC-1, my mention of the Emotiva brand name appears to have stirred up some controversy as many of the readers of Home Theater Review have made note of what they believe to be a “feud” between  the two companies. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight for I feel the whole situation has simply gotten out of hand.

It was my original intention to post this open letter on Emotiva’s own forum and thus open a friendly, open minded discussion there. However, due to circumstances I cannot explain, I am unable to join the Emotiva forum as a regular user hence my letter appearing here. I’m also writing this letter on my own website as the views I’m about to express are mine and mine alone. While I will be diving into what I believe to be facts that have lead to this moment, you must understand that I was not present (i.e. did not hear both sides) at the time of the initial disagreement. I’ve since been brought up to speed as to what was said to have happened, but was not present during the initial conversations -that is to say the truth lies somewhere in the middle I think. It should also be noted that I do not own HTR and while I am its Managing Editor I have no financial stake in the company’s well being, nor do I benefit at all from sales stemming from Emotiva. My goal with this letter is to hopefully right whatever wrongs may have occurred (if that’s even possible) and to set the record straight so that our readers may move forward and the discussion progress beyond mere hearsay.

HTR was founded some years ago on the heels of the sale of Audio Video Revolution to the company Internet Brands. Upon launching HTR, or shortly thereafter, Emotiva became a valued advertiser. I say valued not because their dollars somehow bought them any “sway” with me or my editorial staff  -it didn’t as we never reviewed any of their products during their tenure as advertisers -but because it is no secret that businesses have overhead and that overhead in HTR’s case is paid for through ad dollars. This is not a new business practice by any means and is one that all the major and not so major publications employ in order to bring you, the reader, free content on a regular basis. It is also important to note that my job as Managing Editor has absolutely nothing to do with advertisers and/or advertising contracts as I’ve made it a point to keep the two separate, which is why HTR publisher and founder, Jerry Del Colliano, is in charge of all ad sales/deals. This separation of editorial and advertising is also why I was not personally involved in the events that lead to the current state of affairs between HTR and Emotiva. You could make a case that my now having to get involved is nothing short of ironic but, hey, I’m trying to put issues to bed so that we can all move forward.

To the best of my knowledge Emotiva was an advertiser at HTR for a period of several years without fail or incident. Even though we never reviewed their product our readers tended to have a very positive outlook on the company and we -I -saw no reason to curb their enthusiasm though I often made it known that I could not comment directly on certain questions as I had no firsthand knowledge of their products. Behind the scenes I was trying to get many of their (Emotiva’s) products in house for review, however, due to sale volume and/or shipping delays we were never able to get a review or two to materialize. This is also not wholly uncommon for when a product is popular and selling on its own accord many companies don’t feel the need to have it reviewed out of fear of upsetting the apple cart. Whether or not this was Emotiva’s view is really neither here nor there -I’m just simply making a case for why a review never materialized. One such review that we were trying to get off the ground was a review of Emotiva’s affordable AV preamp, the UMC-1. I was on the list to receive it though due to what I was told were firmware updates and software issues my sample was delayed. Again, I did not hold this against Emotiva as this was not the first time such an explanation had been given to me as to why a product hadn’t shipped. Also during this time, as I understand it, Emotiva’s contract was up for renewal. Again, keeping in mind, I have nothing to do with ad contracts.

The negotiations between HTR’s publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, and Emotiva broke down over what I was told were issues pertaining to rates as a result of a floundering economy. What I take away from that is that Emotiva wanted to spend less whereas HTR obviously wanted more or at least the same as what they had received in the past. Again, this is common in business -especially when it comes to one side’s spending of money and another’s making of that same money. It was during these negotiations that I believe some things were said that were not necessary or on topic (again, I was not there) and that were later not rescinded nor apologized for. What was said is up for some debate so I cannot speculate as to who was ultimately at fault (if any); needless to say it is my understanding that both sides had ample opportunity to right whatever wrong had occurred, though neither did -or at least not in a satisfactory manner to render this issue moot. Regardless, the conversation did get personal and as a result Emotiva saw fit to no longer advertise with HTR and as a result my efforts to get a UMC-1 in house for review were immediately put on ice by both my publisher and Emotiva.

