How We Choose
Records listened to, gear chosen from sources, dated prices, declared affiliate links: the method, explained in full.
Every record review starts from a real listen by the person who signs it. Gear is a different story, and we say so up front: the turntables, cartridges, amplifiers and accessories we write about are not things we test; we choose them on specifications, other people's reviews and checked prices. We also use artificial intelligence tools when writing, mostly for form: finding the words, ordering a paragraph, checking consistency. What to tell and what verdict to give is always decided by a person. Here is how it works.
Two ratings, because they answer two different questions
A record review and a turntable review answer different questions, so we use two different scales on purpose.
For records, the rating is the average of four axes: musical quality (the work itself), historical importance (its weight in the canon), recording quality (the original sound, regardless of format) and the quality of the vinyl pressing. A record can be a musical masterpiece badly recorded, or a technically perfect pressing of a minor album: the four separate scores tell you which one you are looking at.
For gear (turntables, cartridges, phono preamps, amplifiers) the score is editorial and has three criteria, stated next to the number: build (materials and specifications), features (what it offers, measured against its category) and value. The overall score is their average. There is no score for sound, because we don't listen to it: we report it from the reviews we cite. The working scale runs from 6 to 9: a 7 is solid and competent, an 8 is clearly above the average of its class, a 9 is the reference in its category. A product has one score only, the one on its own product page: rankings and tables take it from there. And a score can never contradict the verdict in the text.
Gear: how we choose it, and what we don't do
We don't test the gear we write about: we don't set it up, listen to it or measure it. Every product page, ranking and comparison says so, and we say it here once and for all. We choose on what can be checked: the manufacturer's stated specifications, reviews published by magazines (always with name, date and link, paraphrased, never copied), compatibility with the rest of the chain, and price.
Every judgement about sound has a named source next to it. Where there is no review, we don't describe the sound: we say so, and stop at the specifications. When two magazines disagree, we report both.
New prices are read on manufacturers' pages or on shops we have no affiliation with, never on affiliate links, and every page says on which day we read them. Where a price can't be checked, we leave it out and keep only the link. For used gear in the Audiophile Corner there are no figures: they depend too much on the state of each unit.
One exception, and we state it: the Rega Fono MM MK5 phono stage is part of Sergio's own system, and he uses it every day. It is the only item in our rankings we know from direct use, and the ranking says so. The full system is described in What I've tried and what I haven't.
Pressings, matrices and prices: where they come from
When we tell you which pressing to look for, the data comes from Discogs: catalogue number, label, the matrix numbers etched in the run-out, the notes left by whoever catalogued it. We cross-check them and, where we can, compare them with copies we have in hand. When an entry is incomplete or two sources disagree, we say so rather than picking the more convenient version.
Prices are read from Discogs sales history (median and highest) and always carry the date we read them: the market moves, and a price without a date is no use to anyone.
Record rankings
Our record rankings have no ratings. The order is set by an external criterion, stated at the top of the page with its source and date: for the Blue Note ranking, for example, how many Discogs users have the period pressing of each record on their wantlist. The criterion picks the records; we explain how to recognise the original and which reissue is worth buying.
The Jazz Shelf
In "The Jazz Shelf" series we write about records from Sergio's own collection: real copies, photographed by him, with the story of where and when they were bought and his listening notes. These are the only pages where the copy described is always the one in the photographs.
Who writes
Groov-illa is written by Sergio, who signs everything published from October 2026 under his own name: reviews, guides, rankings, The Jazz Shelf and the monthly picks.
Some of the articles published earlier also carry the bylines of Mike G., John and Emma, who wrote under pen names. When one of those articles is substantially rewritten, the byline passes to Sergio and the page says so, with the date of the update.
Affiliate links, stated plainly
Some pages contain affiliate links to Amazon or eBay: if you buy through them we receive a small commission, and the price you pay doesn't change. We only link to verified products (the exact listing for the record or the piece of equipment we are discussing, not a generic search). Some pages have no affiliate links by choice, such as our record rankings. We don't accept payment for positive reviews, we don't receive products in exchange for an agreed rating, and a mediocre product gets a mediocre rating regardless of who sells it.
If we find a mistake, we correct it and say so
A wrong catalogue number, an out-of-date price, a historical fact that needs revisiting: write to us. Corrected pages show the date of the update.
Why two different scoring systems?
Because they answer two different questions. For records the score is the average of four axes — musical quality, historical importance, recording quality, pressing performance — and the four separate scores tell you what you're holding. For gear the score is editorial: the average of build, features and value, based on specifications and cited reviews, not on testing of ours. The practical scale runs from 6 to 9, and a score can't contradict the verdict.
Who pays for the reviews?
Nobody. Many pages carry affiliate links to Amazon or eBay that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you, but we don't accept payment for a positive review or products in exchange for a pre-agreed score. A mediocre product gets a mediocre score, regardless of who sells it.
What happens if you find an error?
We fix it and say so: the page is corrected and carries an updated date. A wrong catalogue number, an outdated price or a historical fact worth revisiting can be reported to hello@groovilla.com.
