Specifications VS Sound Quality

But by knowing specs of a component do you really have an understanding of what a piece sounds like?
Maybe that is an obvious no.

Technically, there is a level of analysis where the answer is yes. In terms of finding musically satisfying components however the answer is a big fat no.

The problem is it can often times take a great deal of understanding technical specifications combined with real world experience to get to where you understand just how unimportant specs really are. Much more common are those who have memorized a whole lot of technojargon and throw it back at you. Ask a few questions, almost always turns out they don’t really understand what they said in the first place.

Even something as simple as measuring speaker sensitivity. This is by the way one of the very few specs it is helpful to know. But not because it tells you anything about how the speaker will sound, but because it can help you get a speaker instead of a headache.

But like I said, even something as seemingly simple as sensitivity. We had someone complaining he wasn’t measuring as good a number as the manufacturer claimed. Five thousand words later the guy was still trying to figure out at what distance does he measure what frequency and where relative to the speaker and where relative to the room or does it need to be a pulse and if so how fast to avoid room reflections affecting the result, on and on and fricken on endlessly and all to measure this one elementary seemingly easy to understand simple cut and dried thing.

So try and guess how we are gonna spec out something not so cut and dried. Where is the spec for sound stage depth? We pretend to be able to measure Total Harmonic Distortion. So where is the measurement for Total Harmonic Truth of Timbre? If you can’t measure one how can you pretend to be measuring the other? Anyone? Beuller?

Fact of the matter is there’s about a million sonic attributes we can sense, and some of us fabulously well in any room any time any system. Compared to about a dozen things we can measure, sort of, under laboratory conditions, almost always that have nothing to do with any room you ever saw in your life. Anechoic chamber, what a joke. Yet just look how much guys have invested in it.

All of the above by the way applies to audiophiles. Not builders, and certainly not designers. Whole different thing. Dumbest thing in the world for an audiophile to invoke scientific statistically significant double blind testing. Even though it can be a really good approach for a manufacturer. Horses for courses.

Specs are for comparing similar components or for narrowing down your selections but in the end the only way to tell is to listen and compare the pieces side by side on the speakers you will be using in your room before you will truly know how the specific piece will perform on your music with your system in your room.

millercarbon:

As someone whose eyes start to glaze over whenever technical specs become the topic of discussion, I'm reassured by your post, given your  knowledge and experience  I've always depended upon my ears and so far, they've served me well. . . 

Specs are mostly useless but with years of experience you can sort of read between the lines. A 100wpc $300 Sony receiver is not going to be equal to a 100 wpc Musical Fidelity integrated even if ALL the specs are comparable. . 

I was prompted to start this thread by a friend who is as extremely knowledgeable Audio manufacturer and audiophile who looked at the specs of my new amp and said that it was one of the best amps of its class available. He also heard my rave comments. I liked the encouragement but wonder what the basis of his remarks.