www.avforums.com Reviews 250

Very poor experience with AVForums.

The moderation style comes across as overly strict and, at times, quite unfriendly. Interactions with moderators often feel dismissive and authoritative rather than supportive or approachable, which creates an uncomfortable environment for users.

Instead of fostering a welcoming community, the forum feels rigid and difficult to engage with. There is little sense of understanding or flexibility, and the overall tone makes it hard to feel encouraged to participate.

Overall, not a particularly friendly or user-focused platform. I wouldn’t recommend it based on my experience.

I’ve been on AVForums for many many years. The community used to be the point. Anything that made it great has been strangled to death by an overzealous moderation team.

I posted a “wanted” ad in the classifieds. A newer seller replied. I agreed a deal late evening as his profile looked legit at first glance. The next morning, before sending any money, my risk alarm went off: I noticed a suspicious-looking burst of recent posting activity for an older account, and a nudge toward payment terms that increase my exposure. Not a conviction — just the alarm bells that any person who has felt the real sting of a scam would feel.

Then a senior mod stepped into the thread with safety guidance: "if there is any doubt, hold off sending payment and use the report button". I did EXACTLY that — messaged the seller politely to withdraw and flagged my concern with the mods.

And for following the advice that the moderator chose to post in my thread (apparently for no reason other than to bait me)? I got hit with a 30-day restriction from the classifieds for “failing to honour commitments”, plus a public dressing-down for not doing ENOUGH due diligence before agreeing. So AVForums’ position is basically: be cautious… but only if you were cautious early enough. If you develop doubts after agreeing, you’re expected to proceed regardless of any concerns you have — or be punished for protecting yourself. Pretty sure if I HAD been ripped off, the very same mods would have been saying "too bad, you should have heeded our advice to hold off sending payment and used the report button."

That’s not a safe marketplace or a community. That’s a courtroom where the mods are judge and jury, and seem to enjoy being executioners in public. The forum still has great members, but moderation like this is how you turn a community into a compliance exercise and a ghost of its former self. I know if either of the mods involved ever see this review, they will likely tie it back to my profile and /kickban me to another dimension, but I'm past caring. They get to play God on their platform and users get to speak out on platforms like this one.

Terrible, terrible website/forums.
If you are not hard left, you're not welcome.

It's a shame, this used to be an amazing place to hang out on the internet. In the last 5 years or so it has become a leftist politcal propaganda site where mods will ban you if you don't agree with their views.

20+ years as a memeber of this place, and my time here has here has come to an end. Such a shame.

It's hilarious how weak the moderation is on this site.
A member in the football forums is now telling a moderator what is acceptable to post on the forum.
This member deleted their previous account due to an impending ban and has been allowed to start a new account and continue in their old ways.
It's no wonder the forum is losing valued and insightful members.

Staff told me to self-reflect after their pet member called me names & berated me openly.

So I did & here are my tips to you, the new joiner:

be arrogant, but pretend to be polite

message the staff if anyone makes you slightly uncomfortable with their comments

if you are not following the guidelines others have laid out for using their AudioVisual gear, never comment about that
example - if you pause an Apple-TV device & then shut it down, it will resume right where you left it when you turn it back on,
but Woah to thee! who tells anyone on this forum that you do that, because it is a mortal sin!

if anyone joins the forum after you, make them feel unwelcome, as often as possible

allow the pet members to figuratively walk all over you, because they have impunity

If staff gang up on you, just leave, because it is Over!
example - asking what you meant by a silly joke meme, two staff at once

then laying out new unwritten rules specifically for you & no one else, both staff support this new unfair policy & so does the Señor Noberator

Maybe it would be best to read, not comment & never join at all.

Grim de Jiz will give you the template for making snobbish, boorish 'reviews', however if you do not follow their example, they will tell you that you are not welcome & no one wants you there.

The General chat forum is informative, good humoured and varied.
The TV forum is disappointing compared to Digital Spy. There’s not much interest in it. Specific forums eg tv, tablets are useful. I haven’t used the other forums so can’t speak for them.
The big let down is the Politics forum which has claimed good members amongst its victims. Anyone who isn’t far left will be rounded on, interrogated and ripped apart. It is well known to be an echo chamber of like minded individuals which stifles discussion . These never seem to incur the wrath of the mods who are liberal with warnings and bans, quick to punish those with alternative opinions, and lately have become more severe, with the result that new members are afraid to air their views on there, and established members are disgusted by the situation , and leaving for good. Several long serving members have done this recently- is that what Stuart really wants? A narrow clique, that only values the same old rhetoric, or a healthy, respectful, articulate gathering of members with different views?
The Politics forum has sadly deteriorated since my last review, which is a shame.

