Why HiFi Gear Measurements Are Misleading (yes ASR talking to you…)

@mastering92 

Would you consider having your test results/measurements verified by other industry experts? I don’t see a problem with that. If I were you, I would welcome 3rd party validation of my work. 

Consider it?  That is like asking a Chinese person if he would consider eating rice!  My measurements get verified by manufacturers every day of the week and twice on Sunday.  You think these companies just lay low and ignore what I am producing?  

Countless companies have asked for my Audio Precision project files and I happily provide it to them so that they can make the same measurements.  To the extent I have a relationship with a company, I even offer the measurements for them to verify prior to publication.  Here are some quick examples staring with a German company you should know: Neumann:

"EDIT: received an overlay of Neumman measurements and mine:

Here is Denon:

 

"I grabbed a preliminary set of measurements from the DAC section of the 3800H and ran it by the company. Within typical margin of error, the measurements were the same as company's own."

Here is American company RSL:

 

"I was contacting the company regarding another product so while I was at it, I asked them to review the frequency response measurements. They are generally in agreement with the results you are about to see."

We also have heavyweight reviewers and engineers with their own measurement gear verifying my work.  Here is Seymore who writes for AudioExpress: 

"If there’s anything in his data that you think he’s hiding, then request the AP project files. When I have, Amir has cheerfully provided them."

Seymore has also tested some of the same units I have with same results.  In this case the designer of a phono stage claimed my measurements were wrong so with permission of the owner, I sent the unit to SIY (Seymore):

"As you can see by comparison, our measurements correlate quite closely (though we use opposite numbering for our channels, which I'll blame on my Hebrew education, learning to write from right to left). So I can proceed without worrying about major inconsistencies."

It is also not hard to replicate my measurements after seeing them.  Such is the case with Professor "Wolf/L7" in China where he tests domestic products that I also happen to test.  Results are almost always in agreement.

I also helped another reviewer (Erin) who had gotten a Klippel NFS measurement system to get up to speed by sending him the very sample I had tested (JBL monitor).  

Really, there is nothing to hide here.  I put out these measurements with full expectation that they will be scrutinized both on ASR and by manufacturers and other testers.  If you have a third-party in mind to verify my results, I am happy to send them one of my tested samples for them to re-test.  You pick the place, make it worth their while to do the testing and I will do the rest.

I suggest reading ASR for a while and to better understand what we do as to not ask questions for which there are trivial answers.

@thespeakerdude  how would you know if say an amplifier is audibly transparent in a listening tests when listening through speakers or headphones when no headphones or speakers are transparent?

 

Take this from a different standpoint. If speakers and headphones are so lacking in transparency, how could you ever differentiate two amplifiers that are much more transparent than what they are connected to. Looking at it another way, two amplifiers must be significantly different such that they can be differentiated when connected to a typical loudspeaker.

 

That is like asking a Chinese person if he would consider eating rice!

If I were a Chinese, I would find this very insulting. And dare I say, racist. But I am not Chinese, but are you? If you are of Chinese descent, even if one of your one of your great great parents, you are absolutely excused 

 

@amir_asr please change the wording before time runs out.

I am very curious, what happened with your initial measurements of Vinnie Rossi linear power supply and his subsequent success later on with his power amps and highly priced integrated amps? He “fixed” it?

 

 

@invalid 

@thespeakerdude  how would you know if say an amplifier is audibly transparent in a listening tests when listening through speakers or headphones when no headphones or speakers are transparent?

Answering for him :), you look at measurements.  If frequency response is flat and independent of load, has distortion and noise below threshold of hearing, then you can very confidently declare is transparent.  This analysis assumes perfect speakers.  To the extent the speaker is not, then the job gets easier and hence the reason amps with noise and distortion above threshold of hearing are also declared as transparent.

If anyone challenges you saying they hear the difference on their speakers/headphones, then you can perform a level matched blind testing test.  if they can't prove any audible difference in such a test, then the case is closed with respect to their claims.