Guidelines for New Members

[ajinkya]

Hi all,

I've noticed that a lot of newbies end up posting the same queries on very similar topics. This wastes the forum member's time and creates a lot of redundant threads. I have also seen that there are many helpful members on this forum who will repeatedly reply to these queries, in an effort to help out.
Venkat, Dinyaar, unleash_me (and many others) come to mind. In an attempt to save our collective time and streamline postings, I have come up with a small Guidelines draft for all newcomers to read, before they post. Hopefully this should give newbies some idea of what information to post and request. If the forum members think this is worthwhile, could the Moderator please make a sticky thread titled "Guidelines for Newcomers" or similar, so it is seen at the head of each subforum and main forum? The draft is posted below. I request all members to please feel free to add to it, amend, refine or change it as you see fit, since it is for the benefit of the whole forum.

+++++++++++++++++Guidelines for Newcomers+++++++++++++++++++++

A Big Welcome to this forum and we hope you have an 'enlightning' time here!
There are a lot of well-informed people here who will help you with all your A/V questions. However, in the interest of saving their time and yours (advice is free, time is not!), we've created a check-list to go through before you start posting. This will make things efficient for all of us.

1. GO THROUGH THE FORUMS
Please search through the existing forum threads BEFORE posting a new question. We've seen that many newcomers have similar questions about almost the same products. So it saves a lot of our time if you make the effort to do a thorough search of postings.
There are many subforums on specific areas as well as an extensive listing of all India dealers in the "Authorised Dealers" subforum.

2. GIVE INFORMATIVE TITLES
Please do not give titles that have no relation to your question. Putting subjects like 'Avr/LCD/newbie ' gives us absolutely no clue about the query (nor any incentive to open your post). Also, Please don't put titles like "Heeelp meeee, yaaaah!" as your subject line.
We assume (and sincerely hope) that you're not being molested as you write this post. Don't make yourself sound as if you are.

3. THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
In order for us to help you select the right system , we need to know a bit more about you. No, we do not need information on: your sexual preferences, your favourite actor, your political affiliations or your favourite football team.

We DO need information about :
a. Budget
This critically decides what components you can and cannot afford to audition. It is sometimes the most important deciding factor.

b. Listening tastes
Are you a rock fan, jazz aficionado or are you more of a classical/vocal music listener? Audio systems (like your 'ideal' marriage partner) are supposed to be compatible with your personal tastes. One size does not fit all. (Now that sounds like an ad for a ... never mind.)
In this category also mention whether you're looking for a Home Theatre (HT) for movies first or a Stereo system for music only.

c. Listening area
What is the size and general layout of the room you plan on using the system? What is the distance from the system/TV to your listening couch? What kind of flooring and furnishings does (will) it have? Materials absord sound energy differently and can make a significant impact on the overall system sound.

d. Systems already selected
If you have already some system or components in your mind, please list them so we can help you decide what matches and what doesn't (based on our experience with them). If you have auditioned any systems, mention what you liked/disliked about them.

e. Where do you Live
We don't need your apartment number but city details will help us locate good dealers in your area. Or warn you of places not to go to.

4. LISTEN TO YOUR SOUL
It is somewhat a waste of time and space to ask forum members to rate systems for you on an absolute scale. Coming back to the marriage analogy, you're not going to ask us to "spend some time and rate" your potential partner before marrying him/her, are you? Similarly, do not ask for absolute Yes/No answers from us on audio components. We can only give you our impression of them. Music is an extremely personal choice and the only way to be completely happy with your purchase is to Thoroughly Audition it. Listen to multiple systems and to the same system over time. This is the only way to audio nirvana. Neglect this step and you will diverge from the "One True Path", never becoming a true audiophile Jedi. If there are dealers who stand in your way, discard them and go to other dealers who understand the importance of listening sessions.
Of course, if you live in an area where no good dealers are present, then the forum members will definitely help you to select candidate components as close to your taste as possible.

5. FEEDBACK AMPLIFIER
Once you have finally got your dream system (Congratulations!), please do leave feedback about how it sounds and what to watch out for. This will help future newcomers avoid your pitfalls and also enrich our own knowledge base.

