Our Rating System
We use a 10 point system to rate all equipment we review and test across our site.
For simplicity, a rating of 5 is considered “average”, with a better or worse rating placed above or below this middle value.
Each product category has a different set of rating metrics. For each metric, we give a rating out of 10.
We then add up all the ratings across these metrics to get an average (rounded up or down). This becomes the overall rating for the product as shown at the top of the review.
You will also find the rating scorecard near the top of each review which shows how we rated each metric.
For example, below are the metrics we used to rate a DJ Controller.
RATING SCORECARD
RATING METRIC
OUR RATING
Mixer Section
7
Jogwheels
8
Build Quality
7
Tempo Controls
7
Performance Pads
6
FX Controls
7
Looping Controls
8
Connections
6
Value
8
AVERAGE
7.1
To make sense of these ratings, below is how we define the overall score of the product.
RATING
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
1
Terrible
Don’t waste your money
2
Very Poor
Purchase at your own risk
3
Poor
A product we would not recommend
4
Below Average
Multiple issues but still usable
5
Average
A decent product but with significant issues
6
Above Average
Some issues but also good positives
7
Good
A solid product with some flaws
8
Very Good
A superb product with very few flaws
9
Excellent
Almost perfect
10
Superior
The best of the best
Our Review Ethics
When reviewing products, we have a responsibility to both our readers and the manufacturer to provide accurate information.
This starts with a detailed research process that’s been developed from years of experience.
It’s this research process that allows us to assign an accurate rating to each product we review.
Trust and honesty are built-in to our company mission and core values. This makes it our responsibility to give you the truth.
There’s simply no gain for us to give poor products a high rating. If there’s something we don’t like, we’ll tell you.
Please remember that numerical ratings are only a guide. The real detail and value is in the written review.
Product Price Points
One rating metric you’ll find across all products we review is value.
It’s an important metric that many consumers are interested in as it directly relates to money. i.e. Is this product good value for money?
When we assign a rating to each metric we always have value in mind. This is critical as products in a certain category can have very different price points.
For example, a budget pair of headphones can cost $100, whereas a high-end pair can cost $1,000.
For this reason, a budget pair of headphones may get the same rating on a particular metric as a high-end pair, simply because it represents good value for its price point.
