Did Amir Change Your Mind About Anything?


It’s easy to make snide remarks like “yes- I do the opposite of what he says.”  And in some respects I agree, but if you do that, this is just going to be taken down. So I’m asking a serious question. Has ASR actually changed your opinion on anything?  For me, I would say 2 things. I am a conservatory-trained musician and I do trust my ears. But ASR has reminded me to double check my opinions on a piece of gear to make sure I’m not imagining improvements. Not to get into double blind testing, but just to keep in mind that the brain can be fooled and make doubly sure that I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing. The second is power conditioning. I went from an expensive box back to my wiremold and I really don’t think I can hear a difference. I think that now that I understand the engineering behind AC use in an audio component, I am not convinced that power conditioning affects the component output. I think. 
So please resist the urge to pile on. I think this could be a worthwhile discussion if that’s possible anymore. I hope it is. 

chayro
Post removed 

@nicsadler  I have no issue with ASR as a whole and it’s message or what the goal is. I think it’s debunked lots of myths in audio and am thankful for it. However Amir’s responses to these questions and how he cherry picks what to respond to leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. That is bias by the very definition of it.

The way I see it is there are three points in this triangle. The ASR folks, who want to be science drive and asses everything as robot in an anechoic chamber. The Audiogon people who listen with their hearts and maybe eyes sometimes. Then there is Gearspace.com of people who are in the professional world and do this for a living. I’ve run many systems in my home space that are meant for professional use in some instances and even the "pros" want different things with non flat responses or the flattest speakers in the world don’t translate mids. There is nuance to everything and I realize the above buckets are over generalizations.

Amir can say what he wants. I have no issue with any of it. I have no issue with him selling speakers he reps on his website. What I do have issue with is him saying its a totally free space and attacking other reviewers on his website because it doesnt match his strict view of science, or he feels they are monetizing like Erin. He goes on to claim he doesnt need the money, and doesnt make money from the site despite the fact that I guarantee that is in no way true. He accepts donations.

If you’re gonna base your credibility on hard facts, don’t contradict yourself and then not answer to it. With the cherry on top being he acts like a jerk much of the time.

True heroes admit they could be wrong, and are open to interpretation. IMO. I haven’t one time throughout this entire conversation say hey there is validity to what someone is saying. It’s: "Nope you’re wrong!" That is ridiculous.

P.S. Libel always is the last point people go to. This is an online forum. Not a court of law. Better call in Clarence Thomas.

i believe you ON YOUR WORDS that perhaps this physicist is not knowable in high end audio...

HAVE YOU NOT OBSERVED THAT I CITED ANOTHER PHYSICIST WHO WORK IN HIGH END AUDIO ?

 

answer him... AND IT IS NOT ABOUT CABLES PROTOCOLS HERE  I am not interest to listen a cable protocols debunking by you ...I am sure you are good at it.... This does not means that your claims about hearing and gear measurements are right...

I am interested in fundamentals about human hearing, and this fundamentals demolish your claim to equate measurements of gear and qualitative hearing perception...

Did you not watch the video I provided where I go through every one of his tests and demonstrate why they are all completely wrong? Here it is again:s cientific Proof of Measurable Difference in Audio Cables? Paper Review https://youtu.be/a0p3D_Gv6IYI go on for 41 minutes breaking down every claim and test in his paper. Please don’t keep demanding that I answer you when I have already done so.

 

DEBUNK THIS ONE AMIR :

This physicist is Dr. Hans R.E. van Maanen, His hobbies are listening to music (mostly classical), developing high-end audio systems

«Although the Fourier theory has been well established since the second half of the 19th century,it is surprising that so little attention is given nowadays to the conditions, required to apply the linear theory. It has been applied unreluctantly to electronics and human hearing, even though neither fulfill either of these requirements. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the results are inconsistent with listening experiences. »

https://www.temporalcoherence.nl/cms/images/docs/FourierConditions.pdf

 

«The effects in time domain of non-linear behaviour in combination with memory effects could explain why e.g. amplifiers with similar properties regarding frequency response and distortion
levels, sound different. It is to be expected that ten (10) different designs will produce ten different responses to music signals and thus receive a different perceptual qualification.
»

This physicist seems to know better than Amir ... 😊

By the way he say the same thing that Oppenheim and Magnasco :

«Although it is outside the scope of this paper, it should be noted that human hearing is likely to be neither linear nor time-invariant,...»

https://www.temporalcoherence.nl/cms/images/docs/FourierConditions.pdf

 

 

 
 

 

 

"https://www.temporalcoherence.nl/cms/images/docs/FourierConditions.pdf

«The effects in time domain of non-linear behaviour in combination with memory effects could explain why e.g. amplifiers with similar properties regarding frequency response and distortion
levels, sound different. It is to be expected that ten (10) different designs will produce ten different responses to music signals and thus receive a different perceptual qualification.
»

This physicist seems to know better than Amir ... 😊"

I read through it.  There is little there to comment about.  Your audio gear does NOT have memory in it.  He creates a simple circuit that does and shows trivial scope simulations of it.  Enough to fool a layman into thinking there is some measuring going on.

He also makes other dubious comments:

". Another well-known example is the upper frequency hearing limit: as humans cannot hear above 20 kHz, the reasoning is that there is no use in reproducing higher frequencies, as these will not contribute to the signal, reaching the brain. This argument has often been brought to the table to disqualify high-resolution audio. However, many high-end enthusiasts claim they can clearly hear the difference and even seniors, with an upper frequency upper limit of 10 kHz (like the author) can distinguish the difference."

First, this has nothing to do with fourier transform.  Second, I post ABX tests of high res that I did pass.  But I am confident none of you can, including the author or said paper.  You never throw such random claims in a proper paper.  If what he says is true, you need to show it in controlled listening tests which he has none.

Really, none of what you post has anything to do with ASR and value of what we are doing.