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What covid research can teach us about audio measurements.

Recent studies in Canada for patients with so-called long covid show us on how science and measurements and research actually works.

Patients with long covid suffering from limited ability to exercise passed most "normal" tests but it took a new type of test to positively identify a mechanism that explained why the patients suffered.

 

Honestly there is a lot of snake oil and charlatanism in our hobby, and I don't claim to discount that fact.  What I do want to say is that science doesn't rest with 50 year old measurements.  It evolves to measure and explain constantly. 

The reason I am personally dissatisfied with audio measurements in the common literature is exactly because of this stagnation, and when these fail us we trust our ears and gut for lack of better tools. 

Anyone who runs the same 20 measurements on an amplifier or DAC and claims it is science and that these measurements are all that can be known is fooling themselves into believing that they are scientists or that we have reached the limits of understanding.

And above all, caveat emptor!

erik_squires
Post removed 
larryi
3,981 posts
 

There have been a few attempts at finding new measurements that better reflect what people hear.  For example "transient intermodulation distortion" (TIM) or "slew-induced distortion" (SID) have been put out there to measure distortion caused by an amplifier's inability to respond quickly enough to abrupt changes in the signal level.  This is a particularly interesting measurement because, in an attempt to reduce more conventional measurements of distortion, such as harmonic distortion, amp manufacturers may employ a lot of feed back.  Feedback adversely affects TIM/SID measurement.  I tend to not like amps that employ a lot of feedback so, perhaps, this less common measurement might have some meaning.  

 

shtinkydog
681 posts
 

.....and poooooooooooooof.  say goodbye to this thread.  😲

 

hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,974 posts
 

@larryi  Thanks for bringing up those measurement metric. I had not heard about them. 

(Clearly, a thread does not need to go "poof" just because someone gets triggered and someone else wags their finger.  Posters who get back on topic can pull the boat back over and get the keel straight again.)

johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 

Why do those who dismiss measurements in audio not realize that even gear designed without measurements is made up of parts that must be measured and must meet spec? Your hand-built loudspeakers are made of carefully designed and measured parts as are your amps and all things audio. You may not think that measurements matter but they sure as hell do when anything is constructed. Even the plywood and fasteners must meet well-measured specs. 

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