This is where I wish the story ended.

In the months following this parting  of the ways I reviewed several products that many of the readers deemed as direct competitors to many of the products Emotiva offers and as a result questioned my integrity when I failed to either a) make the comparison or b) announce Emotiva as the “victor”. Unbeknownst to them (the readers) this move was intentional for as the dust settled between HTR the business and Emotiva, certain private (and maybe not so private) accusations were made that resulted in letters being sent back and forth between each company’s respective attorneys. When I finally did breach the topic and mention Emotiva in my reviews again they were seen as “jabs” towards the company despite whatever objectivity I tried to bring to the discussion. In other words, I couldn’t win for losing.

It was during this time that I reached out to Emotiva’s PR company, offering my views on the situation based on what I had been told and/or heard and as a result extended not only an apology on behalf of HTR but an opportunity for maybe both sides to be cordial to one another again. While I was not involved with whatever occurred that lead to the dust up and eventual disintegration of the relationship, as the “face” of HTR I felt it was my duty to try and rectify the situation as best I could. While the readers may not have known that I had nothing to do with what had occurred, they let it be known that they thought I was somehow to blame, or worse out to get Emotiva.  Neither of which are true, but, I am a representative of HTR and as such I thought maybe if I stepped in I might be able to bring cooler heads back to the table. Again, I was not acting to re-establish ad relations but instead to hopefully put an end to the public perception that HTR and Emotiva somehow “hated” one another. I felt as if progress had been made -at least this much was told to me by Emotiva’s PR firm -and we had begun to arrange for certain products to arrive for review. I went public with this news on Home Theater Equipment (HTR’s forum) as well as on Facebook, both announcements of which were met with great excitement and enthusiasm. All seemed right with the world. However, when product did not arrive in a timely fashion both Emotiva’s fan base and HTR’s core readers felt as if foul play had occurred. In truth, I don’t know what lead to the delays and/or the cancellation(s) of my requests though that didn’t stop many on both sides from speculating for me. When no product shipped I simply assumed that there was still some residual feelings that resulted in hesitation, but that in time I could revisit Emotiva and its products.

Fast forward to this past Monday and the subsequent publication of my review of the Outlaw 975 AV preamp, which lead to the re-emergence of this “issue” hence this letter. I know many of you accused me of taking shots at Emotiva in my 975 review and for that I apologize; I felt I was nothing but objective in my assessment of both Emotiva and Outlaw’s past records as they pertained to reliability and availability. As for the accusations that I somehow have “beef” or “ill feelings” towards Emotiva I assure you I do not. It is not my job nor my nature to police the thoughts, words or feelings of others -even if those feelings stem from people inside companies that I am affiliated with -for I believe in an individual’s right to have an opinion. It is therefore my opinion that the situation resulting from whatever was said between individuals inside HTR and Emotiva has gone on for far too long and has resulted in the readers and fans of this great hobby to suffer. It’s not fair, nor is it -in my opinion -professional, on either side. So to everyone I offer my personal apology, and I do so in hopes that this letter serves as the period to this ugly chapter in both companies’ history so that we may move on and serve those we need to most -the consumer/readers.

It’s time we move on and move towards a discussion that is positive as that is what this hobby (hell world) needs as we find ourselves amidst a holiday season. I cannot promise anyone that those directly involved in this situation feel the same as I do, but for what it is worth, I harbor no ill will towards Emotiva , its products or their fans and simply wish to apologize for whatever part I may have played in this fiasco. I hope this helps to clear the air and get the discussion back on track and moving in a positive direction once more. I for one am looking forward to receiving and reviewing Emotiva’s new UMC-200 AV preamp when it becomes available as I have already put my order in and eagerly await its arrival.

I thank you all for your time, consideration and understanding and to my usual fans who may have no earthly idea what this letter is referring to don’t worry, all is well. As always, I thank you all so very, very much and until next time, take care and stay tuned…

Andrew

rklpoon

although i am not sure of the story/details, i guess money/profit/interest speaks for itself, is the culprit behind-the-scenes.

breadvan

good grief what a long letter !