Totally Ridiculous....Auditions on YouTube!

@the-audiophile-barista

I recently posted a video comparing two loudspeakers. The difference is very clearly audible. If you can’t hear the difference on that video, its not because of YouTube.
So yes, you can hear differences on YouTube.

Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Even on my smartphone speakers I can hear a clear difference between the Piega and the KEF. Using headphones only made it more obvious.

For better or worse the latter seems to have an elevated treble response.

That is an excellent video and I’d hope that everyone here can hear the difference between these 2 speakers.

I wish you the best of luck with your channel.

Good ol jerry...always the classless act.

Just too many variables to draw any real world conclusions. Microphones sound different at various price points and the preamps they are plugged into are just as important. And you have to wonder does the YouTuber even know how to properly operate the equipment.  Were the speakers volume matched? How loud are they really playing them. Some speakers can sound great at 80 dB but be dreadful at 90 dB or vice versa. 

Given YouTube's bit rates and compression schemes, this is like comparing speakers or electronics while listening over an AM radio. Sure you might hear a difference but how do you know that the clearer, more resolving speaker or amp might be crazy bright in your own living space? 

Even those that make available FLAC or wav downloads can't be trusted to account for all the variables involved.  

Would you choose a wife based on how she looked on YouTube? I hope not. 

"Would you choose a wife based on how she looked on YouTube? I hope not."

It would depend upon the quality of the video...

I chose my wife based upon how she looked/acted/sounded in a grocery store with  bright off-putting lighting and poor acoustics (this was 33 years ago and I made the right choice/decision).

DeKay

Yup.  Totally ridiculous.

But many of these guys have already said they can hear stuff that doesn't exist.

"In such cases you might want to run down to your local dealer and check it out for real."  @jakleiss You're the cognitive psychologist, but don't you think you have the same problem?  Are the differences we perceived actual differences?