Article: Guest Editorial: Why did audio stop being about audio?

[Ralf11]

For measurements, it is not clear to me that there is a set of practical measurements a consumer can look to that determines that the SQ of one good DAC, pre-amp or amp is better than another.  For speakers, yes.  I am also not saying that there is not a set of such measurements that can be made.  And, there are nice looking tube amps from one of the suspect countries that that distort badly.

 

For listening tests, they are not the horrible time-eater that they are made out to be.  They are quite easy and require only a willing 2nd person -- and a wife or gf is often delighted to debunk your hearing claims.

 

Science is not a belief system, and comments to that effect above are not correct.

 

For religion, I like to "ride side-saddle on the golden calf"

[Ralf11]

12 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

A speaker with a linear phase crossover will have a natural frequency response peak that can be ameliorated but not altogether avoided. Which measurement is better sounding, linear phase or flatter frequency response?

 

I just go with the tests done by JBL/Harmon.

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, HiFiHeard said:

 "I like this, and it's OK if you don't like it."

 

 

I think that is a different issue.  Preferences are fine, tho worthy of discussion.  e.g. I can discuss or explain why I like some tube sound (but not too much); same for why I like the visual esthetic of Accuphase gear (panel layout and color combo), or the ergonomics of older Audio Research gear (the knobs & switches) - BTW I own The latter but not the former brand.

 

Likewise I can explain why I prefer certain tradeoffs over others (e.g. why I switched from Vandersteen to Magneplanar - it took 3-4 months of intensive listening every night...)

 

But what one likes with respect to SQ is not what is involved when someone is responding to to factors that do not affect SQ.  And that is why people od actual listening tests - to rule out extraneous factors.

 

Now, if someone likes the look of component A enough to accept a lower SQ than for the 'uglier' component B, that is different.  And I'm fine with that choice, but they can expect some contradictory posts if they make a claim that simply cannot be true, or is highly, highly unlikely.

[Ralf11]

How did you obtain that estimate?

 

and how do you know he doesn't already do those other things?

[Ralf11]

4 minutes ago, kennyb123 said:

 

behaving like schoolyard bullies

 

 

do you mean like calling someone you disagree with a narcissist?

[Ralf11]

it sounds like you don't like people to quote top notch engineers in the audio field

 

 

[Ralf11]

certain displayed behaviors might be consistent with how one would expect a narcissist to behave - such as denigration of other peoples hearing, their audio system?

 

or believing that one's own hearing is so superior that it allows the slightest detail to emerge in a cloud of grandiosity?

[Ralf11]

with the exception of Robert harley and his book

[Ralf11]

18 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Let’s all try to be civilized human being talking about entertainment. 
 

 

 

day-age works - i.e. it is outside the facts and so cannot be falsified (which is pretty much what faith is)

 

a literal day is ... entertainment

[Ralf11]

https://seanolive.blogspot.com/2009/04/dishonesty-of-sighted-audio-product.html

[Ralf11]

BTW, why shouldn't he push back ??

[Ralf11]

13 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

This is how I feed my family. 

 

A few days ago you said you didn't care about making any money from your site - it was only about the audiophile community

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, joelha said:

I'm afraid of nothing on this forum.

 

Apparently, you get offended when you're confronted with a calm, rational article you disagree with.

 

If you think there's parity between that and calling specific people dishonest, then our view of reality is very different.

 

Joel

 

I certainly do not find your article calm or rational.

 

It's been a few days, so would you look at it again and see if you don't think it is just a tad over the top?

[Ralf11]

39 minutes ago, DuckToller said:

Hey,  Liverpool is playing now ... that is real Religion live on TV
Cheers, Tom

 

what brand of video cable are you using?

[Ralf11]

9 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

When I go out to eat, sometimes I just want to eat a good meal without worrying about how the lettuce was grown, if the workers are paid well, etc... It's all about having a time and place for everything. 

 

So, the wait staff don't tell you the name of the chicken you are served?

 

(Portlandia joke)

[Ralf11]

Does InfoWars have an audio product review forum?

[Ralf11]

I'd like your definition of vitriol - maybe you mean sarcasm?

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, christopher3393 said:

Just an FYI: There is no such term as "radical subjectivism" in philosophy or any other academic field or significant thinker that I have been able to find in several years of occasionally researching this. It is, in my opinion, a fabrication of a forum member here, yet it is used as if it were a recognized concept. If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be pointed to the sources I've missed.

 

But I strongly suspect it is b.s. If this member would like to share his background in study that led him to this, we could discuss his interpretations of these sources. My best guess is that they rely on a reading of a theological movement called "Radical Orthodoxy". If anyone wants to look into it, I suspect they'll find some similarities.

 

When it comes to this kind of grand cultural criticism that this member engages, I do wonder if his background and experience is sufficient to be making such strong claims about what members and the owner/moderator need to do to get woke.

 

Apologies for the OT.

 

How hard did you look?

 

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319438764

[Ralf11]

6 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Why did audio stop being about DACs and AMPs?

 

THEY started building them into the speakers - killed the hobby

[Ralf11]

Bighorn sheep are noted for their power, wisdom, sharp eyes, balance, sure-footedness on suspect terrain, keen hearing, great strength, and a strong heart.

[Ralf11]

not to mention that he conflated 'claims' with making a device...

[Ralf11]

use salt

[Ralf11]

5 hours ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Similar demographic to audiophiles. Maybe a bit older on average, age spans from early 20s to mid 80s. Average, without any real data to back this up, I'd say around 60. Predominantly male. World-wide.

 

more likely to own a tent, camper, RV, tripod, camera system...

[Ralf11]

5 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

 I can see how one would be turned off by the mention of religion.  

 

That isn't the issue.  The real issue is false equivalence - that science is somehow another type of religion.

 

It isn't.

[Ralf11]

5 minutes ago, Samuel T Cogley said:

 

I've been waiting for the "skeptics are envious peasants" trope to rear its ugly head, and there it is.

 

You are assuming Discussion Symmetry.  As physicists have shown, it does not exist nor is it conserved (not even parity is conserved).

 

We are all required to practice Discussion Assymmetry - realistic claims or approaches (even if laborious or requiring a scientific or engineering education) are fair grounds for snivility.

 

However, crazy statements - especially if impossible under well-understood physical laws - require great civility and must be accorded absolute respect.