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  3. 137017-12450

Blocking the propaganda

I have a friend who lives in the boondocks who is without question the foremost expert in this Country on a certain vintage turntable. I will leave the particulars out so as to avoid making him the focus of this discussion or letting someone else figure out who I am talking about. He said something to me recently that I always knew on a certain level but have not seen "transparently" until his comment. His statement is this; "audio magazines including Stereophile are useful for birdcages and if you run out of toilet paper and nothing else". This was in the context of discussing Mike Fremer's preference for 9" arms. I have concluded that he is absolutely correct, but only for those who have the guts to really dive into audio with open eyes and willing to expend the effort to focus all of their attention and for lack of a better word, devotion, to figuring out the truth for themselves. This person I speak of has unquestionably done that. He has engineered his own products that make his turntable of choice as good as it can get. He thinks outside the box. Convention or "accepted thought" mean nothing to him. The analogy that comes to mind is wine. I know of many who will not buy a wine unless some critic has given it a 90 or above. When someone points out how silly it is to rely on published numbers from someone they don't know, they claim that they rely on experts and numerical ratings because they lack the patience, time and resources to taste wine options for themselves. What it boils down to is intellectual laziness. I intend to filter out 100% of what I read in magazines and even audio boards as absolutely unreliable. I have no doubt that I will fall short, but it is a lofty goal nonetheless. We all ought to forge our own trail(s) with sweat and effort and open minds and avoid laziness. Apologies to those who don't appreciate sermons. 
128x128fsonicsmith
whart's avatar
whart
2,988 posts
 
I understand your disenchantment with the commercial magazines, but filtering out 100% of what you read on the audio boards as well?
I’ve found this board very helpful on set up quirks or optimization questions-
I agree that one should approach anything with a degree of skepticism but that also requires some open-mindedness-- since otherwise the ’filter’ is blocking out all information.
I find myself researching a lot of topics on industrial,scientific, chemical, plastics/materials sites, including boards, journals, white papers, etc. most of which are not directly audio related.
I’m not afraid to pick up the phone or send an email and ask a manufacturer or technical person to explain something if they have time--
I’m certainly not smart enough to design my own circuitry or equipment-- I rely largely on commercial products made and sold by others-- but I’ve learned a hell of a lot from the DIY fora as well as science and tech journals that are not directly related to audio.
And from some of the kind, knowledgeable folks on this board.
In other respects, I agree that groupthink is the easy way out. One should be inquisitive; I think people have a limited amount of time, energy and in some cases, money to invest in pushing the limits and questioning everything. 
PS: without getting into a skirmish over Mr. Fremer, I think he has done the vinyl/analog side of the business a great service in keeping the flame alive during the dark years. He’s controversial, he’s opinionated and he’s a classic NY character, but whether you like him or not, he’s helped to promote vinyl/analog more than any single person I can think of, offhand.

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,151 posts
 
the guts to really dive into audio with open eyes and willing to expend the effort to focus all of their attention and for lack of a better word, devotion...
And I thought listening to music was supposed to be enjoyable.

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ivan_nosnibor's avatar
ivan_nosnibor
1,047 posts
 
I'm more or less am in agreement with @whart .

I started out in this hobby trying to find out which brands, if any, had the most prestige or mystique (not that I could afford them). Over the 4 decades since, I then tried focusing on the "basics" of design. Then graduated to listening to what the manufacturers and magazines were saying, then I dived into reviews, then I canvassed the market, then started looking at what the the magazines and the reviewers were Not saying, then I began looking at DIY and ultimately taking a peak behind the facade of what makers were presenting and looking at how they really do things and then started looking at what actually constitutes true innovation as opposed to claimed innovation and what ’accepted’ thought or tradition is vs the sorts of problems that might really need to be resolved.

It isn’t that I began by burning all my magazines and making a conscious vow against all that necessarily, it’s just that I’ve eventually evolved in my journey to the point that I no longer have to rely upon them....haven’t picked one up in years...nor have had any notion to.

Good luck in your journey!
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