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

Anyone listening to music, or is measuring your gear your thing?  How many of these insane threads waste time that could be spent productively.. bye

I guess I've just been diagnosed as insane ;-)

Your conclusion, not mine 🙂

And that phrase was from the deleted original thread. I cannot forget that - because it reflected arrogance. He also mentioned that he was the head of some department in Microsoft. And I read it on other threads as well, which seems to be his "go to" line when someone does not agree with him. So what?! Does not mean he understands everything.

How much do you expect to gain from that?

You did not discuss about my point on how the sound travels through our ears canals, to the cochlea and finally to the brain which analyzes it - which we define as music or sound. Now if you could explain that process and how it is similar in all human beings - we all will stand to gain a lot. Please go ahead with your explanation - I am all ears.

You did not discuss about my point on how the sound travels through our ears canals, to the cochlea and finally to the brain which analyzes it - which we define as music or sound. Now if you could explain that process and how it is similar in all human beings - we all will stand to gain a lot. Please go ahead with your explanation - I am all ears.

You could take a hundred people and probably throw some dogs.cats, a few bats and an elephant, and maybe even a cobra in. And no matter their ear structure they would be listening to the same thing, and those that can communicate would know it as the same song.
Even the cobra knows the Indian flute, and does not come out of the basket to the sound heavy metal or dub step.

One pretty much can use a microphone to evaluate the sound pressure field, much the same way that they are used to get the sounds onto the LP or CD in the first place.

You did not discuss about my point on how the sound travels through our ears canals, to the cochlea and finally to the brain which analyzes it - which we define as music or sound. Now if you could explain that process and how it is similar in all human beings - we all will stand to gain a lot. Please go ahead with your explanation - I am all ears.

 

I didn't address it, because, while a fine question, it was a red herring in regard to criticisms of ASR.

You don't have to know, for instance, exactly how every INDIVIDUAL hears everything to know, through experiment, general truths about what humans can hear!   Just like we know that while sight varies among humans, no one is seeing X-rays!

So when Amir is for instance appealing to measurements to say that the signal difference between component A or B will be inaudible, he's typically basing this on what is known about the human hearing range in terms of db thresholds, dynamics, masking effects, etc.  Could any of his diagnosis be wrong?  Sure it's possible.  But given Amir is familiar with the relevant research (and can cite it), you better bring something more than "No It's Not" or "Science Hasn't Explained Everything" or "But I Can Hear It, I Know I Can!"  Appeal to the unknown is not an argument.

Further, Amir will also refer to the tons of research done by, and cited by, professionals like Floyde Toole, Sean Olive and others, which arrived at very strong predictive theories for what people will perceive as "better" or "worse" sounding, once confounding variables like sighted bias were removed.   So the fact people don't hear everything exactly alike does not entail strong trends or patterns aren't there to be found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post removed