If you've read this far and still want to join, then once again, Welcome to our world!

 

[soundsgreat]

Hi,

Great job ! should be ideal for any new comer to start their query !

Good that you took so much effort to post this !!


Regards.

 

[venkatcr]

This is really good!!

Let us get this implemented. Mr. Moderator, any comments?

Ajinkya, a sincere thanks from my side.

What all of us can do is also standardize the text, and any one of us post it as a regular reply to a newbie thread. We can, if some of us feel, also add some threads links (speakers, AVR, music vs movies, etc) as part of the standardized text.

Cheers

 

[SuhasG]

Excellent job Ajinkaya! I like your comment: "(advice is free, time is not!)", very well said. And many 'One post wonders' ad misused the free advice facility. And that was the only reason I started keeping myself away for this "What XXXXX" threads.

I have some suggestions / minor refinements to the splenid job Ajinkya has already done.

1. GO THROUGH THE FORUMS :Please search through the existing forum threads BEFORE posting a new question..................

Many newcomers even don't know how to SEARCH! Please add some examples. Say somebody wanting to know about a subwoofer or a budget HT system or bookslef speaker. Very typical.


5. FEEDBACK AMPLIFIER

This was also my concern about those "one Post Wonders" .Register-> Post a Query ->grab answers -> Vanish.
Those who posted a query and got answers and feel that they benefitted by it, please go that extra mile and post the outcome. We will welcome but certainly not expecting a very professional review sort of thing. What is pected ?

1> What that 'XXXXX' you ended up in buying? What factor/s decided the outcoem: e.g. Cost, availability of the brand in local market, features, After sale support, friendly dealer, 'Trust your ears / eyes', WAF, Dealers / Friend's recommendation, your Cat's final approval, It is bigger than your neighbors YYYY product, You liked the looks and fallen in love with it etc.

2> From where and at what price? I remember here a recent communication on CA 640 product I said it is around Rs 28K then somebody posted it is Rs 21000 and used some $#%@* language. When asked from where this 640 can be had for Rs 21000, poster vanished!

Do mention prices , so that we can update our database for any such price drops / price hikes so next time when we recommend the same product we have more accurate information.

Sometime dealers offeres a package deal / special offeres (Clearnace prices) so it is difficult to decide whether it is real price cut , but any way do metion that it is a special price and offered as a deal , we will make a mental note of it.

Do mention about the (Window) Shopping and buying experiences, also mention services and support provided by the dealer(Home audition, Installation, Freebies)

If you can do just this it will help us (and the forum in general) to build the collective knowledge base about products, prices, dealers , buying process, immediate post purchase experiences etc. Those who can write more about perfomance and comparative analysis , go ahead with it. It is your own expeience that you are sharing with us and nobody is going to challenge it or change it. Just put forward what you liked and what not.

Remember , when you were in need somebody who had already gone through that phase took the efforts to help you out. Now it is your turn.

Hope this helps.

Regards

SUhas

 

[ajinkya]

Thanks to all for the feedback and replies. I'll incorporate and standardise as suggested.
Suhas, all very valid points. I'll make it concise and add to the Feedback section and Search section.

I was also thinking whether a separate section on the lines of "IDEAL PARTNERS" would make sense. This would list those audio components that members have heard/owned/auditioned and found to match each others audio characteristics. I know there are a lot of permutations here but I've seen most new posts looking for budget decision matching such as: "Will this budget amp match these speaker candidates...". If we could post what we all agree are components that work with a wide variety of systems and musical tastes, maybe this would also help prevent reposts and allow new members to first try out the tried-tested combinations before asking for help. I think venkat, soundsgreat, dinyaar can really help here since I recall seeing many such posts from them where they have compared and suggested matching components for budget systems. Maybe just having the links to those posts in the new section would be helpful, instead of creating new material again. Just a thought.

 

[Arun13]

HI Ajinkya,

Thanks for taking the time out to put in these guidelines. I have just joined this forum and found it very useful.
You will have to excuse me for my first thread which i posted before i read your guidelines sorry about that!

