Some thoughts on ASR and the reviews

I concur with your opinion.

I discussed enough for 10 days here with Amir and his acoustics knowledge is around DSP not basic concepts distinguishing human hearing from Fourier Maps...He does not even to understand them because they are qualitative concepts based on real human hearing abilities in the field. These concepts are useless for his reductionist ideology.

it is a man who sincerely convey an ideology as pure truth.

This ideology begun to destruct human lives in a visible manner now : it is techno cultism conflated with and then replacing science...Most people dont have the basic knowledge necessary to see this...

Intelligence does not means wisdom ...

Knowledge cannot be reduced to science save by ideologue like Popper . I prefer real scientist from formation to political propagandists as Polanyi and Goethe were .

i will stop here but techno cultism is a plague and the introduction of A.I. will make this way worse...It is easy for engineers to put into people head that inside of this statistical blackbox of A.I. trained is an intelligence superior to man. Especially with the prodigious improvement of many basic fields. We will become the tools of A.I. it is already the case. A.I. will less align on us than us on it . Narrow materialist mind will call that the progress and the future. Now guess on who are aligned the big corporations hubris for power ? No not on science as Polanyi or Goethe, but on techno cultism as religion with A.I. as God all that to control free human spirit and bent it to the will of the few.

So ASR is definitely influencing this hobby in the Internet era, and as with who lives in the biggest houses and drives the newest cars in my city, it’s helping tip the balance of power and influence in this hobby for the interested public and new generations of audiophiles from artists, musicians, designers and pretty much anyone with good listening skills to… engineers and computer algorithms. This makes me sad. If you were to spend anytime on ASR, you would gather that ears need not apply, their days and role in the hifi buying decision process are… over. No, seriously, if it can’t be measured by this or that analyzer, it can’t have value. Period. Now Amir may not say or think that, but the bulk of the discussion on his site adheres pretty closely to this line.

Amir has gently poked fun at one of my posts on ASR regarding some character of sound of Schiit Mani 2 phono preamp, probably something about soundstage… while others have been extraordinarily sarcastic and blatantly dismissive of any subjective comment I might make comparing the sound attributes of say, one DAC compared to another when they both measure “perfectly”.............

In summary, I do think measurements are critically important and a great place to start your audio reproduction journey. To that end, sites like ASR provide a valuable service. I do also think there are elements of this hobby and equipment design that are both not fully quantified or measurable, yet, and where art and subjective listening add real value. My concern is that absolutist worship of measurement over listening will lead many to miss out on some of the more pleasurable elements of fun, enjoyment, and discovery this hobby has to offer. I am definitely for less arguing and more listening.

"Just look at his image on the ASR site. A Geisha with a sneer. His intent is pretty clear with that alone."

That is no geisha.  She is a gorgeous bride getting married at a Shinto shrine in Ueno park in Tokyo:

Different couples get married every half hour there.  They put them through stock poses which is boring.  I waited for the break between pictures to capture this lovely picture of hers.  

There was no intention behind picking this picture for my Avatar other than this being one of the prized images in my photography portfolio.  It shows beauty, culture and tradition.  There is zero negativity in it much less what you are reading into it.

My intent on ASR is to bring reliable facts and data into the conversation about audio fidelity.  Many love that as evidenced by massive growth of ASR in such a short period of time.  Naturally, if your views are based on anecdotes, and stuff you have read online, and you are library of audio research and engineering is empty, you are going to see them opposed.  You are welcome to stick to your opinion but don't go making stuff up like you did above.  You get your hat handed to you that way. 😁

Many of us aren’t arguing the measurements. I’m arguing that Amir and ASR have a toxic culture that permeates other audio forums with condescending tones that have been normalized and promoted at ASR.

There is absolutely nothing toxic about ASR culture.  We thrive on information and knowledge about audio products, engineering and research.  If you walk in dismissive of all that, then you will get strong pushback.  It is no different than going to your doctor, claiming to know more than him because you know your body and he doesn't.  Most doctors would throw you out of their office if you said that.  The toxicity then, is yours, not ours or your doctors.

Many days we celebrate on ASR for discovering something new.  Latest example is a DIY speaker that blew us away in its performance despite its very low cost:

The speaker not only measured great, it sounded great in my listening tests.  There is nothing but happiness as a result of this.  Someone like you coming in to pick a fight is not what we are about.  But if you engage us that way, as I mentioned in the above post, we will hand your hat to you.  Not because we shout louder but because we have the research and data on our side. If that is cause for unhappiness, then don't visit ASR.

Then Amir, please reciprocate.

Amir has an opinion like anyone else.  He wraps that opinion in some pretty paper that he calls science.  His weak minded followers seem to overlook his lack of credentials and his inaccurate metrology methods.  Correct me if I am wrong, but Amir has never designed and built an audio component.  He has not demonstrated the ability to listen and review audio components nor has he been published outside of his own u-tube channel.  The most remarkable thing about Amir is that he has accomplished so much notoriety with so little.

And don't forget that he's right up there with there them doctors (appeals to authority) so 'natch, he knows more than you do. 

By the way, don't ever touch my hat. 

All the best,
Nonoise