www.avforums.com Reviews 250

Having just seen the member post changes made on the AVforums website I have to state that it is a tribute to the power of Trustpilot reviews.

It is through reviews placed on this website that motivation is created within a reviewed company management to bring about changes to poor practices within their organisations and that has very much happened within AVforums.

If those changes are sufficient to end the poor practices seen and experienced by so many on AVforums is, I feel, very doubtful. The changes bring into being an amber and red card system for forum members that are judged to have broken the site rules when making posts.

The above in itself may be a creative idea, but the system relies on the moderators handing out those sanctions in a fair and balanced manner when it has been those same moderators through their biased, unfair and ill-judged actions that have brought AVforums into disrepute with so many over recent months.

Therefore despite the originality of the changes, it is highly likely that low-rating reviews will still be appearing on Trustpilot in the coming months.

For those thinking of becoming a member of AVforums, especially if they wish to engage in the Politics and Ecomomy section, they will not be allowed to post within that section when they first join. Following that period, and judging by past moderator practices, any views that do not fit the moderator's own views or are not in absolute worship of Kier Starmer, then those making such posts may well be very quickly sanctioned, I feel, and their membership of AVforums may well be very short-lived.

Great Forum covering a wide variety of topics in the AudioVisual arena. The reviews they give both in written and video formats are excellent and easily rival that of HDTVtest YT channel. Members are particularly patient, courteous offering advice and guidance as to the best AV setup for your needs, along with correct settings.

Its a very passionate community that is unique in the AV world, where experts will give up their free time replying to questions asked AV related.

I see Iron Giant is straw manning the reviews questioning his response to "oreo" racial slurs.

Nobody is calling you racist for not giving a harsher penalty. They're saying it's a textbook example of your double standards - that other people get thread banned for less e.g. Disagreeing with you.

It's hypocritical to complain about being falsely accused of racism seeing as how you've done exactly that to people in other threads.

Another classic example of moderation double standards would be Greg Hooks two posts on various isms and phobes, his slandering of Brexit voters etc

I really am amazed why Iron Giant is so adamant he should continue moderating a politics section when he's the biggest reason why this debate has started.

What exactly do you gain from this except a small sense of power in a tiny corner of the internet?

Stuart, that thread has displayed all the worst qualities of the politics forum. If it is to continue then you either need new mods to at least balance/restrain Iron Giant.

Iron Giant, how confident are you that if all your mod actions were audited they'd be justified, unbiased etc - no need to answer, it's rhetorical and I doubt you'd wager any money on the outcome. There are plenty of us here that would though!

I have been a member of the AV Forum for many years and overall found it to be an excellent site. Plenty of people with extensive knowledge of all manner of subjects who are willing to share their expertise

There are a huge variety of topics discussed, Cars Holidays, TV, AV equipment, Politics, Sport, Films, TV programmes, something for everyone.

As with any forum on internet you are going to have people with opposing points of view and that is the case with AV Forums. However the site is well moderated and the mods are quick to respond to anyone who over steps the mark. However they are not intrusive and do a great job with little thanks

Anytime I every read reviews I always start with the 1 star negative reviews to see what people are not satisfied with. From what I have read of the 1 star reviews on this site for AV Forums they are not something that I recognise and it seems that many 1 star reviews are to be ignored.

And no I was not asked to write a review by anyone let alone AV Forums. I am quite capable of making my own decisions

The naming of IronGiant is not revealing anyone's real name and is not aganst any review rules.

The criticism of IronGiant in these reviews is entirely justified. He the site moderator who is responsible for the vast majority of negative feeling about AV forums.

It's not hard to work out why this is. IronGiant bullies users and allows others to do the same.

Reports of abusive posts are rejected by IronGiant as being a waste of moderator time.

You will find countless abusive posts checked and approved by IronGiant. Members can be abused on this site if they hold views that the site owner deems wrong, and IronGiant will allow and join in with this behaviour.

I am not a moderator but I have seen these moderation screens and the abusive posts "Checked ✔️ " and approved by IronGiant

It's ironic that the site owner is now whining about poor behaviour on the Politics forum, when this is the very behaviour allowed and encouraged by his own policies and IronGiant.

He probably only wanted this abuse directed towards people and views he doesn't like, but that's not how it works. When you tolerate and encourage abusive behaviour, it will spread and become endemic, and this is what has happened at AV Forums

avforums... As an ex poster on this forum who stopped posting time ago because of the cliques and the support thereof by the moderators IronGiant and Stephen I would give this forum zero stars if possible.

Recently I read the appalling bullying of Granddad1943 by the moderators and the obsessive New Labour troll Muji. a disgusting spectacle for a forum in 2023.

