Audio Science Review = Rebuttal and Further Thoughts


@crymeanaudioriver @amir_asr You are sitting there worrying if this or that other useless tweak like a cable makes a sonic difference.

I don’t worry about my equipment unless it fails. I never worry about tweaks or cables. The last time I had to choose a cable was after I purchased my first DAC and transport in 2019.  I auditioned six and chose one, the Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria. Why would someone with as fulfilling a life as me worry about cables or tweaks and it is in YOUR mind that they are USELESS.

@prof "would it be safe to say you are not an electrical designer or electrical engineer? If so, under what authority do you make the following comment" - concerning creating a high end DAC out of a mediocre DAC.

Well, I have such a DAC, built by a manufacturer of equipment and cables for his and my use. It beat out a $9,000 COS Engineering D1v and $5,000 D2v by a longshot. It is comparable to an $23,000 Meridian Ultradac. Because I tried all the latter three in comparison I say this with some authority, the authority of a recording engineer (me), a manufacturer (friend) and many audiophiles who have heard the same and came to the same conclusion.

Another DAC with excellent design engineer and inferior execution is the Emotiva XDA-2. No new audio board but 7! audiophile quality regulators instead of the computer grade junk inside, similar high end power and filter caps, resistors, etc. to make this into a high end DAC on the very cheap ($400 new plus about the same in added parts).

@russ69 We must be neighbors. I frequented Woodland Hills Audio Center back in the 70s and 80s. I heard several of Arnie’s speakers including a the large Infinity speakers in a home.

fleschler

@noske 

my offer stands, just post your system, pics, and measurements in your profile page, NP.

Monty Python never made much of an impact in America.  Too nuanced, perhaps.

Speak for yourself. I and mine found them to be hilarious. 

All the best,
Nonoise

@prof 

thyname

I'm not "teaming up" with anyone.

I am scratching my head… why don’t you participate in forums with like minded people with the same beliefs and ideology like ASR?

I do.  I've been a member quite a while at ASR.

However, I find the direction of interest in gear too constrained for me at ASR, and I enjoy discussing the subjective aspects of they hobby - exchanging notes on what things sound like etc.  That doesn't go down so well over there. (I mentioned that in the other ASR thread).

For instance if you look at my long running (and quite popular) thread on Agon in which I report my impressions of lots of speakers, that would go down mostly with a thud at ASR, because it's all subjective.  No data.

So ASR satisfies one aspect of my approach, places like Agon satisfy another. 

 

 

Great answer.

ASR is indeed a specialist site with many knowledgeable posters.

A bit like the Steve Hoffman Music Forum it also seems to antagonise a few people who find some folks on there a bit standoffish or even plain rude. 

Anyway, it's far better I believe to view such forums for what they are, a source of valuable information for interested parties. Such people often do not suffer fools gladly in my opinion, and there's little reason why they should.

As for the Audiogon forum, it was only after reading a post by yourself on instrument timbre and texture that I decided to join. I hadn't encountered anything written by any reviewer like the descriptions of tonal colours you wrote here.

 

Whilst we also have a fair share of rude people here, I would in no way like to imply that they are experts in anything else. However, as in life, sometimes we must learn to take the rough with the smooth.

Oh the fun we all used to have exchanging witty repartee with geoffkait...

Not.

@cd318

Thanks!

I’ve realized no forum will be everything to everyone. I get what I can from ASR and don’t expect it will satisfy all my needs. Same for AGon (and the other forums I visit).

There are inflexible thinkers in all forums. Fortunately I find they are in a minority, and many appreciate the nuance between the extremes. In fact when one of the more inflexible members at ASR needles me for my subjective reports or love of vinyl, and implies I’m there to troll, I point out that my "likes" ratio to my posts are much higher than his (almost 6,000 likes). So there is clearly a significant number of people at ASR who value my participation and the viewpoint I bring. Sometimes I have to remember that when things get rancorous.

@holmz 

 

I suppose so.
But AG is a business, and they can run it and their forum any way that they see fit.

if it was a forum with the stated purpose of audio with fair and varied representation, then they would not likely trim the outline voices.

Yes, I expect you are right there.