Cheers,
Arun

 

[thevortex]

Ajinkya - thats a lovely job there! Excellent initiative and hopefully it can help members if properly followed and/or implemented.

Personally I think it would make more sense if newcomers posting similar kinds of queries are not responded to in each such thread and are instead guided to this sort of a post.

 

[ajinkya]

Thanks to both (thevortex and arun13) for your kind replies. I have noticed the same thing about newcomers to the forum, so thought some guidelines would be helpful. It's a pity the thread was not made 'sticky' so that all new users could see it the first time they logged in.

 

[HiFiVision]

It's a pity the thread was not made 'sticky' so that all new users could see it the first time they logged in.

The thread is a Sticky in the Introductions Forum!

 

[ajinkya]

The thread is a Sticky in the Introductions Forum!

I stand corrected. Apologies to moderator

 

[debz0ne]

Hi to all the audio philes in this forum.
I am a new joiner and had difficulty in starting a thread to post my query.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
I'm looking for a HTIB (home theatre in box) priced around 20K. My requirements are to have Usb and HDMI connectors and the product should have video upscaling and play different varieties/formats of disks. The sound quality is a top priority. Please suggest any home theatre from Sony, Philips or Samsung product line.

Thanks and Regards in advance.

Deb.

 

[bhuvanmisra]

rtfm!
urge you to read thru earlier posts in this very thread.
all the best.

Hi to all the audio philes in this forum.
I am a new joiner and had difficulty in starting a thread to post my query.
Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[manu4panjab]

thanks sir

though i have already learned alot from my mistakes and my banned

i'm not a perfect member here but trying my best to be more simple member

i appreciate your post on this it helps so many members like myself and me

thanks sir

 

[HiFiVision]

Hi to all the audio philes in this forum.
I am a new joiner and had difficulty in starting a thread to post my query.
Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks and Regards in advance.

Deb.

I would suggest all newcomers to read the FAQ.

 

[vinny_wills]

HI ,
I am a newbie too and i own a some made Amplifier called Electronado and i am constraint with lot of thing so can't afford anything for the moment and its a great to be part of this forum, Keep lot coming ahead and learning a lot.

 

[satishicf]

New Member-Sats

Hi pals,

I am thrilled to be with you guys in this nonstop audio tour!
Jus an infant. Expecting to learn, share and motivate co-infants.

Cheerio
Sats,Chennai

 

[svenkateshsmart]

Hi Moderator,

Can you arrange for the rules/guidelines mentioned in the first post of this thread be sent to the new members as a PM or to their email ID when they join Hifivision or before they join? Dont know how far this would help! I see an increasing rate of redundancy of threads/topics of late, lot of members, especially newbies, starting new threads for the topics that are discussed trillion times. I feel everyone must understand that it is absolutely a waste of time to repeat same things again and again and lot of times senior members make sure they point out and guide the members to look into the old threads. Redundancy will make the whole forum boring and make us look very immature.

For example, if a member wants to know about 663 and suitable speakers for this AVR, I am sure one can find every answer related to this without asking anyone. I do understand everyone will have a different setup, room size, etc., but at least we post our questions in the old threads relating to 663 or its speakers, or thread containing discussion about that, so that other members who have not read the before also will have an opportunity to read those threads as well.

I do understand that I am also a newbie/rookie in Hifivision and when I point a finger towards others 4 fingers are pointed towards me as well, but, you know how it feels, sometimes we tend to get a little bothered by these posts.

Friends, if you observe the recent threads closely, you will understand what I mean and you wont get offended by what I am saying here.

Cheers,


P.s.: I am not targeting any member here, this is in the best interest of hifivision.

 

[blueturtle]

Thank you guys, honestly, for your time and effort to keep the "spread of knowledge" as freely available as possible.

As a new comer, the guidelines were certainly helpful...

 

[knvijayan]

hello everybody,i am vizzy.

 

[pannags]

Thanks for the well laid out rules and regulations. I now understand exactly how there can be mutual benefit for all concerned. Hope every newbie reads through before posting queries.