How much does it cost to be an audiophile?

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6 hours ago, mansr said:

I hate to repeat myself, but:

 

 

That’s true, but we also have audiophiles that not even use it for music and instead mainly use their equipment to conduct measurement analyses ??

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I would say that it cost nothing to be an audiophile, but it can cost a lot to get a system that satisfy many audiophile’s wet dream.

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8 hours ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

 

 I listened to the MSB diamond and platinum, extensively. They are in my opinion very impressive sounding. The key for me was impressive in that they threw out a huge soundstage and were overly detailed and etched IMO. There was no denying the "wow" factor. The exact same DAC module was seen in a Rockna DAC at much less price. I didn't like that either. The MSB Select DAC is monumentally expensive. I have not heard it.

 

Sometimes then putting a very transparent and clear sounding DAC in an audio system and it makes the sound more etched, it’s not inevitably because the DAC has add it. The problem can originate from other gear and only be more noticeable with a more transparent and clear sounding DAC, that doesn’t mask artifacts made by other gear or the mains power.

 

MSB Select DAC is ridicule expensive, but are much better and smoother sounding than the MSB Diamond V IMO, so I guess I agree that some older MSB DAC can sound a bit synthetic and overly analytical after all ?.  

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8 hours ago, Jud said:

 

And to possibly train yourself to consciously recognize what was perhaps only subconsciously noticed before.

 

Don't expect quick results.  Academic work indicates a week of training is probably not enough. (In the experiment I'm thinking of, memory was tested for a trope common to Western but not South Asian music.  As expected, Western test subjects did better than South Asian.  A week of training did not enable the South Asian subjects to do any better.)

 

I agree and like to add some examples on experience and the ability to recognize “small” difference ?

 

An experienced ornithologist can identify many hundreds of different kind of birds by their appearance and/or sound. An inexperienced person can identify just some birds that have some special characteristics or are very common to them.

 

An experienced herpetology can identify many hundreds of different kind of snakes by their appearance. An inexperienced person can identify a few that have some special characteristics or that are very common.

 

Most bird parents can identify their chicks in a group with hundreds of other chicks by sound and/or appearance after just one day. Not even very experienced ornithologist can do that.

 

An experienced guitarist can normally hear the difference between many different makes and models of guitars. An inexperienced person can hear if that it’s an acoustic or electric guitar, and that’s it.

 

An experienced philatelist can identify a Penny black stamp from a fake. An inexperienced person can’t.

 

To a person that lives in, let’s say Sudan, not all Sudanese people “look the same”. To a person that lives in, let’s say Laos, not all Laotians or Asian people “look the same”. To a person that doesn’t lives in, let’s say Sudan, many people, besides those with special characteristics, general can appear very similar. The reason is not because of xenophobic, it’s because our brain are not used to identify small difference that we normally aren’t compelled to identify and instead fall back to (general for the observers) more at a first glance characteristics.    

 

The list of example could be very long, but I guess I have made my point clear. There is a big difference between those that have a lot of experience of something, to also be able to see or hear the difference between individuals, stamps or instruments, compared to those that lack the experience. To expect that people that aren’t very experienced to listen and identify relatively small SQ change made by switching one gear or component in an audio system with many gear is really IMO no proof that something isn’t audibly for a more experienced audiophile. But even an experienced audiophile can’t identify small SQ change caused by audio gear in a short ABX, if played in an unfamiliar audio system and with music not well known.   

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10 hours ago, mansr said:

No, but it will eat you within 100 yards. Not very smart of you, is it?

 

If you are in an area there the probability to be attacked by any predator without anything to defend yourself with, you are not very smart. Even the Neanderthals with an IQ below 70 know it.

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12 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

There is most certainly such a thing as IQ.

 

Don't confuse that with the difficulty in measuring it.

 

Yes exactly, how to calculate IQ is difficult because intelligence include so many different capacities like logic, understanding, self-awareness, knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity and problem solving. To have great capability in logic or knowledge is often of little value IRL if other skills and common sense are severely lacking.       

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9 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

 

I dont have any data, but I do have one giant orange dumbass as president to point to as potential proof...

 

If a dumbass president was elected in free and fair election, what does it say about the people that vote for him? After all he mainly does what he promised he would do ? 

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22 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

re free and fair election - Russian trolls & information warfare are counterpoints to that; nonetheless, the issue with Drumfk is not his IQ (how smart does a Pres. need to be anyway?), it is his character and empty soul

 

re Africa - data on intelligence differences among different continents were analyzed some time ago - no signif. differences

 

so why did Europeons succeed in trashing all other cultures for a couple of centuries?

the ultimate nerdy-lookin' guy, Jarad Diamond offered one reason in his book (for general audiences) "Germs, Guns and Steel"

 

 

 

I read Germs, Guns and Steel a few years ago. A very good read for everyone that seek to understand factors that shaped the modern world, by looking back.