Propeller Head Plaza Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

---

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Propeller Head Plaza ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

"Only 1% Jim"? - (A reply to a posting by Jim Austin.)

Posted by May Belt (M) on March 11, 2007 at 05:09:54

Quote from Jim :-
>>> Still, it's great fun, and I've got enough of a rebellious spirit to believe that, though 99% of the work that defies (willingly or unwillingly) scientific orthodoxy is likely to be worse off for it) occasionally the result is something brilliant and special--and something that would be inhibited by too much focus on scientific orthodoxy." Jim. <<<

I suggest Jim, that your proposed 99% (of the work that defies (willingly or unwillingly) scientific orthodoxy is likely to be worse off for it) is too high as this only leaves 1% that might be 'brilliant and special' !!

A further quote :-
>>> "It's interesting to me that, as that article indicates, sometimes things that techy folks think are impossible end up being not just possible but demonstrable via blind tests. In other words, some of those audiophile staples proved to be things that the measurement folks couldn't measure. I think blind tests have problems, but I think we've given up on them too quickly. But clearly we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss something people claim to hear just because 1. we can't measure it, and 2. it hasn't (yet) been demonstrated in a rigorous test.
Jim " <<<

Quote from theaudiohobby in reply to Jim.
>>> "Well, I suppose the challenge will always be how to seperate the wheat from the chaff, how do we identify valid observations?" <<<

Quote from Jim Austin.
>>> "But the problem is made harder still by the fact that sometimes those folks are right and the scientists are wrong. You can't just dismiss 'em (well, some of 'em you can, but not all of 'em).
I just don't quite believe that John Curl is hearing things when he says he hears differences between caps. Or--however kooky it sounds--when Charles Hansen claims to hear differences between cable supports made of different kinds of wood, I don't exactly believe him (that just sounds too crazy), but I don't dismiss it outright either. Call me gullible but it seems to me that these are serious people with obvious technical skills, and the idea that they're faking it just isn't consistent with what I know (or think I know) about their characters (I don't know either personally, beyond our exchanges on the Internet and by email).
Keeping a truly open mind while not being taken in by hucksters is hard. It's a very delicate balance." Jim <<<

Jim. It should not only be the case of whether or not you believe if John Curl can hear the difference between capacitors or whether or not you believe Charles Hansen can hear the difference between different woods or whether or not you believe that Martin Colloms can hear differences in the sound from the same specification components but made of different construction materials and used in a PASSIVE position in a circuit !! It should not only be the case of whether or not you believe that John Atkinson can hear painting the edge of a CD improve the sound and where John says "As for an explanation, don't ask." Or whether or not he can hear the Ayre Myrtle Blocks placed under equipment improve the sound and where John says ""Don't ask me why they have an effect". Or whether or not you believe that Barry Willis can hear the Shakti Stones placed on pieces of equipment improve the sound and where Barry says "What exactly they're doing, or how exactly they're doing it, I'm not sure." Similarly when Wes Phillips placed his Shakti Stone on top of the Super T amp he was reviewing Wes said "giving the amp a heretofore unsuspected clarity and, yes, focus. No, I have no idea why the Shakti Stone works." Or whether or not you believe that Michael Fremer can hear de-magnetising a vinyl record improve the sound.

YOU, Jim, should have been experiencing things affecting YOUR sound which should have left you as perplexed as they are !!! YOU should have been struggling to describe, from your personal experiences, instances when your sound had changed - and where you could find no explanation for what had happened from within conventional electronic or acoustic theories !!! If you have been listening for any length of time, then many of these things should have also been happening to YOU !!

It should not only be the case whether or not you believe Wes Phillips' description after fitting some of the Furutech Room Diffusers - "This is a hard one to explain - it sounds as if I'm finding more and more detail"
Of course Wes is hearing more and more detail just as do the people who describe hearing 'more and more detail' after trying the Clever Little Clock. Their descriptions of what they are all hearing are practically identical !! The 'more and more detail' they can hear has actually been there, in the room, all time - but they had not, previously, been resolving it correctly!!!

Do you really think that all these people (and many other well known engineers over the past 30 years) would have risked their reputations describing their experiences if they did not believe it was important to do so ?

You make a snide remark about the Intelligent Chip ("made in that factory in China"). Do you really think Ken Kessler and Steve Harris would risk their reputation giving a demonstration of the said Intelligent Chip to an audience at a London Hi Fi Show a few years back just in order to have some fun ?

Do you really believe that Julian Vereker would risk being ridiculed by marking arrows (showing the direction they had to be connected) on some audio cables he made if he did not believe that it was important to tell people that the cable sounded better a certain way round.?

Do you really believe that Ivor Teifenbrum would risk being ridiculed by demonstrating how a telephone in the room could have an effect on the sound if he did not believe it to be important to tell people ?

Of course John Curl can hear differences in sound with capacitors of the same specification but with different insulation layers. Of course Charles Hansen can hear different woods sound different. Of course all these other people can hear what they claim to be able to hear.

With many hundreds of people describing hearing changes to their sound - in most cases improvements in their sound - with so many different audio systems in so many different locations - but where their descriptions are practically identical - "greater height, greater depth, greater width, better separation of instruments, better clarity, better focus, extension of treble and bass etc, the 1% of "discoveries which might be brilliant and special" is far too low !!
Regards,
May Belt.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

VH Audio

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---