What are we objectivists missing?


I have been following (with much amusement) various threads about cables and tweaks where some claim "game changing improvements" and other claim "no difference".  My take is that if you can hear a difference, there must be some difference.  If a device or cable or whatever measures exactly the same it should sound exactly the same.  So what are your opinions on what those differences might be and what are we NOT measuring that would define those differences?

jtucker

Audio subjectivists are the furthest thing from being religious, we disagree on so much. While we may believe in our systems and/or choice of equipment, we allow other's those same prerrogatives. If this religion, sure is one incoherent belief system.

On the other hand, the objectivist insists on conformation to some set of specs. Rather biblical like, with those running the tests conflated as gurus or Gods imparting their commandments unto the unwashed.

First of all, we are not listening to a cable, we are listening to a system, our system, which most people here know the sound of intimately.

Here's a test:  How about you record your system playing real music at say 1 meter using "perfect" microphones direct into a "perfect" ADC. Switch cables and repeat. This is a thought experiment so I can say "perfect".

Compare the two digital files to see if there are any differences. Possibly incorporate AI "deep learning" to discover over time what that difference sounds like.

Just sayin'.

Regards,

barts 

A prime example of this matter is tube amps vs solid state ones or what some called glass vs sand amps. Compare a good tube amp’s specs, distortion, damping factor,  actual power out put, square wave accuracy etc. vs. most class D amps, all receivers, & most moderately priced solid state amps. On paper the tube amp might seem to be much less accurate & less faithful to the music. In reality, the reverse is more likely true. 
 

if this doesn’t show in the measurements, perhaps not all the right things were measured & I’ll bet we don’t really know exactly what they all are. Our brain & senses are very complex & amazing things w/ almost an infinite level of potential detail. 

Playing golf recently I won a ball for longest drive, it caused great debate, was it red or orange? About 50% of other golfers round the table said each colour, you cannot tell someone what they see and you cannot tell someone what they hear.

If a device or cable or whatever measures exactly the same it should sound exactly the same. So what are your opinions on what those differences might be and what are we NOT measuring that would define those differences?

Dark Matter, Dark Energy & the Higgs Boson (God Particle) and its interaction with said cable or tweak? Since it makes up 96% of the universe and we know literally nothing about it except its presence, it very well may be the missing factor. But the pride of man probably won’t allow it to be considered due to its ramifications