Do you trust your ears more than measurements?

The ears and listening rule OUR system room...Not audio....

Acoustics and psycho-acoustics rule audio...

Why did i say that ?

Because non trained ears in acoustic cannot understand their own limitation... Buying 40 amplifiers is not a ears training and it is even not knowledge, it is only a seller expertise.... And i am not a seller ... And electrical measures of gear design is only a limited set of measures and it is not enough... Physical and acoustical set of measures matter even more...

The "trained" ears rule audio and trained ears come from acoustic basic concepts and experiments...

If you cannot control timbre, imaging, soundstage and immersion in your room you cannot know what these interacting concepts means working together...

This is why people in audio forum do what most reviewers do: they sell gear upgrade as main solutions...

This is not knowledge sorry. It is marketing.

Then trusting more his ears than necessary  experiments is preposterous and counter productive...

And trusting electrical measures only over anything else and over his ears is blind ignorance...

However in the end the ears have it.

Of course.

I measure how much salt I put into a recipe. 

Then I taste it. 

If needed, a bit more salt.

If it tastes good, I write down how much salt went into the recipe for next time I make it.

Measure-taste-measure-taste. Memorialize.

Of course it ends with tasting. How could it not? ;-)

Ear, Measurements, Knowledge, Final Ear

These Speakers In That Space (assuming speakers do NOT have level controls)

1. place speakers in your Preferred Location. Listen. Refine that location and toe-in by EAR

 

2. MEASURE, whataya got, __________? write that Knowledge down.

a. inexpensive sound pressure meter, bottom hole for tripod, seated ear height

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Pressure-30-130dBA-Warranty/dp/B00ECCZWWI

b. frequency test tracks, I use tracks 9 to 38

https://www.discogs.com/release/7290000-Various-Amazing-Bytes

3. FIND best location and toe-in using MEASUREMENTS.

 

4. Listen, any reason not to use your preferred location?

 

5. Tone Controls, both measure and final Listen

 

6. Equalizer Needed?

 

7. Room Treatments Needed?

​....................................................

Speakers WITH Level Controls

Those Speakers in _____? Space is what Level Controls are for.

Measure, adjust, measure, then listen, change to taste, BUT, to maintain excellent Imaging, (no frequency wander) you need measurements. 

Move the speakers to a different space, use the Level Controls: Those Speakers for That Space

I'm assuming and hoping the manufacturers of my equipment do some measurements but there is no reason for me to do any at home.  I setup by ear the way I prefer it.  I definitely spend some time doing that.  Listening is a skill. Hone stand learn to trust it

@knotscott i agree. I always trust my ears. They have to bring joy to your ears.