Totally Ridiculous....Auditions on YouTube!


Is it just me, or is it total nonsense when YouTubers play music to suggest you can hear a difference between components. Totally drives me crazy and I discount anything they have to offer from that point on......

rbertalotto

Always been a pet peeve of mine regarding high end audio. Lots of discussion about hearing a “difference”. Many thousands are spent to hear a difference without regard to whether the “difference” is also an improvement. 
 

Changing the sound of a system is easy. Improving it isn’t. Mostly because it’s an eye-of-the-beholder kind of thing. No other pair of ears can make that determination but you. Add In confirmation bias and the challenge grows from there. 

The first sentence is the key point, but the second is false. 

If you can decern a difference between two highly regarded pieces of HiFi equipment, after being recorded by even an extreme high end microphone into some type of recorded medium, through the internet, through routers, and ultimately played back through more routers and audio equipment.......Then something is really wrong with one or both of the devices being auditioned.....We have a hard time decerning "differences" of better HiFi equipment when we are in the same room with them!.....Yes, we can easily decern over the internet, the cry of a lion to that of an elephant......But Higher End HiFi gear....PLEASE!!!

I’m sure there are discernible differences between speakers, amps etc. in these YouTube videos. How could this possibly translate into useful information when heard through a phone or laptop speaker? 

It sounds ridiculous but it might give you some insight about whether you might want audition something in person. That’s probably the only way I think it might be useful. I certainly wouldn’t buy something or pass judgement based on that alone. Otherwise I think it’s just people who like to post YouTube videos.

Yes, we can easily decern over the internet, the cry of a lion to that of an elephant......But Higher End HiFi gear....PLEASE!!!

@rbertalotto

I have provided links to a graphic demonstration of (well-recorded) sound emanating from high-class, field-coil drivers. Feel free to provide a link to a video that demonstrates a speaker that employs a (typical) permanent magnet, and then tell me that you cannot discern a difference.

I do certainly agree that Youtube videos have serious limitations, but some useful information can be discerned from well-recorded videos.