@daveinpa - Heck of a first post. IMO, you nailed the three levels of system improvements, which are very similar in my world:
- Clearly
- Subtly
- Maybe (not)
Great descriptions of how these affected your system building. Well done.
Amir and Blind Testing
Let me start by saying I like watching Amir from ASR, so please let’s not get harsh or the thread will be deleted. Many times, Amir has noted that when we’re inserting a new component in our system, our brains go into (to paraphrase) “analytical mode” and we start hearing imaginary improvements. He has reiterated this many times, saying that when he switched to an expensive cable he heard improvements, but when he switched back to the cheap one, he also heard improvements because the brain switches from “music enjoyment mode” to “analytical mode.” Following this logic, which I agree with, wouldn’t blind testing, or any A/B testing be compromised because our brains are always in analytical mode and therefore feeding us inaccurate data? Seems to me you need to relax for a few hours at least and listen to a variety of music before your brain can accurately assess whether something is an actual improvement. Perhaps A/B testing is a strawman argument, because the human brain is not a spectrum analyzer. We are too affected by our biases to come up with any valid data. Maybe.
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I just acquired a new piece. Not able to hear it prior. Had to make a decision without hearing. I did that based on experience with similar gear what I read + my own personal assessment of what could fit the bill. Bought from a vendor with a very good return policy since yes you never know for sure until you hear or try. I consider the whole measure versus listen argument just a bunch of gaslighting. Sometimes you can’t hear first so you have to decide based on other things like the facts about how a product is advertised to perform and how it actually does. Specs are good for helping make decisions about what to listen to. Measurements are supplemental pieces of info that can help but only if applied properly which takes some degree of knowledge. Which is why as I said we all use the tools available to us to decide. Obviously our own ears are the ultimate test. Just ignore fanatics where ever they might pop up. |
Y’all should build one of Nelson Pass variable distortion aka negative feedback machines, to better understand your own ear / brain preferences for……distortion… Or a Music Reference ( Roger Modjeski genius RIP ) w 3 levels of negative feedback, careful level matching and you can hear for yourself what more negative feedback ( TIM ) does to image depth… See Opus 3 disc on image depth. IF ya can’t tell i am in the Measure AND Listen camp, the interesting overlap a wise poster above mentioned….. Carry on…Best to all in music Jim |
@phantom_av - Nobody is 'forced' to do anything. I see negative reviews of gear on YouTube reviews all the time. What will make people stop paying any attention to reviewers is if they always say everything is great - people buy something a reviewer says he loves and the buyer doesn't like it, that buyer will quit paying attention to that reviewer.... |
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