Edit* I have now seen that a Facebook group has been created by Ex AVF members.

The Forum and general website is in decline both in terms of volume of users and content and has some issues with its Ethics.

My findings below:-

Editorial Content- I feel that a lot of the content is missing up to date and relevant articles. There are often reviews of obscure AV items and more relevant items or media are missed. The reviews around Film and TV are overall excellent. Casimir Harlow is a shining star of the Forum. Perhaps a little bit of thought needs to be had about the type of content being reviewed.

Forums- on the most part they’re still very good, however the Forums as a whole are incredibly quiet. Threads don’t seem to have much traffic. Moderation is satisfactory. Some Moderators get involved in the discussions and are part of the family and others just dictate.

Politics Forum (AKA ‘The Ministry of Truth) This has become an area that will only allow certain views. I say this as someone who likes to have an open mind and read all views, however this isn’t possible due to biased Moderating. The huge amount of feedback regarding this fact on Trustpilot has been dismissed by AVForums owner, Stuart Wright but this platform is open for one and all to post reviews and so far the 245 individual reviewers have given an average score of 1.6/5. The same feedback is given by so many people. Ask yourself if every piece of feedback is wrong or some kind of smear campaign. The Trustpilot reviews are all independent.

As feedback I would suggest an overhaul of the Moderation on this Forum. Perhaps some younger members need to be given the opportunity to get involved. Some of the Moderators have been part of the furniture for many years and have become stuck in their ways in my opinion. The two Moderators that I believe need some time away from the Forum to take stock are ‘Iron Giant’ and ‘Rousetafarian’
I’ve seen examples of poor moderating from both. Iron Giant is easily swayed by the masses and this doesn’t allow for his Moderating to be fair. Typically he can be a fair person but as he is easily led, it means he does occasionally slip up. In particular in the Politics section where he is not in the slightest bit impartial. Rouse is often led by his heart rather than logic, a far angrier Moderator that gets things wrong rarely but mistakes are often made when he rushes in without thinking.

I would also suggest that there needs to be some big changes with the editorial content. It’s dated and out of touch.

If things are left the way they are then the Forum will gradually diminish. Many parts of the forum are already like a graveyard littered by posts and threads started by Ex and Deleted members. This speaks volumes. Forums need to have a constant feed of new people instead it just has existing members either being banned or simply leaving.

Hopefully Stuart Wright reads this review and takes note and tries to turn things around. I suspect he is detached to what is actually happening on his Forum but one can hope he does see the issues.

I completely agree with Brad W's recent post. Any credible forum should not be banning someone just for using the word "fanatic", but AV Forums is basically a left wing echo chamber. Just to confirm this obvious moderation bias, a lefty member made a post only a couple of days ago which contained the words "flag shagger", yet the mods saw fit to let this go! So, "flag shagger" perfectly fine, but "fanatic" not allowed!

Yes its "Tech" forums & tech reviews are still great. Just don't ever post anything in its politics forum, as its become an echo chamber for left wing rants by its members, fully backed up by its over zealous left wing moderators. If you post anything that is not "on message" you'll get a ban instantly, no matter how benign your comments are. AVF, like all forums, has a set of forum rules. But even if you have not broken those rules you will recieve a ban for anything they see fit to use against you.
Its censorship in its most blatant and obvious form.
Its owner has apparently given up on his company's falling membership, or just doesn't care, and in this vacume of leadership his team of moderators have been allowed to run the politics forum as they see fit and rule the forum with an iron fist.
Terrible site to get involved in if you have any interests outside of Hifi/AV.
Avoid.

Do not bother with anything political on this forum if you are anywhere near "right leaning"
It's a Very Left Leaning ECHO-CHAMBER and
you will be cancelled in short time.
They really are pathetic.
Just stick to technology and you should be fine if you don't drop a clue to your political persuasion!

I signed up to try and get help with a new system. The problem I have is my internet connection is quite poor and the AV Forum will not render correctly. It displays multiple layers of adverts that overlay the main page meaning you cant read anything. I don't have issues with any other sites just this one.

