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True or False?

The following is a common sentiment from some who claim to be audiophiles.

If you hear something but can’t measure it, you only think you heard a difference.

 

This notion is also common among people who claim to possess an accomplished understanding of audio, especially when achieving a high level of performance for a minimal investment.

So who’s right? On the one hand we have Objectivists who claim if you can’t measure it, you can’t possibly hear it or if you do, its expectation bias and self delusion. Are these people correct? Do they get as good as a sound, or better for far less money by ignoring cables, power cords, mechanical isolation, basically any accessory that many have found to dramatically improve performance despite a lack measurements? Do those who dismiss expensive digital to analog converters as being no better than rather common digital components with decent measurements get just as high a performance level as those of us with MSB and DCS? Do people who claim it’s all about finding perfect speaker placement, do these people outperform those of us with systems that cost multiples more than what they pay (Who also pay close attention to speaker placement as well as everything else)? Or do those of us who pay attention to cables— digital, analog, and power, what we set our components on top of, how we place our speakers, acoustics, and tweaks, expensive DACs and the like, do we get better sound? Who’s right? And how do we ultimately determine sound quality?

 

 

 

128x128ted_denney
tubebuffer
417 posts
 

Same thing say for how woman get when around me. It defy logic.

tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,484 posts
 

Pass...... to many false flag arguments on this topic. Troll thread. The only meters you need are free and they are located on the sides of your head in addition to the non measurable emotions that you feel when you listen. I can find great pleasure in any number of systems and equipment combinations based upon many years of experience and listening prowess. 

audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
2,018 posts
 

The border patrol is a very good dac indeed...yes it does not measure all that great, but what it does is brings you closer to the music, more organic and analog like. No trickery or filters, just a plain old r2r Philips chip and a choke input, tubed power supply. 

dynamiclinearity
264 posts
 

I strongly believe in objective measurements, but this statement is total gobbly gook. Over the years measurements have improved and we do measure more and better some things we heard before and can measure now.

Besides what measurements do you use, frequency response, harmonic distortion, the standard ones. I saw a friend pick a cartridge over 40 years ago from a frequency response cure and 1 kHz square wave not knowing what it was and saying - I want that cartridge, I know how it sounds.

With time our measurements improve and what we hear will become more and more measurements. Indeed it's hearing more that will drive our search for more and better measurements.

ted_denney's avatar
ted_denney OP
286 posts
 

You guys prattling on about measurements, did you actually read my original post? Or is this just a reflexive, triggered reaction? The question isn’t measurements versus no measurements, or anti-measurement. The question is, do people who do everything, acoustics, measurements, and things like cables, accessories and higher end electronics for which there is not a sophomoric suite of measurements that prove anything, do we get better sound when we pay attention to everything versus guys who only address what can be measured and ignore everything else?

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