ACTUAL MUSICAL SOUND VS. MEASUREMENTS


Is it just me or am I the only one that has had it with overly pushy audiophiles that push measurements as the end all be all. I’m not talking about healthy discussions on measurements but obnoxious ones that talk down to you because of the measurements of your system or equipment is not perfect for them? All cables and cords are snake oil to them if it doesn’t register on their meters? Am I the only that feels this way? 

calvinj

@tony1954 you are right about the way folks talk to each other. People are online thumb thuggin. Hiding behind keyboards saying things online that they wouldn’t in person 

Objective vs Subjective has been around forever.  All credibility is lost when measurements are used to claim a $200 and $2000 piece of gear will undeniably sound the same if the they measure the same.  Not stopping there, any item deemed expensive (typically more than a few hundred dollars) is frequently labeled "snake oil". The next step is to hurl insults at any individual choosing to purchase expensive items.  Finally, the promoter of cheap but well measuring equipment personally spends well into 6 figure land for a system.  Hypocrite with no credibility.

I might have some insight based on my own reactions to my own experience.

 

As a scientist (I am actually a scientist), I really hate the notion that I can hear the difference between interconnects and speakers cables, and it really PO's me that I can hear the difference with power cables.
There is no objective reason that I accept for power cables to make a difference, yet I can hear it. Cost does not seem to be a contributor, I have a pair of Blue Jeans Cables interconnects that I greatly prefer over a "nice" $500.00 pair, and the pair I am using now cost under $300.00.

Not all people deal well with this type of dissonance, and some of them lash out at others because of it.
I really appreciate the hard work that Alpha Audio has been doing. They are conducting the actual research that Amir at ASR only pretends to do. He is certainly not doing science, I am not sure he even knows what a scientist does.

 

In my mind, the issue is we just do not know how to measure a signal for its character. My field is like that, 20 years ago we did not have access to the tech to conduct the research I do on a daily basis today.

 

I suppose some folks really can't hear a difference, but I think most of the hostile ones do, and are angry about it.

So many devices measure great.   Some affordable ones even push the limits of the very equipment used to test them.   Says a lot , but how does it sound????  

If someone wants to put a system together entirely based on specs more power to them.   It could sound great, but probably not as good as a system that was curated on how the individual pieces sound together.    

With only one caveat, I have always let my ears do the talking. That caveat is, does the amplifier has enough umph ( watts and current and stability ) to run the speakers I have at the time. Other than that,  I don’t care.