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  • The Computer Audiophile
    The Computer Audiophile

    Audiophile Style State of the Union

    Over the years the Audiophile Style forum has been an invaluable resource to many audiophiles and music lovers alike. This is all due to the contributions from members of the community from around the world, who freely give their time to help others and enjoy this wonderful shared interest we call audiophilia. Whether one's interests are mainly music or gear or a split between the two, matters not. Audiophile Style is about increasing one's enjoyment of music, gear, and the community in general. Nobody needs more negativity in their lives or more judgement of their personal pursuits. The world is full of that nonsense. Audiophile Style is a place to leave all that behind, to forget about one's mentally or physically draining day, and to immerse oneself in that which has brought joy to so many for so long. 

     

    Recently the scales have tipped a bit too far toward snark, combativeness, imposition, and confrontation. All of this is killing the vibe and the culture of Audiophile Style, pushing it more toward the 4chan of audio rather than a place to learn, share, and have fun. When I don't want to read some threads because I know the usual suspects will be on their high horses, something needs to change. When members of the community can't even have an enjoyable conversation without being rudely interrupted by people with an opposing agenda, something needs to change.

     

    We've had a very limited set of forum rules since our inception in 2007. These rules just keep honest people honest. Others find ways to bend them as far as possible, seeking to impose their own view of how this site should be run and what topics the conversations should include. For the most part, more rules won't change behavior. There are folks on the extreme ends of the audio continuum who just can't live with those who disagree, and that's a problem. 

     

    I've always encouraged people to post whatever opinion they hold or facts they have about all audio topics. However, this has to be done either in its own thread or in a thread where the information is desired. Those on the extreme ends just can't live with this either. When given the opportunity to self-police, the extremists can't stop themselves from posting in topics where the vast majority of people have zero interest in what they have to say. It's the equivalent of walking into a classical music party uninvited and putting on a Rage Against The Machine playlist. Sure, it's fabulous music but the time and place are wrong.  

     

    The bottom line is this, Audiophile Style is about increasing one's enjoyment of this wonderful hobby. I look forward to the 99% of members of this community working toward this goal and having a good time. 

     

     

    What's Changing?

     

    There is a new sub-forum called Objective-Fi. This is the place for objective audio discussions. It will be free from subjectivist appeals to authority, anecdotes, and unscientific experience threads and comments. This will free-up the objective-minded members of this community from going in circles trying to explain why something just can't be, for the 100th time. 

     

    This new sub-forum doesn't mean that the rest of the forum is entirely subjective only. Because audio is an inherently subjective pursuit, it makes no sense to create a subjective-Fi sub-forum equivalent to the Objective-Fi sub-forum either. The reality is that life isn't black & white. The other forum areas will continue on as they've been for years. If there is an objective challenge to one's subjective experience, the comment(s) will be moved to the Objective-Fi sub-forum for the discussion to continue unabated. 

     

    In essence the rules haven't changed, but now there is a place for discussions to be had where people on both sides of an issue can examine it and discuss it without turning everyone off and ruining peoples' days. 

     

    Please remember, the problem isn't what's said, it's the place in which it's said. 


    Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback in an effort to bring the enjoyment and fun back into our pursuit of HiFi and great music. Audiophile Style wouldn't exist without the wonderful members of this community

     


    - Chris
     




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    3 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

     

    Still trying to understand. So no contrary objective information is allowed in the rest of the forum? Or is it? 


    It’s going to take some common sense and communication between those who really want to help make it work. If you aren’t up for it, I understand. 

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    13 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:


    It’s going to take some common sense and communication between those who really want to help make it work. If you aren’t up for it, I understand. 

     

    Don't know what this means, but it doesn't appear to be an answer to a simple, direct yes/no question. Gray area, I guess? 

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    2 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

    You’re looking for a mythical black & white world where none exists. Policing is easy, in a police state. This isn’t one. Things can be murky. However, I believe 95% of people who are here to enjoy audio will have no problem working through the adjustment. 

     

    I was just looking for an answer, since this is your site and your announced policy change. Gray it is, then.

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    2 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

    Why is there support for MQA there? 

     

    Seems to emanate primarily from Amir. Lots of the punters are skeptical.

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    1 hour ago, andrewinukm said:

    I just can't understand: how hard is it to simply respect another person and have some common courtesy in a hobby meant for enjoyment?

    I've never seen a car enthusiast that goes demanding for DBT or measurements when someone claims that a car "handles better". 

    If a person doesn't have measurements, he is not the enemy. I repeat, HE IS NOT THE ENEMY. He is just another consumer, just like you and I and anyone here. If one insists on measurements, then send him test equipment.

     

    John Doe wants absolute high fidelity. His audio has to measure exceptional, using the ideal scientific methodology. Listening tests have to be DBT. If he sees another person talking about subjective observations, he is curious and tries to ask and find out more, understand the limitations and the possible data he can extract from it. John then also tries to repeat the test and measures them to find correlation.

     

    Jack Smith also wants high fidelity but also looking for other things that sounds good TO HIM as well (sound stage, tube bloom, airiness, and other subjective parameters etc). Jack understands the science behind audio, but if scientific data are not available it's no big deal. He likes to try tweaks and expensive cables that he can afford. He will do his own listening and determine what he likes and share this information for others to determine for themselves. If challenged to provide measurements for his observations, he politely welcomes any measurements to find the correlation of what he hears with scientific data.

     

    John and Jack are also best buddies, respects each others, and does not try to be snarky or sarcastic to each other. They understand the other person's preferences and point of view, and agree to disagree without ill will or anger. They do not try to "school" each other claiming that they know it all and that the other person "needs to be saved" or "some things are unmeasurable". They can laugh at themselves and laugh together.

     

    John and Jack do not exist. A**holes do.

     

    Have you ever been on a sports car forum??  Track times are always mentioned and compared.

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    3 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

     

    Have you ever been on a sports car forum??  Track times are always mentioned and compared.

    Why? They are all subjective unless driven at the same time by a robot. Hard to believe you’d be into that “pseudo-objective” clap trap. 

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    3 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

    They go off the rails because guys like you can’t stand other people enjoying themselves. 

     

     

    you have me confused with someone else

     

     

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    you define enjoyment differently that I do - falseness doesn't count in my book

     

    I suggest that YOU do a self-assessment, and think hard about your "livelihood" vs. claims of creating an "enjoyment space" for the deluded, as you have several times posted about these disparate issues.

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