Trust your ears

[Summit]

14 hours ago, skikirkwood said:

 

There's actually something much deeper behind my concern of the validity of audiophiles pontificating "trust your ears". It's the escalating global rise of the antiscience movement, and how I see the subjectivist movement in the audiophile world to be a part of this.

 

Rejection of mainstream science has become a key feature of the political right in the U.S. And increasingly around the world. Denial of climate change (it hit 101 here in Palo Alto yesterday), the anti-vax movement, and more recently the response to Covid-19 over the last 15 months. The latter causing mass deaths that could have been avoided in the U.S., Brazil, India and elsewhere. 

 

The antiscience disinformation about Covid-19 created all kinds of havoc in GOP-dominant states here in the U.S. Governors prematurely lifting restrictions which led to a second and unnecessary wave of cases and deaths. Miracle cures like hydroxychloroquine being touted from the former President and his minions. It's all antiscience, and the trend is increasing. Facts don't matter, the scientific method of of acquiring knowledge through empirical methods don't matter. People getting their "facts" through lunatic Facebook groups and Fox News. And it's getting worse.

 

I see the same thing happening in the audiophile world. I, like many people, used to believe everything I read in Stereophile or The Absolute Sound. Why wouldn't I? It wasn't until 2015 or so when I started to read about the incredible sound quality jump in $1000 USB cables I started to question this. And ultimately concluded the audiophile "press" is nothing more than a bunch of paid shills for the high end audiophile hardware business.

 

But the audiophile press really screwed up with their glowing recommendation of MQA when it was initially released. Ultimately, a large number of people (including the MQA thread here on Audiophile Style) exposed the Absolute Sounds and Stereophiles for what they are - advertising channels for the audiophile industry. Fortunately none of this will kill people (well, maybe the people upgrading fuses), but I see the belief system of audiophile subjectivists to be very similar to the belief system of the growing antiscience movement.

 

When I read a glowing review of a $1000 power cable in The Absolute Sound, with absolutely no data of any kind to back up the reviewer's points about the increase in sound quality, and then see that smart, educated people believe this, I see a parallel to anti-vaxxers, disbelief in human-caused climate change, people thinking Covid-19 is a hoax...

 

So that's what was really behind my thinking when I did the original post. And as such, why I believe this was the proper forum to post in.

 

I really share your concern regarding the increase in rejection of science and alternative facts. I do not however share your concern regarding audiophiles that use their ears when evaluating audio gear and their influence on how music sounds like. SQ is subjective because it's influenced by our personal senses and preference. 

 

The problem IMHO isn’t that someone says that this or that is how I hear it, because it’s clearly a subjective observation or statement. The problem starts when someone states that I have measure this or that and are trying to make the data to looks like objective evidence of a gear’s sound quality. This without any confirming blind testes to support that the data in this type of gear has that effect.    Data is only data and has to be interpreted before they can be said to mean anything. It’s the evidence that support how the measurement correlate with preserved SQ I find lacking in the majority of the so called objective threads.

 

Two important thing to contemplate related to SQ is that: one human hearing is not linear which lead us to point number two: playback is about making it sounds good/accurate/lifelike or whatever the goal is by playing tricks with our auditory perception. One example: no matter if the guitarist IRL is recorded in a studio and only panned out to sound like to be standing to the left of the bass player. If you do a blind test people are going to say that - mission accomplished.

 

[Summit]

10 hours ago, March Audio said:

Proof that God does not exist and that black is white.

 

https://youtu.be/iuumnjJWFO4

 

 

Present objective proof that God does exist instead, and try to say what’s black and white in total darkness 💣

 

 

[Summit]

Yes, how should one be able to know the difference when someone constantly states that everything that exists can be measured 🤣.

[Summit]

11 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

You can give any characteristics you want, no problem. Am I correct in assuming that you can not demonstrate how objects can exist without you knowing about it?

 

Some of those that pretend to be objective already know everything that exists, their affect and how to measure them 🤣.

[Summit]

39 minutes ago, Racerxnet said:

Stick your finger in a flame and tell me it's an illusion that it is painful. The smoke from your burning flesh you do not smell. The flame is NOT approximately 3000 degrees. Jab your eye with the imaginary screwdriver, the results are not real. Stick your tongue on the bare 120 volt wire. Subjectively,what's going to happen? Off to church on this imaginary Fathers Day. 

 

Why should I do any of those horrible things you suggest? It's not I that constantly rant about illusions and demanding proof of observations and things we  experiencing with our senses.