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


About 25 years ago I was inside a large room with an A-frame ceiling and large skylights, during the Perseid Meteor Shower that happens every August. This one time was like no other, for two reasons: 1) There were large, red, fragmenting streaks multiple times a minute with illuminated smoke trails, and 2) I could hear them.

Yes, each meteor produced a sizzling sound, like the sound of a frying pan.

Amazed, I Googled this phenomena and found that many people reported hearing this same sizzling sound associated with meteors streaking across the sky. In response, scientists and astrophysicists said it was all in our heads. That, it was totally impossible. Why? Because of the distance between the meteor and the observer. Physics does not allow sound to travel fast enough to hear the sound at the same time that the meteor streaks across the sky. Case closed.

ASR would have agreed with this sound reasoning based in elementary science.

Fast forward a few decades. The scientists were wrong. Turns out, the sound was caused by radiation emitted by the meteors, traveling at the speed of light, and interacting with metallic objects near the observer, even if the observer is indoors. Producing a sizzling sound. This was actually recorded audibly by researchers along with the recording of the radiation. You can look this up easily and listen to the recordings.

Takeaway - trust your senses! Science doesn’t always measure the right things, in the right ways, to fully explain what we are sensing. Therefore your sensory input comes first. You can try to figure out the science later.

I’m not trying to start an argument or make people upset. Just sharing an experience that reinforces my personal way of thinking. Others of course are free to trust the science over their senses. I know this bothers some but I really couldn’t be bothered by that. The folks at ASR are smart people too.

nyev

I asked you questions. Does not prove I read your posts. No?

Full disclosure: I noticed you replied to me

Post removed 

@prof : you bid me farewell a long time ago. What happened? It hurts?

 

 

prof

3,281 posts

 

You are clearly not here for a meaningful or serious exchange.  So long...

@prof : I am giving you points. Many points. A chance to redeem yourself with Master Amir. You are welcome!

@thyname 

@amir_asr great and dandy but why anyone would pay thousands of dollars for a Mola Mola DAC if a $50 CCP DAC can measure just as good within humans’ audible thresholds of hearing? Aesthetics?

Explain this to me.

Many reasons, independent of sound.  They like the support, warranty, good looks, resale value, pride of ownership, features, etc.  I replaced my $6000 Mark Levinson DAC with a Topping.  Even though the topping is more capable (supports more formats) and has better objective fidelity, I miss the old DAC with its big and beautiful display and enclosure.

It is for the same reason I own a Reel to Reel tape deck.  It is not because it has better fidelity or cheap (tapes cost hundreds of dollars!).  But because I love looking at its reels and looks.

Net, net, there is nothing wrong in buying high-end gear that costs a lot of money.  Just make sure it doesn't sacrifice fidelity to get there.  When they do, like the Chord owner before, they will buy the much cheaper and more performant electronics and happy for it.

BTW, there is no $50 DAC that competes with Mola Mola.  The highest SINAD ranking DAC in my testing costs US $900.  Go ahead and tell me this is for out of work kids with no money.  'cause it sure as heck is not in my book.

But yes, a $9 dongle from Apple often outperorms multi-thousand dollar DACs from high-end companies.  Shame on them for shortchanging people for performance while they could have done far, far better.  Only if they properly tested their ideas of low noise, distortion, etc. before releasing the boxes to you all.