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

alexatpos

But, dont patronise me by telling me that is all product of my vivid imagination.

*could be wrong.*   Because you are human.

Well, how do we broach possible differences when one side can't imagine they could be wrong about something?    It's basically being faced with dogma, which doesn't help anything.  

Again...think of where we'd be if people made the same objections you are making for scientific research.  Science has at it's core attempts to control for human bias - from it's experimental methods all the way up to vetting of the results by other parties (often even they are experimentally blinded to reduce known biases).   It would be ridiculous for scientists and their subjects to reject any controls for bias "because that would be INSULTING and indicate a patronizing lack of trust."   And yet...somehow you think this is the right attitude applied to audio equipment. 

On the other hand, here is another food for your thought. Event if it is (only imagination), I find it pretty consistent...hard to believe, isnt it?

Not at all.  If it's a bias effect:  Biases can be consistent or inconsistent.   People are like that. 

BTW, you wrote to Amir:

I have never met anybody who wants to spend more money on something that sounds worse.

And you probably haven't met any audiophile who wants to spend more money on something that sounds NO DIFFERENT than what he/she has, right?  (Unless we are talking just aesthetics/ergonomics or whatever).

This is where folks like Amir and sites like ASR become so valuable.  You can learn about what equipment is LIKELY to make no sonic difference, and see actual rigorous evaluations of gear in support of these ideas.   You get "here is the explanation for why an expensive USB cable is unlikely to alter the signal audibly" and then "let's do a test of this with an expensive USB cable" and the results support the argument being made - the results are predictable on the technical arguments made by Amir and others.

Tons of audiophiles have been very thankful to Amir for saving them money - this is helping them direct their money away from things that are unlikely to make a difference, to gear that IS likely to make an audible difference. 

Neither you nor anyone else needs to make the same decisions or pay attention to Amir's tests and technical explanations.  But can you see why many audiophiles appreciate his efforts?

@tsacremento 

From reading through many test results on the ASR website, it appears to me that achieving ultra-low SINAD performance is almost trivial for good line-level electronics, but not so much for power amps. Am I not interpreting the test results correctly, or is this true? If true, is this issue due to the amount of gain required?

As a general rule, it is easier to achieve great performance where heat, and large amount of current and voltage is not involved.  Fortunately, amplifiers are finally catching up.  High-performance class D and a few class AB amplifiers have come very close to performance of state of the art DACs and achieved assured transparency.   Look at the vanishingly low distortion in this new Hypex amplifier:

And that is at 5 watts.  Increase the power output and SNR shoots way up with it:

There is a premium for this level of performance but nothing remotely like what high-end companies charge for far lower performance.

@prof I think we may have very different view on how science works, If something cant be 'scientifically' proven and yet, 'existst' (at least by testimonials of so many) than perhaps 'the scinece' (or better the people who claim that they are 'scientists') should try to find new methods or tools to examine those 'events'.

And, yet, 'your camp' (as A.would say) chooses the easy road by calling those claims as non existant. Imagine if you go to see the doctor about some pain you are experiencing and that he sends (even ig he did some tests) you home and tells you that that is only your imagination. Would you have trust in such 'scienece'?

By the way, the Asr did not invent nothing new. Long before them, there were many people who claimed that wires in general are not important. Than, what about power cables? Even today there are lots of people who claim that is scientifically impossible that they can affect the sound. I belive them. Its just that they do not know. Somebody else obvioulsly does know how to do it. Me, no...but I can recognise what it does in my system...despite or because my very consistent bias

As for the 'audiophiles' who are following Asr...or even others who have different perspective...I would suggest to anyone to follow only his 'taste' and his opinion. It is always nice to hear different thoughts and experiences and sometimes we can use other people advices, but at the end we are making the hi fi system for ourselfs, by our own standars, references, conditions and possibilities.

Finally, it would never cross my mind to login on Asr forum and than try to 'explain' them how I think that they are wrong...unlike some of them do....but, than, it must be becuse 'science' is on their side? Where did I hear something like that before?

@cleeds 

More ad hominem, appeal to authority, and bandwagon fallacies  from a measurementalist. As for the "chasing ferries" remark - you’re getting more and more colorful. Perhaps science is not your calling.

I am not a scientist.  I follow science.  You disdain the profession.  What do you expect to be called? 

And I am not a measurementalist.  I am all about what I can prove, not what I can fantasize that can easily be disproven.  Measurements are repeatable and provide valuable insight.  Why else would you hate them?  You must feel the mist of audio science brushing against your face.

As I keep saying, and evidenced by numerous reviews, I perform far more listening tests than all of you do, combined.  But I do so in ways that are defensible, not catering to marketing claims of companies and acting like their PR agencies as you are.

Really, in just about every post I provide evidence.  Do you just believe in power of words to overcome facts?