For myself, when looking for solutions to a problem or knowledgeable advice, I kind of take the approach used by our legal system in regards to expert testimony.
Quoted wholesale in some instances from the Free Dictionary.com legal section.
"..., the law allows witnesses to provide opinion evidence, and such evidence is divided into two classes, lay opinion and expert opinion. A lay witness may give his or her opinion when that opinion is (1) rationally based on the perception of the witness..."
This could be useful anecdotal evidence derived empirically from observed phenomena. "Expert witnesses are persons who are qualified, either by actual experience or by careful study, to form definite opinions with respect to a division of science, a branch of art,or a department of trade.
Courts do not apply a rigid rule in determining whether a particular witness is qualified to testify as an expert. Instead, an expert's qualifications are normally evaluated on a witness-by-witness basis."
Neither do I There are a number of people on this forum that I may solicit advice from about a specific problem.
Whether they manufacture an audio product or not is immaterial to me. Some of the most useful assistance I have had has been from those who manufacture a product for audio.
I think The Experts Corner is potentially a very good source of useful information for those of us with the disease. This is frequently information that is not readily available on the web even to those possessing superior Google-fu.
Scotty
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Expert+Testimonydictionary.com
Noun 1.expert witness - a witness who has knowledge not normally possessed by the average person concerning the topic that he is to testify about