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In Reply to: RE: For whatever it's worth posted by Goober58 on August 18, 2014 at 18:23:28
Of course enjoying the music is what it's all about. We're talking about language in the context of equipment reviews. You are omitting the big elephant in the room, and that is the factor of personal TASTE. It doesn't really tell me anything about a component if you say "I like how 'Stairway to Heaven' sounds with this amplifier." Your personal tastes, and your ears for that matter, are different than mine. I need details, I need specifics, and yes in some cases, I even need a few measurements (to back up what you are saying).
Without those things, then anybody could write a review and the equipment reviews would all carry the same weight. Because they would only be based on personal preferences without any articulation about the WHY and the HOW. We need the Why and the How so that we have something we can take away and apply to our own personal tastes, our own ears, our own listening rooms, and our own system synergies.
Follow Ups:
"I need details, I need specifics, and yes in some cases, I even need a few measurements (to back up what you are saying)."So are you relying on the training and skills of the reviewer? Then whatever standard you would hold in quantifying the credibility of the review would tend to make all relevant reviews (that meet your standard) carry the same weight. Then you would pick and chose which ones will best satisfy your taste?
I rely on how the reviewer describes listening to music on his system. How the reviewer expresses his involvement with the reproduced music matters most to me. Those who tend to describe music in terms that I relate to will be most relevant to me. I can compensate for lack of skill and experience as needed. Talk to me about dedication, commitment, expression, artistic interplay, complex rhythms - you know musical stuff. Not stuff like detail and articulation which, unless expressed in a musical context are more often a distraction not a musical benefit. Ie. - I can tell by the end of the review if I care one iota or not about the reviewers subjective opinions no matter how skilled or well trained he may be.
"You are omitting the big elephant in the room, and that is the factor of personal TASTE."
It's just not true - my way the only relevant reviews are those written by writers who listen like I do.
Of course I agree with your comment on Stairway to Heaven and Kals original remark. But the terms musical and musicality just aren't as simple as you guys try to make it.
Give me rhythm or give me death!
Edits: 08/18/14 08/18/14 08/18/14
Well, your method sounds great on paper, and actually works in the real world when you have a reviewer you trust. But it sure opens the door for a bullsh*##er reviewer.
As if any another method isn't as susceptible to BS reviewers. I remember back in the very early days when I was in my teens believing that the measured spec told all, now if you want to talk about BS lets talk about measured specifications.
Give me rhythm or give me death!
Goober, Excellent comments
That is the way I decide what components I want to listen to. With the disappearance of audio stores I depend more and more on reviewers and friends. When a reviewer says a song played through a particular component brought tears to his eyes I want to hear it. I purchased my Shindo preamp based on many comments in Stereophile about the strong emotional reactions to it plus comments about it's (yes) musicality.
Alan
Thanks. IMO - describing how a system sounds is quite different than describing how well it plays music.
Give me rhythm or give me death!
My opinion is that if a reviewer can't pinpoint why a particular piece of equipment plays music better than another, I question that they should even be doing reviews. Qualified?
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