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Your vote: Most Useless Audio Adjective

From what I've seen in online audio discussion forums such as Audiogon, words like warm, taut, wooly, and forward can upset even died in the wool audiophiles. While some may have a hard time getting their arms around them, most of the terms seem quite appropriate to me. You have to develop some list of terms in order to convey a description of a component's sonics, or to delineate it from another component.

However, I have noticed the description "self effacing" creeping into more and more reviews, and it flat out boggles my mind. Initially, it seemed to fit into the context it was being used - affordable or downright cheap gear, that was fun and lively. However, now that I've read the term being used to describe quite a serious piece of high end kit, the time has come to point out how ridiculous things are getting.

I had to laugh out loud thinking of the snootiest, most condescending audio dealer I know who was carrying this brand. Using the term "self effacing" with anything had to do with this guy was akin to describing Phyllis Diller a young, hot sex symbol.

What is your most useless audio adjective???
trelja
Post removed 
cwlondon
1,210 posts
 
Further to "PRaT", this expression is used mainly by the UK audio press, and a bit of fluency in UK vs American English may give an important clue to the origin of this audio expression.

In UK English, a "prat" is a self aggrandizing, pompous "delusionally arrogant" person who "acts against logic".

Hmmmm.....maybe the folks who figured out how to put Naim and Linn electronics in weird boxes and charge huge prices decided that all of there customers were "PRATS" while laughing all the way from the demo room to the bank?
restock
831 posts
 
"Musical": Isn't that the purpose of Hifi equipment - to produce music.
trelja OP
3,223 posts
 
Yes, "tubelike" is also one of my favorites. Good job, Newbee!

Grant, I believe you make the most excellent point, about half of the people using this never having heard a tube amp. I'll say the other half has heard (and, maybe even, owned) a tube amp, and they still have no idea what a tube amp sounds like. In my own, admittedly contrarian, opinion, a tube amp sounds EXACTLY the opposite of what they are normally described as. Instead of being distorted, veiled, thick, slow, warm, and ripe, they are MORE upfront, lively, engaging, clear, and bright.

Still, I just cannot get past "self effacing". Definitely the most useless I've ever encountered. I mean, when a component finally gets up, and begins making fun of itself, I'll agree that it's self effacing. This particular review pushed me over the edge, since it was an expensive component, written by a reviewer who has always come across as a fantastically nice guy, but one who knows little about audio equipment. Sadly, he's writing for the biggest publication in North America.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Emotional, organic, and involving.

Please save those for your love life and tomatoes.
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