"There are a few contributors to these forums who apparently see themselves as gurus. They speak in absolutes, using words such as "always" and "never." They make pronouncements about products or techniques they’ve never heard or experienced, justifying their conclusions because contrary claims are "impossible" or "snake oil.""
Hmmm...I smell the whiff of a strawman, so I hope you could give some more detail because of course I could be wrong.
I’ve read, and been involved in, a number of threads in which some people are voicing skepticism against other people defending some high end audio claim.
But I don’t recall many...or even any...people speaking in the absolutist terms you are writing about. (Certainly that wouldn’t apply to me even when I’m being skeptical).
Admittedly I may have missed such posters, or perhaps forgotten someone making such absolute negative claims. But I’d like to actually see an example or two. (These days I don’t just take someone’s word on what a skeptic may have argued, because I see skeptical arguments, mine very often, continually depicted inaccurately on this forum...)
No true professional will insult you for the questions you ask, or abandon you if you seek a second opinion.
I couldn’t agree more strongly!
And that of course goes for anyone who is seen as, or presents himself/herself as a "guru" making claims for a product, tweak, or just dispensing high end audio "wisdom." Generally speaking: beware gurus!
In short: Decide for yourself. Don’t let other people tell you how to think, or listen.
Absolutely. But on the other hand, don’t go overboard with that attitude to another form of close-mindedness: "nobody can tell me anything, I have my own opinions!" We want to remain open to information or arguments others may make, so we can modify our beliefs if warranted. Agreed?
*(And, again, I don’t know that I’ve actually seen anyone here telling other people "how to think, or listen.")