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EnglishGetting Personalized AV Gear Advice from Audioholics
Updated
Yes. Audioholics offers both free self-service resources and a paid one-on-one consultation. The paid option listed on the site is a 1-hour consultation with Gene for $200, available through a "Buy Now" checkout link. Free resources include the AV Gear Guide ebook, buying guides, recommended systems, setup guides, and the site's forums. Which route fits you depends on whether you need general direction or a decision specific to your room, gear, and budget.
Free resources: what you can get without paying
Audioholics organizes most of its guidance into browsable categories rather than a single advice desk. From the site navigation and page evidence, the main free entry points are:
| Resource | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AV Gear Guide ebook | Free download via the site's subscribe link | Getting a broad orientation to AV gear categories |
| Buying Guides | Recommended systems, how to shop, product awards and gift guides | Shortlisting gear by category or budget |
| Product Reviews | Loudspeakers, subwoofers, AV receivers, amplifiers, projectors, HDTVs, and accessories | Checking measured performance before buying |
| Home Theater Setup | Subwoofer setup, calibration, connection help, DIY audio and wiring, printable setup tips | Getting a system running and calibrated |
| Tech Articles / AV Research | Audio technologies, room acoustics, cables, display formats, loudspeaker design, FAQs | Understanding why a spec or design choice matters |
| Forums | Community discussion | Comparing notes with other owners |
The site frames its editorial stance directly: "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans." That matters for how you use the reviews — the value is in the test data and analysis, not in a simple verdict.
A concrete example of how a review supports a decision: the JTR Kallos 12Sub review describes a $3,699 compact sealed 12" sub with 2,000 watts and 36mm excursion, and reports CEA-2010 results of 99dB at 20Hz with low distortion. If you are shopping in that price and size class, those numbers let you compare against other subs on output at low frequencies rather than relying on wattage claims alone.
Paid consultation: the 1-hour option with Gene
The site lists "Get a 1hr consultation with Gene for $200" with a "Buy Now" link. This is the personalized advice path — a direct conversation rather than reading guides.
What it is suited to, based on the site's own content areas:
- System matching — pairing speakers, subwoofers, and amplification so the pieces work together rather than just individually reviewing well.
- Upgrade planning — deciding what to replace first when budget is limited.
- Calibration and setup problems — subwoofer integration, connection issues, and room-related questions that the setup guides cover in general but not for your specific room.
- Interpreting specs — for example, understanding why a single amplifier damping factor number doesn't tell the whole story, as covered in the site's damping factor explainer on output impedance, speaker control, frequency response, and load variance.
What to prepare before booking: your current gear list, room dimensions and layout, budget range, and the specific decision you are stuck on. A 1-hour session is most useful when it is aimed at a decision, not at general education that the free guides already provide.
How to combine reviews, guides, and consultation
A practical sequence that uses each resource for what it does best:
- Orient with the free AV Gear Guide ebook to learn the categories and the vocabulary.
- Shortlist with Buying Guides and Recommended Systems to narrow to a few candidates per component.
- Verify with Product Reviews — look for measured data (frequency response, output, distortion) rather than summary praise.
- Set up using the Home Theater Setup section — subwoofer setup, calibration, and connection help — before concluding that gear is the problem.
- Book the paid consultation when the remaining question is specific to your room, your existing gear, or a trade-off the guides can't resolve for you.
Choosing between free and paid
- Use free resources if you are still learning categories, comparing widely available products, or troubleshooting a standard setup issue covered by the setup and calibration guides.
- Consider the $200 consultation if you have a defined decision, a specific room, and a budget where a wrong choice costs more than the consultation fee — or if you've read the guides and still can't resolve a trade-off.
One caution: the site's free ebook is delivered through a mailing-list subscribe link, so downloading it involves signing up. The consultation is a separate paid checkout. Neither is presented as a substitute for the other — the free material is broad and category-based, while the consultation is the only personalized option described on the site.