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

@fleschler

Genres: hip-hop, reggae, ska, punk, alternative rock, trash metal, industrial, 90s techno, progressive techno, dnb, narco corridos, cumbia

Are these music genres adequate to evaluate audio equipment?’

Maybe not so much on here, but certainly on a site that places such overwhelmingly heavy emphasis on measurements.

’I mentioned that jazz could be more appropriate (I didn’t mention classical music or classic rock and pop). I was scolded for mentioning it.’

Now come on, you can hardly be surprised by that, can you?

The folks over there see equipment as being merely a tool to playback recordings as accurately as possible.

The genre of the music would be of secondary importance to them.

A bit like a racing car designer who wants to build the best car he can regardless of the circuits (eg Monte Carlo or Hockenheim) that it will be racing on.

For me personally I would always use some classical music because that’s the best for determining accurate instrument tonality and I would always use pop because that’s what I listen to most.

My approach is not necessarily any better, but merely an attempt to shove the inevitable compromises of any audio equipment into an area where they would bother me the least.

With the ASR approach you are far more likely to get a system for all seasons.

Just so the government doesn’t dictate what we can buy and listen to, I can accept that some rely on measurement to select audio equipment and have their own taste in music. Now, to eject someone for preferring to select equipment through a listening regime seems a bit over the top, but there are many other online communities that don’t censor content.  Ok..there are still some websites that don't shape content.

CD318

Then you might enjoy this one

HAEVN - City Lights

LVNDSCAPE REMIX

@td_dayton 

+1 for: "yes. the music you like to listen to is the music you should "use" to evaluate equipment."

@td_dayton I agree. If that’s what makes the listener happy, only use his music preferences in choosing equipment.

The caveat is that the equipment may only be good for reproducing that music genre and not all others at their best.

Chinese equipment often has excellent design parameters but lacks in execution (I’m talking cheaper audio equipment, not high end). Use of cheaper parts is often used in Chinese CD players I’ve opened up. Sometimes they can be upgraded to higher quality sound just replacing power and filter caps and regulators.  US made Benchmark and Chinese Emotiva for instance uses 50¢ computer grade regulators in their DACs. Replacing them with $30-$50 audio regulators makes a world of difference.