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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
jax2
3,031 posts
 
To imply that it will take Stereophile as long as "a few years"

Ah, Zaikes, you obviously missed the operative preface in the headline: "yet again". Let me further predict that the follow-up issue will see a B&W speaker gracing the cover (AGAIN) declaring it has established a new plateau of performance worthy of the subcategory "rollerderby crack whore"

Marco
newbee
4,780 posts
 
A post yesterday reminded me of another adjective I've never understood - 'vinyl' like. With all the different cartridges and phono preamp variations it can't be tonal, can't be that someone wants clicks, snaps, pops, and tracing noise, can't be the compression involved in recording. What exactly is this vinyl sound that is so immediatly identifiable that even folks without vinyl experience know what it is? Hummmmmm :-)
jax2
3,031 posts
 
A post yesterday reminded me of another adjective I've never understood - 'vinyl' like. With all the different cartridges and phono preamp variations it can't be tonal, can't be that someone wants clicks, snaps, pops, and tracing noise, can't be the compression involved in recording.

It's really quite simple; it means, flat and black with a small hole in the middle. Some donuts are 'vinyl like'. Manhole covers are often loosely described that way, though their holes are more often towards the edges.

Your post gave me an idea for a descriptor for the manifesto, exclusively for vinyl playback devices and donuts: "Rice Krispies"!
trelja OP
3,224 posts
 
I was in search of "vinyl like" sound from my CDs. It was driving me to try some desperate things only an audiophile would do. We call them tweaks, the rest of the world calls them stupid...

I scattered my CDs all over the driveway, and began to walk on them, and even jump and down on some that I felt were especially poor sounding. Scuffed up the playing surfaces pretty good. Yes, I was able to emulate the ticks, pops, and skips, but it still didn't have that overall relaxed, easy to, natural sound of a good old fashioned record. I heard concrete is more effective than asphalt, but I haven't had time to try it yet...
sherod
1,690 posts
 

Another word that has bothered me is "slam". When I read a review that this amp has slam or the bass has slam, what the hell does that mean?
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