So, this question:
http://audio.stackexchange.com/questions/105/what-is-the-best-setup-under-10k-closed
Was closed as argumentative/subjective.
Isn't this the exact type of question we want here? Isn't it useful to see a list of under 10K systems on could put together? Granted, it's somewhat subjective, but it can't be any more subjective than "how do I mic drums?", and it's certainly less objective than "What type of artists are likely to pay their bills?" (e.g.)
First off, I agree, I think this could be a useful discussion. However, when I read Robert's reason for closing, I can see his position that we might want to discourage these types of questions until the site and community are well-established. We want to attract experts, and this will be done will specific, technical questions, not general abstract questions.
I think we should allow these questions once we're established, but only if they're more focused. The general shopping-guide questions ("what's the best I can get for $X") are hard to answer and quickly turn into equipment lists, but a more specific question can elicit more helpful answers.
For example: "I'm a guitarist and I want to build myself a simple home studio for recording my amplifier and my friend's drums. I'm considering such and such computer and microphones as well as some acoustic treatments for my living room. Are there any obvious pitfalls I haven't thought of? I'm looking to spend this much money"
So we know what the goal is and what the constraints are, and we can point out things the asker hasn't thought of yet.
Personally I think a link to a "how should I make my first studio" guide would be a great candidate for an FAQ. Many audio forums have stickied threads about topics like this for just such a reason.
What is the best setup under $10K?
Asking for things that are the best (or most favorable) could result in people arguing over the setup which will result in a lot of bloat comments, while that is listed as the reason the question was closed you might want to read the comment:
Welcome to Audio.SE and thanks for your question. But I have to close some of these "product recommendation" requests while we're still early in beta. What we are looking for is users to elaborate and get very, very specific about the situation you are trying to solve. You can see by all the "it depends" answers on this system why "expert answers" will come from very specific questions that can be answered at least somewhat objectively. Please feel free to try again. Thanks.
Over time these product recommendations and their costs tend to get outdated...
There is also a request for opinion, which is by itself subjective:
I'm interested in everybody's opinion on what is the best setup I can put together for under $10.000?
I totally agree that this can be an useful question, but it needs to have a more objective technical approach.
When I first saw this site, I thought "Wow, there really are experts using this site." But I also saw a smattering of questions that veered too far from being the formative questions of an expert site. See: Asking the First Questions… or at least Good Subjective, Bad Subjective or a more direct discussion of the problem: Q&A is Hard, Let's Go Shopping… they're all pretty good reads.
So I left a simply an invitation (let's call it a plea, or at least a challenge) to compose better, more specific questions that can be reasonably answered with a modicum of expertise. Part of the appeal and success of Stack Exchange is that we try and stay away from these overly generalized, broad and discussion-y questions better suited for a threaded discussion forum.
I left a comment to that effect:
Welcome to Audio.SE and thanks for your question. But I have to close some of these "product recommendation" requests while we're still early in beta. What we are looking for is users to elaborate and get very, very specific about the situation you are trying to solve. You can see by all the "it depends" answers on this system why "expert answers" will come from very specific questions that can be answered at least somewhat objectively. Please feel free to try again. Thanks.
So, yes — to use your example — a list of $10K setups is entirely way more subjective (or at least more arbitrary) than "How do I mic drums?" A micing-drums question could be improved with specifics about the equipment used or the problems being encountered… but at least it sets some specific criteria for the problem to solve. The answers will be the product of expertise, not the random opinion of people guessing what you need.
