Talk but not walk?


Hi Guys

This isn't meant to start a fight, but it is important to on lookers. As a qualifier, I have my own audio forum where we report on audio issues as we empirically test them. It helps us short cut on theories and developing methods of listening. We have a wide range of systems and they are all over the world adding their experiences to the mix. Some are engineers, some are artist and others are audiophiles both new and old. One question I am almost always asked while I am visiting other forums, from some of my members and also members of the forum I am visiting is, why do so many HEA hobbyist talk theory without any, or very limited, empirical testing or experience?

I have been around empirical testing labs since I was a kid, and one thing that is certain is, you can always tell if someone is talking without walking. Right now on this forum there are easily 20 threads going on where folks are talking theory and there is absolutely no doubt to any of us who have actually done the testing needed, that the guy talking has never done the actual empirical testing themselves. I've seen this happen with HEA reviewers and designers and a ton of hobbyist. My question is this, why?

You would think that this hobby would be about listening and experience, so why are there so many myths created and why, in this hobby in particular, do people claim they know something without ever experimenting or being part of a team of empirical science folks. It's not that hard to setup a real empirical testing ground, so why don't we see this happen?

I'm not asking for peoples credentials, and I'm not asking to be trolled, I'm simply asking why talk and not walk? In many ways HEA is on pause while the rest of audio innovation is moving forward. I'm also not asking you guys to defend HEA, we've all heard it been there done it. What I'm asking is a very simple question in a hobby that is suppose to be based on "doing", why fake it?

thanks, be polite

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net


128x128michaelgreenaudio
jf47t,

Major inexplicably silly walk was a reference to something most of the people would find a waste of time, silly, and "walk" in what I thought may be the terms of original post. Not passing anything to anyone. Not even saying I invented something I did not.

You really should not care what I, or anyone else, thinks about your hobby. You should continue enjoying it. However, you should also continue doing so without belittling other people who may have a question or two or a thought and observation or two about it. Considering what others have to say may open new avenues to your enjoyment. Freeing them. Kind of like cutting plastic ties. All of a sudden, the world becomes a bigger stage. For now, you are enjoying like a little constrained NAD C-350. Great little amplifier that could...
One of the very few modders of high end CD and Blu Ray players, Ric Schultz at Electronic Visionary Systems (EVS), also recommends removing the cover of Oppo or any other player for SQ reasons.I had the World’s Most Modded Oppo 103 up until three years ago, most of the modifications of which were done by Ric. It was ripped, flipped, zipped and bipped. Everything was isolated, unbolted, unscrewed, unbound, unwrapped, and protected from vibration, RFI/EMI and magnetic fields. It had the Audio Magic thingamabob hooked up to the circuit, WA Quantum Chips up the wazoo, PWB foils and other dumaflochies galore, linear power supply with upgraded capacitors, my own constrained layer damper VibraBlock for the transport mechanism, bipassed fuse (oh, no!), superclock, my own Codename Turquoise tray masking, and other odds and ends. The whole thing was up on a heavy mass on spring iso stand using stacked ceramic tiles for the mass. 

Pierre Spray of Mapleshade Recording Studio also played the system in his “lab” downtown DC with covers off.
Two tin cans and a string will be next.  All cryoed of course.  Electronic parts just get in the way. 

And one that sounds as good as if not better than the World’s Most Modded Oppo 103. With Grados instead of Senn 600s. Go figure.

No matter how much you have in the end you would have had even more if you had started out with more. 😳