Did Amir Change Your Mind About Anything?

"I wasn’t directing my post to Amir’s proxy by the way. "

That’s the sort of thing that makes each forum’s members feel unwelcome at the other site, isn’t it? This is a forum, not a one-on-one chat.

"if you observe how blindly the minions follow their master and read Amir’s posts on this thread, you will realize that this limited minded group of people for whom using their own head for anything other than eating is too much of a burden, need the Amirs of this world with their oscilloscopes to guide them in their decision making process.

Judging by his responses here, I may have given him too much credit in my original post on this thread. "

And that is the same on steroids.  Congratulations on a pile of useless invective.

"@amir_asr Amir…how about incorporating listening tests and publishing those results along with the measurements. As most reviewers do, list your reference system so that your subscribers can see in what context a component was reviewed and how it performed using your ears as a measurement tool. Don’t use a $99 dac to test a $1700 usb cable. "

As I mentioned, I perform huge number of listening tests in my reviews.  So much so that it dwarfs what other reviewers do.  Just look at my reviews for headphones, speakers, headphone amps, etc.  Here is the latest example of the former:  

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/monoprice-m1570c-headphone-review.45837/

I do these because differences are large so we are not asking if something makes a difference at all.  I suspect that is where you are going with the rest of your comment.

In that class of device, it is critical to perform controlled, blind tests as otherwise results are dominated by improper testing, bias, etc.  To be sure, I also do such listening tests from time to time but I put no value on them, and neither should you.  Here is an example, the iconoclast cable review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/belden-iconoclast-xlr-cable-review.33929/

"Iconoclast CLR Cable Listening Tests
I used two setups for listening tests: headphone and main 2-channel system:

Headphone Listening: source was a computer as the streamer using Roon player to RME ADI-2 Pro ($2K) acting as a DAC & headphone amplifier, driving my Dan Clark Stealth headphone ($4K). I started listening with Iconoclast cable. Everything sounded the same as I was used to. I then switched to WBC cable. Immediately I "heard" more air, more detail and better fidelity. This faded in a few seconds though and the sound was just as it was with the Iconoclast.

For my main system, I used a Topping D90SE driving the Topping LA90 which in turn drove my Revel Salon 2 speakers. I picked tracks with superb spatial qualities to judge the usual "soundstage." I again started with Iconoclast XLR TPC cable. I was once again blown away how good my system sounds. I don't get to enjoy it often enough given how much time I spend working at my desk. Anyway, after a while I switched to WBC cable. Once again, immediate reaction was that the sound was more open, bass was a bit more tight, etc. This too passed after a few seconds and everything sounded the same again."

As you see, the rest of the system was specified and it was anything but a "$99 DAC."  The DAC costs $2,000.  My Revel Salon 2 speakers retail for $23,000 a pair.  And as noted, my headphones along cost $4,000.

I put all that info in there to impress folks like you, not that they matter much.  :) If they did, then the manufacturer should have put in as precondition of purchase. Which they never do.  Plenty of people buy these things and hook them up to modest systems and claim improvements.  Don't see anyone telling them their system is too cheap for the difference they heard to be real.  The argument is only used when results don't show a difference.

By the way, above review also included proper null tests in addition to measurements.  That testing showed beyond any doubt, with real music, that there is no difference due to this cable:

A review doesn't get more comprehensive than this.

No doubt Amir and ASR have done some great work in shedding more light at the science of testing audio equipment but they are not the only ones.

Archimago’s Musings is an interesting site to dip into now and again. Detailed analysis on varied interesting audio topics can regularly be found there.

Then there’s Erin, at Erin’s Audio Corner YouTube channel. Like Amir he also employs a Klippel Near Field Scanner to provide data to back up his reviews. Erin is also not one to hold back from any criticisms if and when he discovers possible issues.

Audioholics website is yet another example of where the science of audio testing is being increasingly pushed to the forefront.

Amir has certainly changed my outlook in the same way that the likes of Peter Aczel and Alan Shaw did before him.

Of course, for entertainment purposes I will still read non science based reviews in future, but only as works of pure fiction or clever marketing.

"YouTubers need to differentiate themselves from the crowd of competing YouTubers. (The cost of entry is so low, that anyone can become a YouTube influencer!) The smart ones, such as Amir, find a "hook" and then cultivate the audience that follows it."

Your argument doesn't hold water about me because I am not a typical youtuber.  Despite having 40,000 subscribes and qualifying long time ago for monetization, I don't do such. There are no ads, no sponsorships, no patreon requirement to see, no nothing. Neither do I beg for "likes and subscriptions" as youtubers do.  So please don't put me in that bucket. 

I create youtube videos when explaining the same thing in text requires writing a book.  I also highlight a product review here and there when it is notable.  These are the things that differentiate me from other youtubers.

"Amir argues:That premise allows him to be the savior. It’s the, "Only I can fix it" canard."

You keep creating these talking points while missing core points I have made.  That this is a community effort. My voice would be completely lost on the Internet if people didn't see value in my work and didn't talk about it.  And continue to support the activity by sending me huge volume of audio gear to test. 

I am motivated by curiosity of how something performs much more than thinking I can solve the audio problem at large.  Yes, that change is coming slowly and very heartwarming to see.  More and more companies are investing in proper measurement gear to test their design. That way, the first time they see an issue, it wont be in my testing.  They also see value in a very large group of audiophiles who now value measurements as a purchase criteria.  This is what keeps me going.

@ahofer My question was directed to Amir. And I appreciate his post answering my questions. But I don’t remember asking you a thing.