This is a very sinister site. Purportedly for audio, video, and tech enthusiasts, it also has a political forum as well, which I find bizarre seeing as the site is supposed to be for the aforementioned tech enthusiasts.

I stay well out of the political forums, because you can just imagine what a powder keg of angry, probably one-sided opinions, prevail on there.

The problem is, this attitude sadly extends to the tech and film etc. side of the forums. If you disagree with some of the long timers on there about a film for example, the offended party and all their little cronies descend on you like a pack of hyenas. They'll also try to get their mate moderator to threaten or outright ban you. It also appears that they shadow ban comments as well, which is about as creepily totalitarian and sinister as you can get. It's like a local forum for local people. If you're new, you're pretty much made to feel like an outcast right from the outset. If you don't suck up to the long-timers, moderators, product reviewers, or express any sort of dissent assuredly but respectfully, you'll be threaten with bans from threads or the site entirely. For example, I was banned from one specific thread allegedly for disruption by not sticking to the topic, but I had replied to someone else who had deviated off topic (something that happens frequently and is allowed if you're part of their clique, which makes it okay, so double standards are common here), a moderator appeared (because many, many, sad little snitches populate this forum reporting selected people they have a grudge against for no other reason than you're just not welcome and dont fit in) deleted my comment, banned me, but not the person who I replied to, and didn't delete their comment, either. When I appealed respectfully to a senior moderator about this mods about selective one-sides and heavy-handed behaviour, they expectedly closed ranks, backed them up, and I quote said sanctimoniously, 'Take your anger elsewhere, it is not wanted on this site'. No swearing or insults, just a challenge to their authority, and apparently that constitutes being 'angry' and unwelcome in general. Very soft-minded, thin-skinned, and vindictive people, most of whom will broadly not react or reply to your comments (so a form of bullying through ostracism), and are waiting to report you again for some perceived minor infraction so that they can get you permanent banned from the site altogether.

It's a complete waste of a potentially great site (some of their tech and film reviews are excellent), because what could be a great site and forum (there is a the odd decent member or two on there, but they're in a distinct minority) is ruined by the type of intolerant of other people's tastes and opinions sort of people. It's like being back in the playground at school. It really is beyond pathetic and sad. Consequently, the forums feel eerily empty, and uninviting.

I've personally found that the similarly named but unrelated American 'avsforum' is far more easy going, filled with more pleasant, responsive community of members, and more relaxed moderation.

I used to be an active member of AVForums.com, but I’ve long since given up on the site due to the toxic and deeply biased moderation. What was once a useful and enjoyable community has, in my experience, become an echo chamber dominated by cliques and overseen by a handful of moderators who seem more interested in exercising control than encouraging open discussion.

Roustefarian and Irongiant are the worst offenders. Their approach to moderation often feels personal and punitive. They appear to despise anyone who doesn't conform to the forum's increasingly narrow social circle. I lost count of the number of users they banned or drove away – often for trivial reasons or simply for having the “wrong” opinions. Many long-time posters with valuable insights have disappeared, and it’s not hard to see why.

A particularly disturbing trend I noticed is their attitude towards success. If you post pictures of something nice – a new car, a high-end TV, or even mention having a good job – you’re suddenly a target. Roustefarian, in particular, has a bizarre habit of gushing over a product until someone else actually buys it, at which point he becomes aggressively negative. It’s almost as if any display of success triggers resentment. And then, if you respond in any way to their provocation, you’re the one who gets banned.

Not sure what has made him like that.

It's ironic – and hypocritical – that a site built around consumer electronics and luxury purchases would punish people for sharing their enthusiasm for high-end gear. But that’s exactly what seems to happen. Post about buying nice things, and you can expect Roustefarian or Irongiant to swoop in with snide comments or passive-aggressive jabs. Any hint of pride or accomplishment is met with disdain.

Frankly, AVForums now feels like a place where you're only welcome if you're part of the inner circle or keep your head down. If you’re thinking about joining or contributing, especially if you have something worth sharing – be warned. These moderators don’t enforce rules fairly; they enforce personal biases. The result is a stifled, joyless community that seems more interested in gatekeeping than in fostering genuine discussion.

There is a good reason for the 1 star reviews.

A lot of comments are to do with moderation. I do feel the moderation is heavy handed but not my reason for 1 star.

The problem with this forum is god help you if you go against the view of the forum.

Any opinion other than what they think is quickly knocked down. Reporting it doesn't do anything, half the time the mods just agree with them.

