I applauded the day one of the forums I frequent -- Audiostyle.com -- created an "ObjectiveFi" section for objective zealots.
I have no problem with electrical engineering and physics discussions. I have no problem with discussions about why capacitor “A” might be objectively better than “C”. What I do have a problem with are measurement zealots – i.e., component “C” must be better than “G” because its noise measurements are better, or it contains "X", or it doesn’t contain "A" etc.
This forum among all the others I began frequenting decades ago, formerly had very few postings about snake oil, double blind testing, confirmational bias etc., as if those terms and the term buyer beware, weren’t already known and understood. And if the premise of caveat emptor wasn’t learned in one’s teens before discretionary income was sufficient to buy a CD, let alone the type of hardware being discussed in this forum, using an audio forum for that sort of post and education is too little, too late!
Thus, the goal of far too many objectivist posters, seems to be the need to save equipment buyers from themselves. The purpose of their posts is to cite how correct they are, because their measurements say they are. Perhaps they want to quantify their choice or purchase. They seem to get the adrenalin rush of an activist naysayer and debunker, by deriding equipment manufacturers and owners, based on the measurements that seem to prove how bad their equipment is, or how bad their buying decisions are. Great, if that’s the objectivist’s thing, buy a Topping DAC and have fun listening to its measurements.
My experience in my audio room is strictly a subjective, emotional one. Equipment measurements have been available forever, from when Hi-Fi was basically a DIY hobby. While I may have glanced at measurements, especially at input and output values, I have never chosen a product based upon anything but listening to it! Duh, that’s what I do with it.
I don’t give a damn how a component measures. I make equipment buying decisions solely for my enjoyment not someone else’s! So, I could care less whether the item I choose is floating in snake oil, its distortion measurements suck, cables can’t make a difference, or someone’s measurements prove that I can’t be hearing what I am. I buy equipment based on my sonic preferences; more importantly however, I almost exclusively come here to read posts from others regarding their personal sonic preferences and experiences.
There is no audio heaven road map, no reliable equipment choosing matrix based on objective measurements, nor should there be. If that day comes, we will all be listening to the same hardware.