What Sonore and Small Green Computer have done to buy “reviews” is unethical, IMO.
“To get the release for free, we ask that you write a forum review of your Sonore Rendu Series player online. A few of the great many places to write about your Sonore Rendu Series player include. Once your forum review is complete, simply go to the below webform, fill it out, and we will send you a discount code to get your upgrade for free.”
Torben
Can you not write that in the review?
I wrote mine - but straight up said why I was writing it; to get 2.9 upgrade free… (Shipping and in NZ dollars adds up)
It seems to me that they have faith in their products and are offering an incentive to their customers to get the word out. How is that unethical?
Being paid for a “review” is a clear conflict of interest. They want the $29, how likely are they to write anything negative? Not at all, from what I’ve seen so far, just pandering.
Torben
I gave positives (fibre, bang for $$) and negatives (4 boxes)…
should add firmware upgrades via SD card !!
I wouldn’t sell my soul for $29, and I wouldn’t feel the need to pander, but you may be right.
Well write an honest review and if it is critical and they still pay you then , fair enough. But if they refuse to pay because it is honest but critical, then I would agree .
Just for the record - I don’t own any of their products 
Torben
You receive your free discount code as soon as you submit the link to your post, and can make your ‘purchase’ immediately. So unless someone from SGC is up at 3 a.m. on the eastern seaboard of the U.S…
So that seems perfectly fair to me
The whole idea doesn’t sit well with me as people who aren’t aware of the payment might take the reviews at face value.
Torben
I tried to be objective in what I posted on Audiogon. That review was not entirely positive and closed with a caveat that I was posting it to qualify for the free upgrade. The process does inconvenience the customer and clutters up the board with far more reviews than otherwise would be seen. Does that makes it unethical, if it artificially inflates the true level of interest in the product? In effect, I suppose the process is a back door to free advertising without going through the site managers. On the other hand, would a 100% positive paid advertisement better serve the community? I did get the discount code and am awaiting the upgrade media in the mail.
I totally agree. This is providing payment for review, which is unethical if not fully disclosed (some reviews will not be, whatever individuals here have done). There is both the reality and the perception of buying a positive review here and both matter.
By doing this they damage their reputation which makes me question what I read about them in the future (perception), even though it may all be (in reality) completely true and fair. Can you imagine what newspapers would say of a politician in such a situation? Let alone Twitter.
What, you’re expecting ethical behavior from a boutique audio company? Exception, not the rule. Besides, $1000 for the ultraRendu, a network streamer with USB out? That’s ethical? Exploiting ignorance, I’d say.
Ads and reviews are completely different things.
No, not unethical at all, though most likely to rub some self professed forum police the wrong way.
Sonore is a small company who have put out excellent gear along with excellent support over the years. Like many others they’ve struggled with supply chain issues over the last few years and not actually had stock to sell. I see this as nothing more than an attempt at viral marketing by a company who has little to no ad revenue to spend. Will it backfire to a degree for some? Perhaps, as witnessed by this thread we’re on. But you never know until you try.
The one thing you should know about Sonore, is that they have been consistent in never describing the sound themselves of their own devices. No “with this new model you will finally hear the angels sing” b.s. They describe the specs and changes, but leave it up to the buyers or reviewers to expound upon the sound quality. In some ways that actually makes them one of the most ethical of audio companies.
FTR, I own an opticalRendu (Roon only version), Sonore Power Supply for that, opticalModule, and a microRendu 1.4. All have been fantastic, though the mR can be finicky sometimes with finding the network if their’s been a power cut or sudden pull of the router, switch etc.
Hmm, let’s talk about the $1300 Roon wants to charge a customer to replace a mainboard on an outdated Nucleus that they already paid not that much more for originally. Very few audio mfg are innocent of what could be perceived as fleecing in this luxury game of audiophilia.
Anyway, if USB doesn’t work for you, then look elsewhere. No need to excoriate them for that. Have you tried one?
“You have to experience it for yourself to believe it” when selling impossible things is a time honored deception tactic that won’t land you in court. Every seller of snake oil uses it. In itself, this doesn’t make Sonore better or worse that anyone.
I don’t particularly care about the ethics here but disclosing any benefits in reviews is the widely agreed-upon ethical thing to do
