RE: A Modest proposal

Posted by Gag Halfrunt on November 21, 2011 at 08:50:24

In Reply to: A Modest proposal posted by fstein on November 20, 2011 at 19:26:12:

Unless you decide that you should match your own hearing to that of the reviewer, I fail to see the relevance here.

Precious few reviewers are under 40, so they will have some degree of age-related hearing loss. Most will have been around the block some and have hearing damage from too many concerts. Which fits perfectly with most of the audiophiles who buy this stuff.

If the audio world was chock full of 20-somethings wanting to buy high-end gear, I could understand the need to get reviewers with similar hearing profiles. But the reviewers we've got are as deaf as we are, within normal operating parameters.

Besides, what advantage would this really bestow? We tend to follow the work of particular reviewers, because we find them consistently in (or out of) agreement with our tastes. Chances are, if we knew that reviewer X's hearing rolled off at 13kHz, we'd refuse to take their work seriously, even though our own hearing may be far, far more rolled off.

Think about it a moment. You tend to agree with the reviews of BJ Hardick and bought your Truculent Fudgetunnel V preamp on the basis of his reviews. You then discover his hearing falls off in the early teens. Do you suddenly decide the product is no good because it was recommended by someone with less than perfect hearing? Do you instead go with the conclusions of Dick Thrust because he's 24 and has near perfect hearing, despite every time you hear one of his recommendations, the product sounds like someone emptied a sack of ball bearings into a spin dryer?

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - A Modest proposal - fstein 19:26:12 11/20/11 (19)

RE: A Modest proposal - russ69 23:07:12 12/03/11 (0)

RE: A Modest proposal - Tony Lauck 07:29:28 11/22/11 (0)

Then all audiophiles should be required to have one before reading either... - Elizabeth 21:00:37 11/21/11 (0)

Maybe a new rag, "The Absolute Deafness". nt - cjfrbw 12:52:03 11/21/11 (0)

and a sperm count nt - Pjay 09:50:25 11/21/11 (1)

as if you've ever had one........... - agattu 22:08:31 11/21/11 (0)

RE: A Modest proposal - Gag Halfrunt 08:50:24 11/21/11 (0)

An even more Modest proposal-have your ears cleaned yearly. nt - Norm 08:48:29 11/21/11 (0)

The research suggests that it doesn't much matter - josh358 08:24:44 11/21/11 (0)

RE: A Modest proposal - tomservo 07:00:59 11/21/11 (3)

RE: A Modest proposal - regmac 08:03:47 11/21/11 (2)

RE: A Modest proposal - tomservo 08:40:47 11/21/11 (1)

And there's research that shows that too - josh358 13:10:36 11/21/11 (0)

RE: A Modest proposal - Iron Knee 21:52:42 11/20/11 (0)

Why? - mkuller 20:54:41 11/20/11 (4)

While I agree with you, this is a slippery slope ultimately meaning that reviewing is of little value. - Norm 08:47:21 11/21/11 (2)

Of course everyone knows... - mkuller 10:39:35 11/21/11 (1)

I like that idea, sort of novels. nt - Norm 17:57:07 11/24/11 (0)

You cleraly don't have his 'faith' in measurement - Timbo in Oz 04:01:23 11/21/11 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: A Modest proposal - Gag Halfrunt 08:50:24 11/21/11 (0)

RE: A Modest proposal

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