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Audio Science Review = Rebuttal and Further Thoughts

@crymeanaudioriver @amir_asr You are sitting there worrying if this or that other useless tweak like a cable makes a sonic difference.

I don’t worry about my equipment unless it fails. I never worry about tweaks or cables. The last time I had to choose a cable was after I purchased my first DAC and transport in 2019.  I auditioned six and chose one, the Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria. Why would someone with as fulfilling a life as me worry about cables or tweaks and it is in YOUR mind that they are USELESS.

@prof "would it be safe to say you are not an electrical designer or electrical engineer? If so, under what authority do you make the following comment" - concerning creating a high end DAC out of a mediocre DAC.

Well, I have such a DAC, built by a manufacturer of equipment and cables for his and my use. It beat out a $9,000 COS Engineering D1v and $5,000 D2v by a longshot. It is comparable to an $23,000 Meridian Ultradac. Because I tried all the latter three in comparison I say this with some authority, the authority of a recording engineer (me), a manufacturer (friend) and many audiophiles who have heard the same and came to the same conclusion.

Another DAC with excellent design engineer and inferior execution is the Emotiva XDA-2. No new audio board but 7! audiophile quality regulators instead of the computer grade junk inside, similar high end power and filter caps, resistors, etc. to make this into a high end DAC on the very cheap ($400 new plus about the same in added parts).

@russ69 We must be neighbors. I frequented Woodland Hills Audio Center back in the 70s and 80s. I heard several of Arnie’s speakers including a the large Infinity speakers in a home.

fleschler
cd318
2,636 posts
 

Blind tests are a hassle, and there’s nothing remotely sexy about them.

The ones I’ve done involved switching between different masterings and bitrates as well as CD v Minidisc v MP3 player have demonstrated just how similar they all were.

My Sony MP3 was indistinguishable from my Marantz CD player.

A shocking discovery!

One that I had to repeat a few times as I could not accept the evidence of my own ears at first. It didn’t make sense then and I’m not sure it makes much sense now.

My mind keeps insisting that the Marantz CD6000ki must outperform a sub £100 Sony MP3 player.

It really should.

But it doesn’t.

Talking of CD, at the last show I went to, a fortnight ago, it was nearly all steaming and vinyl, hardly a CD player in sight.

How times change.

It would now appear that manufacturers and designers no longer see it necessary to use a compact disc player when they want to demonstrate loudspeakers and amplifiers at their best these days.

It takes some getting used to how things change, especially when you recall all of those endless sound quality comparisons between CD players during the 1990s up til around 2010.

Now it would appear as if all of those differences were largely in our imaginations and have now become as irrelevant as the use of leeches has in healing the sick.

prof
3,474 posts
 

Well cd318, you've just proven either your system or your ears aren't "resolving" enough.

;-)

 

 

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 
prof

3,127 posts

 

 

What timing.  Sure enough, after writing the above, I'm going through just this same debate on ASR once again, where someone there has declared subjective impressions as meaningless and useless.  

Because you are making baseless unsubstantiated claims! 😁😀

You should add the following disclaimer after each post and you should be fine: "every opinion expressed herein is  based on unproven unscientific listening sessions and should not be construed as claim on sound quality of any and all components. For information purposes only"

 

prof
3,474 posts
 

thyname, I take it from the smilies your post is parody.

 

For information purposes only"

It would be rejected by these same folks as "non-informative."

It got to the point I had to add this on to my signature on ASR:

Of course...it could always be my imagination.

However, the points I am raising in that thread about the usefulness of subjective description isn’t baseless, it’s essentially irrefutable (because from the proposition they claim, they can’t explain how my work in sound post production gets done, or offer any practical alternative). Which is why you see people ignore it and go ad hominem instead of addressing the point.

 

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 

Well @prof I am sorry. You are wrong 😆. You have said it yourself: if you share any listening experience that is not backed by either measurements or double blind ABX tests certified by a panel of independent third party individuals (preferably both). you are simply making baseless claims. Such obnoxious behavior will not be tolerated 😉

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