As for the thread by the site owner on the politics forum what struck me the most was the intervention by the moderator Stephen who never fails to issue orders and threaten any dissent.

Shameful, moderation should be either anonymous or friendly and avforums have neither. It's time to pull the plug, the site owner, Stephen in particular, and IronGiant have gone beyond the pale and any sense of decency. Good riddance.

Edit: Just took a new look at the thread concerning the criticism of the site owner and his moderators today July 4th 2023 and it confirms everything I have written above. Perhaps Mr Wright and his associates would do well to consider why out of hundreds of forums available it is theirs and only theirs that is getting lambasted here on TrustPilot.

Love this site. Haters Gonna Hate.

Quite a lot of the negative reviews (all from the same few people) are trying to suggest that the forum owner has asked for positive reviews. That is not the case as it's the members who have collectively decided that it's time to push back against the lies (and occasional threat of violence) that have appeared on here. Don't believe the naysayers. Visit the site and you'll either like it or not - but definitely don't let disgruntled ex-members who clearly have trouble letting go make that decision for you.

Balance is needed here.

The 1 and 5 star ratings should be ignored. The site is generally OK and useful for AV discussion. The Politics section is cliquey and they gang up on people they disagree with but it seems that Stuart is trying to fix that. Time will tell when one of the favourites breaks the new rules. The GC section is full of sexist crusties who often break misogyny rules but don't get punished.

The right wing moaners who post here are not representative of normal Conservative voters so ignore them. The 5 star posters are reacting to threat of closure.

Overall its ok but could be much better with firm application of rules for all.

Informative site. Safe & Secure to use. Well moderated and friendly. Low tolerance of abusive or counter-factual postings

Check out the contents and be your own judge

I joined AV Forums from another forum a couple of years ago when the 'politics' and 'general discussion' sub forums were closed down. I found it an enjoyable and positive experience from the very beginning.

I read the 'politics' threads often, and contribute when I feel I have something to add to the discussion(s). There are many different threads contained in that sub-section so a wide variety of topics, guaranteed to appeal to a broad audience. The moderators do a great, unenviable job in both moving conversations forward and dealing with posts who agitate rather than contribute. I admire their patience.

I would recommend AV Forums not only for the threads mentioned, but for the vast array of different topics on the rest of the actual site. There really is something for everyone.

Edit: in response to a recent accusation of positive reviews being (a) encouraged by the site owner and (b) flooding TP (with the accusation that they are not genuine). How dare you. You may personally have had a bad experience and may wish to share that. However YOUR experience and your opinion is YOURS.The opinion I and others are expressing is OURS.

I am not a liar. And I highly resent your accusation. I enjoy the forums. You do not. That does not make my view invalid. It just makes it different from yours. I am allowed to hold a different view. And no, the site owner has not 'encouraged' anyone to write reviews. It was a consensus of the posters, who wished to support the site - as we are perfectly entitled to do. With honest and genuine opinions. Opinions which may be diametrically opposite to yours but hold true.

Disagree as much as you like, but don't you dare call me or anyone else a liar just because we have the audacity to hold a different opinion than you do.

Second edit: in response to a claim on here that 'AV Forums' was the only one being lambasted on TP. Au Contraire! It's very easy to use TP's 'search' function. So I did. And, guess what - other forums have been subject to the same vitriol. Including one forum which attracted the exact same accusation of 'self harm' as did AV. Word for word.

Criticism is all well and good. And should be used to make companies aware of problems. However, blaming a forum, its members or mods or, indeed, any company /its employees etc for every ill in one's life/the World only serves to render any reasonable criticism moot.

Despite the the vicious campaign here from a tiny minority of rather troubled individuals, this is an amazing forum with a great friendly, welcoming and helpful community from all walks of life.

I've been a member for just over 18 years and still enjoy it. For me, nothing compares to it - you could be finding out about the merits of a particular soundbar one minute, gladly giving some advice on savings accounts the next minute, and the community is such that forum members regularly give and receive extremely supportive advice on family/personal matters. This is all overseen by volunteer moderators who do a great job, for which I and most members sincerely thank them.

Those engaging in this nasty creepy harassment of moderators and members on this platform, really need to examine their life choices. Move on, lose the anger, do something positive instead.

Ignore recent positive spam reviews!

Unfortunately, the site owner has now stooped to encouraging people to come on to Trustpilot to post fake 5* reviews.

They are doing this in droves....and not hiding the fact. If you want to risk going to the forum (not wise unless you are very left leaning and not easily triggered) you will find a thread where numerous sychophants are backslapping each other for their efforts.

