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I Just Know It's BS ... But I Have't Tried It Yet

Have you ever noticed how quickly naysayers jump on "unconventional" products they have never tried, letting us know they are worthless -- shamelessly admitting they have no direct experience with the item they are putting down? For example, anything with the word quantum in the name seems to set some people off. Do you have your favorite examples of this phenomenon? What do you make of this irrational approach to high end audio that is often suffixed by LOL and exclamation points for emphasis?
sabai
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,797 posts
 
We each have no choice but to trust our ears (using the tools we are given) but there is no categorical reason why anyone should trust the "ears" of others necessarily. Ears cannot talk. People do. :^)

OF course trust can be earned over time, but it is not owed.
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
There are at least a couple of issues here -- trusting your own ears and trusting the ears of others. The only ears you can trust are your own because they are yours. No one's ears can decide better than your own. But if you cannot trust them for one reason or another then this is a moot point.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Our ears - to my mind - are the worst of "test instruments" to judge a given system, but it is the only one we have. It takes a long learning curve to come to trust what you hear.
To get there, you must have developed at least some sense for your inner preferences, your emotional state in a given moment as well of course, just to mention two outer factors, the weather condition and the state your electrical grid is in. Apart from that, to listen as objectively as possible, I feel one should strive for the same state of mind, as FREUD told us as desirable, when listening to his patients: A free floating attention, a state of inner calm, wanting nothing, expecting nothing.
Good listening is as difficult as ZEN. (:
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Sorry. I think I was unclear: I meant critical listening, not listening for pleasure. But then if the music lover becomes an audiophile, critical listening always creeps in and often enough spoils all the fun...........
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
01-05-15: Detlof
Sorry. I think I was unclear: I meant critical listening, not listening for pleasure.

Indeed! Listening should be for pleasure!
Critical listening isn't necessary unless you're able to analyze quality of musician performing challenging pieces.

Critical listening of equipment often destroys your focus to the music quality and not at all important in most of cases. Your test record may show certain improvements on certain passages after your new modifications to the system, but the rest may sound just the same or even worse(you never know unless you're so obsessed!).

Just enjoying and being able to listen to music is z best.
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