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Art Dudley - Listening, Nov. 2014

In one of his previous ‘Listening’ columns, Art Dudley claimed that audio engineering had not advanced in the last 50 years. IIRC, there was a grudging acceptance that other engineering fields may have moved forward in that time. Seemingly the Audio Engineering Society did not march on Cherry Valley with pitchforks and flaming torches as Mr. D is at it again in the November issue. I suspect this month’s Subjective-Good, Objective-Bad column is borne of provocation but it is so polarized and defensive as to make it unconvincing. Let’s have a look at some of the points made, or not made:

It is unfortunate that he should damn ‘blind’ testing with an example of viewing images. We can forgive that as his point is that quick comparisons are the problem. He also seems to think such testing is to judge between real and fake. What is real or fake about home audio? Putting aside that it is all fake anyway, the comparison between two pieces of equipment is rarely, or never, about which provides the more ‘authentic’ experience unless you are in a recording studio comparing it to a live feed. For most of us the question is which piece do we prefer? Now we all like to think that what we prefer is ‘better’ but it is not – it is preferable but it might not be ‘correct’.

I agree that doing short comparisons between equipment is not necessarily the best thing to do but Art then goes on to confuse quick-switching with blind-testing (not seeing what you are testing). The two might happen at the same time but they are not the same. Seeing the equipment you are listening to is a very significant psychological factor. The quoted Pepsi challenge may have been skewed because it was a quick-switching test but what would have been the result if people could see the can they were drinking from? Art seems to find the prospect of not seeing the equipment he is listening to as stressful.

There is no levity in the distribution of child pornography.

The decision for CD’s 44.1kHz sampling rate was a business decision, to fit Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony onto one disc. The rest was marketing, I hope Art is not so naive as to be taken in by a little spin. And you have to admit that ‘perfect sound forever’ is great copy. In fact, everything he moans about is a business decision to lower manufacturing costs, not about objectivists winning over subjectivists. Hand wired circuits and real wood cabinets are still available, if you can afford them.

If there is one positive thing in the piece, it is that ‘objectivist engineers’ (a tautology) are not the same as the Skeptics, even if the comparison is patronizing. If the Subjective-vs-Objective debate ended ‘We would continue to produce, each month, a magazine of quality and integrity’. And, no doubt, Stereophile would and should continue but I rather think Art needs to write better to stay a part of it. Also, he should be careful not to patronize his boss who has done as much as anyone to marry the subjective and objective worlds (even if the result shows that the equipment that Mr. Dudley prefers is not authentic).

Regards
13DoW
Engineer (not audio!)


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Topic - Art Dudley - Listening, Nov. 2014 - 13th Duke of Wymbourne 17:50:55 11/12/14 (57)

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