Of course, the truth will out.

This behaviour shows that the whole forum should be shut down (not just the politics).

As a female in what is considered a male orientated forum I have never felt anything but made welcome. I moved over from another forum in the midst of the covid pandemic and the AV Forum members helped me immensely when I felt quite isolated. I have also learned quite a lot on other topics since I have been there and have always felt happy posting. I have never felt intimidated by established members - in fact I have been made to feel quite welcome. The moderators are fair and I feel they do an excellent job even when topics can get quite heated. I do not understand the one star reviews on here at all, if people feel that aggrieved just move on.

Great website. Have been a member a very long time, initially to gain info on av products to purchase and to ask questions related to problems with av equipment & found majority of members extremely helpful. There are some very knowledgeable people on the site but sometimes I do find some can be too critical of others (maybe this is where the negative views on this site are focusing on?) but usually this is dealt with promptly. It is the one website I still regularly visit every day. Site is moderated well in my opinion with moderators joining in with helpful comments and posts. On the whole would rate this site as the best overall experience for impartiality in a world where more and more of the social media experience is tainted by non balanced views. Keep up the good work Stuart et al

The forum is made for a tech/AV/gadget fan like myself as it covers ALL areas and the wealth of knowledge from other members is superb, and always willing to help/advise on queries.

There are also other topics discussed outside of AV equipment many of which I enjoy getting involved in whether it be sports, TV, movies or the economy.

My go to forum tbh.

A great community of experts in subjects that include AV equipment but extends far beyond (motoring, solar panels, Film/TV show reviews, Video games, Computers, Photography and much much more).

Ignore the badly written reviews on this site complaining about the moderation of the site, it's excellent, and rightly keeps out people that can't obey the site's rules.

A political forum on a site supposedly dedicated to AV.

You might not expect nuance, and you would be right.

Following some classic threads such as not wanting to watch antisemitic conspiracy films is the sort of thing Nazi’s would do- yes, refusing to believe the Jew secretly control the world is a far right belief.

The mods are discussing closing politics.

To be met with the response from posters that anyone to the “right “ in politics is mentally ill. And being on the “right “ is classed as not caring enough about today’s cause. Yesterday it was police brutality in America- but the shooting in Paris? They don’t care- yesterday it was the climate.

Who knows about tomorrow.

But guess wrong and you will be classed as mentally ill with the accompanying removal of rights.

For a site where so many posters boast of being neurodivergent you would have thought that they might be sensitive about the removal of rights for those with mental health problems. Nope,

Not caring enough is an illness and they need “removing “.

There are a number of things that need to be addressed when it comes to AV Forums:

1. It's a very well Moderated site which weeds out the more toxic online elements.

2. These toxic elements then come crying to this site citing lack of free speech and being cancelled, when the reality is that they are constantly re-registering on AV Forums, being found out and booted off again.

3. Trustpilot then gives these toxic elements a platform to continue their hate without, ironically, any form of Moderation.

If you're a newbie and you want advice on the latest tech, or want to read up on films, games, TV or music, then it's a great site to visit. Just read up on the rules so you know what is or isn't permissable, then away you go.

It's a great site for tech queries, too. Basically, you're getting free tech support without any of the hassle of having to look up information on a search engine, nor contact a company directly. And a great many Members are more than willing to give up their time to assist each other.

Participation in the Politics & Economy sub-Forum is entirely voluntary, so any claims of "Left-Wing bias" and "echo chamber" can be usefully avoided.

I'd recommend you give the site a go as it's nowhere near as bad as the few recurring complainers make it out to be. They have their own personal agenda, so it's up to you to decide who to believe.

Edit. I just wanted to address the false allegation that the site owner has requested that current Members join Trustpilot specifically to post 5-star reviews.

This is a lie. It was actually me that suggested it in one of my posts on the site, and even then it was just said tongue-in-cheek.

Despite what the 1-star reviewers (plural or singular?) are stating about an agenda, there is none other than their own - you only have to read their hate-filled vitriol to see this for yourself.

As I stated before - come and join the site and see for yourself if it's for you. If not, then there are plenty of online alternatives that may be better suited.

Great, informative website with quality moderation. Easy to navigate yet lots on offer. Been a member since 2005 and can genuinely say it is the one website I still regularly visit in all that time. Whether you want to know what is the best subwoofer at a certain price point or just post the latest joke you heard, there is something for everyone.

Negative reviews on here are laughable given they’re clearly defamatory and written by a loser(s) with an axe to grind, no doubt because they were banned for their hateful ‘opinions’. Again, great moderation on site.