The reviews however are good. So if you just want reviews on AV stuff then this is a great place. Just stay well clear of the forums which can be quite toxic.

I've been to more decent forums than this. AVForums uses Cloudflare's Orwellian system that blocks people like me from accessing it since we use methods to keep our identities anonymous online. To top it all off, AVForums is run by power-tripping people who go on their high horse. I'll find a decent place elsewhere that doesn't use Cloudflare's Orwellian system nor has power-tripping people. Last time I checked, decent people don't fuel toxic division nor bully anyone based on their political ideologies. Guess what? I'm centrist politically.

The site has bias and unfair moderation. I was spoken to unfairly on the site and then moderated against. I'd warn against wasting your time trying to contribute to the platform. Its a site with a clear bias and authoritarian, unfair and unreasonable moderation from Steven.
Avoid.

This is a website where one of its own moderators freely spouted and contributed to antisemitic discourse.

This is a website where challenging that antisemitism was met with thread bans.

This is a website where reporting of that antisemitism was dismissed, and where the head moderator Steven insisted the real issue was the reporting and challenging of that antisemitism.

It was only after the pages and pages of antisemitism where reported to external authorities and relevant anti-hate and antiracist charities that action was finally taken.

Yet even after Stuart attempted to hide his politics forum from public scrutiny, defended his mods by saying they're not trained to recognise antisemitism (then why the aggressive and petualant responses to those reporting it then?), and argued that some of the reported posts weren't antisemitic - antisemitic posts and posts expressing support for Hamas continued to be made and went unreported.

This is the thing about antisemitism - it's not just those who post antisemitic things that are the issue. Everyone that reads it, sees it and says nothing because they either agree or don't see it as antisemitic, and make excuses for it, and defend it - are all part of the same problem.

For all the strict enforcement of rules across the forums, it speaks volumes that arguably Jews received little protection. Arguably you are more free to say things about Israel and Israelis than you are to say things about the moderators!

This itself is a form of antisemitism - when you fail to take antisemitism as seriously as other forms of hatred, dismiss concerns and accuse the people reporting it of being the real problem, then it is an antisemitic double standard.

It's even worse when you consider that AVF moderators have been quick to falsely accuse others of racism for holding sensible, moderate opinions.

If you see racism or transphobia where it doesn't exist, but don't see antisemitism where it does - then clearly there is an issue.

Banned after a few weeks of being on there with a new email address & AVForums profile created as I'd not been on for years and had no access to my old account

I went through the full verification, zero issues. Asked a few questions in the relevant sections and made replies to others

Decided I'd look to sell a few bits (old Mac, mobile phone etc) and look to buy an Apple Watch. Agreed the watch transaction; sent the monies to a long standing, high-feedback member and then my account got banned and classed as 'spam'

No access to any of it now; tried to communicate with the admin/mods - radio silence.

If that's how it is, it's a terribly run platform and I'd avoid at all costs. They clearly have personality issues or they're jumped-up and like to play the 'big guy' game behind their monitors

I don’t feel the Moderators have recognised what’s happening to the forum and I guess society on the whole has changed but in general there seems to be a single way of thinking and anyone that doesn’t agree with it gets pounced on by a core group of members. Opinions should be accepted by all, not constantly dismissed. I hate to say it but there is some truth to the countless negative reviews on Trustpilot.

That said, I did used to enjoy AVF and have been involved in many great threads over the years when the Forum used to be busy. My score does reflect this.

Anyway, it is now time to move on so I disabled my account and will never post again.

Banned for "excessive voucher trading". Upon request provided an itemised trade in history to prove how i obtained said vouchers, they then requested proof of purchase of every single item i traded in. Banned me before i could manage to gather historic receipts/invoices.

Upon review of other members the volumes and regularity to which they trade vouchers was far greater(at least x2 often much greater over years) in volume than myself and supposidly deemed personal use.

Members clearly using classifieds for business use and mods turning a blind eye, clearly recieving back hand payments to allow users to sell hundreds every month. As i type this, "Justaday" has listed £1600 worth in the space of 48hours, having sold thousands over the span of many many years.

Another member "Fozzeh" again has sold £20,000+ just going bck to DEC 2023, vouchers he buys directly off others and sells on for profit on the forum. Mods dont do a thing about these clear violations. They are not asked for proof of where these vouchers come from or proof of purchased like I was asked. Very communist dictatorship like the oligarchs where those in favour are allowed to benefit.