Audio Science Review = "The better the measurement, the better the sound" philosophy

ASR claims that all amps with the same frequency  response and output level matched and that  are load invariant will sound the same.

There probably is a degree of truth in that but  it ignores things like harmonic distortion types ,skew rate and resolution of stereo information.

I find this fascinating. It seems folks want a universal evaluation system that ranks audio equipment on an irrefutable, absolute scale. Hint - it ain’t never gonna happen!

ASR performs testing and reports results of common parameters such as noise and distortion, frequency response, dynamic range, jitter, S/N ratio, and other comparisons using their own test equipment. This is simply objective information. In some cases, their test results do not align with manufacturer’s claims. Again, simply information.

The issues here seem to be that Amir’s subjective opinions about the gear tested often do not align with the opinions of many here. In addition, the mental route Amir takes to reach his subjective conclusions does not align with many here who put a much greater emphasis on listening, while they believe Amir puts a greater emphasis on test results.

Big deal. Read the test results for what they are, and form your own opinions on the items tested based on your own listening. As some have pointed out, systems, rooms, and listener’s preferences are all different so it is no shocker that people come to different conclusions on what sounds good to them. It is Amir’s site, so he can state his opinion and how he arrives at it. Nobody (including Amir) is making anybody agree with Amir. If you disagree with Amir’s subjective opinions, the objective test results, and the pink panther, then why are you even reading the site? Or, is it a case where everybody who owns an audio system has to think alike? It really is ok to disagree, and the absence of consensus is more expected than surprising. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that universal evaluation system.

My preference for a reviewer is J. Gordon Holt.  The equipment he found to be musically pleasing is still musically pleasing.   I have noted that it was not Amir who wrote scathing opinions about my equipment and myself but the followers of Amir.

@mitch2 I agree.   Who knows if and when there will be test equipment for currently untestable aspects of sound?   For now, there are those parameters which can be and those which cannot be tested for.  Hence, listening (with various people having divergent preferences) is required to evaluate in a subjective manner the sound reproduction which is most pleasant to least pleasant.   

@djones51 ASR doesn't offer anything of value to us audiophiles. I've been there, done that, I've bought a 250$ DAC with pristine measurements thinking it would be all I'll ever need. I'm poor, you see, so it's easy to fall for ASR 's claims. "Yaaay I got a great deal and you guys are all morons"

Unfortunately, those claims are utter BS in the real world for anyone who has EARS and actually LISTENS to their equipment. So, I'd rather see ASR as a disservice to the audiophile community, on top of being full with obnoxious (let's call a cat a cat) members.

@djones51 I will add, regarding the subject of cables (and other "accessories") that constantly placing those in the "snake oil" and "ripoffs" section is also a huge disservice to newbies or to those who try to keep the costs manageable. Like I said earlier, I'm poor, and I try to buy the best components I can afford (based on SUBJECTIVE reviews and actual experience from owners, not based on measurements) then I try to extract the best from them. I have drawers full of cables, great value cables, and it's true I've got some kind of a fetish for those. 

I can easily describe the sound character of each one of them, and I could easily - if that's what I wanted - change the tonality / PRAT / global presentation of the system just by changing the cable loom. And it's still much cheaper than changing the components. 

I also love "fancy fuses" and isolation footers.

Let's take my last component purchase: Audiolab 6000CDT transport. A great component at very much entry level price. Adding a good power cord (the best you can afford), a 30$ fuse, trying various decoupling footers, and putting some weight on top (I use heavy stainless steel and rubber door stoppers, 8$ each) elevates this entry level transport into something that performs MUCH better. According to Amir and its followers, what I did with that transport is all BS and snake oil, and the sad part is, some guy who reads that might just take the easy way and believe everything he reads there, and on the long run will end up being disappointed (if he actually listens, that is) with his purchase... while it would be so easy and cost effective to take it to the next level (or three levels up!) 

Constantly reducing Audio to a specs sheet or measurement graphs is not only very limited, it is also depriving people of a lot of fun and personal experimentations that would let them enjoy their system a great deal more.