From systematic deception or ‘de-scaling’ of componentry as products end their shelf-life, through to the desperate substitution of non-standard parts by struggling companies, these are just a few examples of the sort of sharp practice that happens in almost all industries. It would be wrong to suggest that such behaviour is rampant in the audio industry: but it would be stupid to pretend that it never happens. That these things happen is no great secret. Those that transgress tend to be serial offenders, making discovery that much more likely, any hope of secrecy forlorn at best. That they rarely, if ever, get reported in the audio press should be cause for concern, a collective myopia that extends to the blank acceptance of review samples as representative. If the value of analogies lies in their explanatory power, perhaps there are broader lessons to be learnt from the motor industry and media. Perhaps we don’t need fewer automotive analogies – just different ones.
