yes there are biased judges . but if your install is bang on they have to give you the points for it (last yr i lost becouse of my install not my hearing part)

and yes i run focal

 

last year l was a rookie and knew no one. had no problem placing. l never felt there was a buddy system. listen to the guy that beat you. l find it hard to dispute what is good.

seconly l used coaxial not focal. anyway l have no friends and feel l can win any show l attend

 

ok had too

in B.C i do think there are some biased judges ,but as team gates said to me there not just here .just becouse she can hit high db does not mean it is a bad SQ set up and that is the biase that she got
i will redo something it i know i may get a point for it (your install is big points)

 

I'm a judge and have been for many years. I don't car who you are or where your from, what gear you have or don't. I listen to the car and judge it as best I can. I can't say no judge has ever been biased, but I would hope most are honest. In IASCA, your are not allowed to judge a car that you have any connection to. So that should be fair enough. But there are always people who want to make excuses about why they place poorly.

 

some good points have been made now after my rant... as far as my results go... i personally do very well at all shows i go to........ as a matter of fact since i started in 87 i have never placed less than 3rd....... so my rant is about how to fix a problem that Does exsist.... its not happening at all shows and i truly believe that its more the exception than the norm but any show that allows for biasing, then you definitly are going to see it rear its ugly head from time to time and i have seen it many many times in the last 20 yrs .

 

Well I've been competing since 1992 and I can agree somewhat and understand some of Randy's arguments. Sometimes the buddy system might have worked for me at local shows and maybe sometimes against me at non-local shows. Looking back though, the local shows, I had the more serious car so the buddy bias probably wasn't there. I think moreso though what I've seen is equipment/install-biasing and not buddy-biasing. I'd think it's pretty narrow-minded for anybody as an enthusiast in this industry to have their favorite equipment, disliked equipment, install do's and don'ts and when they end up judging a car, and not be entirely non-subjective. And it's worse when you have a show that has the same judge doing SQ AND install. He does the install first, sees what stuff you have and how it's installed and there's going to be a preconeption on how it will sound, good or bad. That's the human element. Some of you may preach up and down that it makes no effect on you, but in some way, it does.

 

In IASCA SQ is always judged first. I judge a car based on how it sounds. That's it. I could really car less about what gear a car may or may not have. Chances are, a less experienced judge may use there eye's to produce scoring. But I think you will find that at sanctioned events (like IASCA events), judges should have no bias at all. It's also common practice not to judge in a class where you may run into people you are friends with. In the end it's all for fun. Although, I do take this sport pretty seriously from time to time.

 

Ya know here is a point, it IS OK for a judge to be friendly, it really is. You are likely to come to a second show if the judge is a pleasant human being who communicated well. Judges dont have to be aloof and mysterious, those that are are the ones I get concerned with. Frankly judges are not the real problem kiddies.

 

yes we know there needs to be shows to go to !

 

I don't think the problem is the number of show. It's the number of car that show up for the shows. Here in the Toronto, there are lots of SQ shows. But generally, few people show up. I think people are afraid to be judged in SQ. It is more involved then SPL, but still lots of fun. And it's usually a great learning experience.