I recently read this thread....
ssl vs neve
This guy gets totally flamed for referencing a Steely Dan recording. He said the Steely Dan record was an example of a particular console. The flamer claims that he has no direct knowledge of the equipment. I don't understand this philosophy. I think knowing what console was used on a particular album can be useful info. It's empirical data. It's the only objective info you can share. Everything else is opinion.
I've recorded two records (as a guitar player... Not an engineer.) on an SSL. I cannot honestly say I have any valuable info on SSL products from my experience. But if you like the mix of one of those records I can say to you that it was mixed on an SSL. So in my opinion the data outways my opinion based on my experience.
In addition if you've had a bad experience with a product you're likely to be very biased. I don't like Gibson guitars because I've had so many terrible experiences with them. However, I can objectively say that Slash and Jimi Page have had pretty decent careers using them. My point is that third party info is often far more objective than personal experience and this makes it more valuable.
Anthony