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I don't want to beat a dead horse but I'm bugged.

I just can't clear my head of this. I don't want to start a measurements vs listening war and I'd appreciate it if you guys don't, but I bought a Rogue Sphinx V3 as some of you may remember and have been enjoying it quite a bit. So, I head over to AVS and read Amir's review and he just rips it apart. But that's OK, measurements are measurements, that is not what bugs me. I learned in the early 70s that distortion numbers, etc, may not be that important to me. Then I read that he didn't even bother listening to the darn thing. That is what really bugs me. If something measures so poorly, wouldn't you want to correlate the measurements with what you hear? Do people still buy gear on measurements alone? I learned that can be a big mistake. I just don't get it, never have. Can anybody provide some insight to why some people are stuck on audio measurements? Help me package that so I can at least understand what they are thinking without dismissing them completely as a bunch of mislead sheep. 

128x128russ69
adameos
66 posts
 

Amir is a good resource as an alternative viewpoint. His ‘truth’ is a series of measurements, that can tell a lot about how some components will perform. But he does miss some of the picture no doubt. A couple of his component reviews are way off the mark. Maybe a faulty product? Or his measuring system at fault? Who knows? Take Audio Science Review for entertainment value, and some worthwhile information.

russ69's avatar
russ69 OP
3,360 posts
 

IMO a well designed amplifier should both measure well and sound good.

But what if it doesn't? If it sounds good but the measurements are not great, what is wrong? What we hear or what we measure?

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,755 posts
 

russ69,

I'm sure that you've heard it many times before. If it sounds good and measures bad, we must be measuring the wrong things.

jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

@russ69

Thanks for posting. This thread was designed to help me understand people that rely on measurements above what they hear.

i remember replying to a similar thread a while back asking this question...

my answer was 3 fold

1. some folks do not trust their ears to tell them which is 'better'

2. some folks with scientific training believe (mistakenly in my view) that measurements tell all that one needs to know

3. some combo of 1 and 2

deludedaudiophile
493 posts
 

If it sounds good and measures bad, we must be measuring the wrong things.

We also used to think the sun was the center of the universe.

Why is it so hard to accept people like different things and even what they like changes? If you have become accustomed to a certain sound, that is what you may prefer even if it does not measure well. Someone else may have become accustomed to and like a different sound that measures well.

 

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