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Instead I'll give JGH himself the final word:

Differences among the best high-end components are becoming so small that it is increasingly hard for a self-professed golden ear, let alone a professional reviewer, to hear describable differences. Those who work at it can still come up with something to talk about, but we are all working these days at the very limits of human perception, where the detection of tiny differences is often more a matter of feeling—of responding to the sound at an emotional rather than analytical level—than of observation. There is a tendency to reach out toward what we are hearing, meticulously winnowing every aural cue that we can hang an adjective on. And at this point, the question of what is a real perception or an imaginary one becomes significant.

This was written in an AWSI column by The Man Himself, in 1987. He continues, later:

Perhaps what bothers me so much about the Belt affair is the alacrity with which supposedly rational, technically savvy individuals have accepted, on the basis of subjective observation alone, something which all their scientific and journalistic background should tell them warrants a great deal of skepticism. But then, perhaps I shouldn't be that surprised.

Read the whole thing. Apart from stating, in no uncertain terms, precisely what you've accused me of polluting his legacy by repeating, it also illuminates the whole IC affair with the light of his analytical, common-sense approach, as applied to L'Affaire Belt". (Thanks to TJE for sending me this link a few weeks ago.) Not that this matters, but I had not read this piece when I wrote my May AWSI. I'm glad I hadn't't, because if I had I probably wouldn't have bothered and we'd all have missed this fun.

In short, perhaps you should reexamine what you THINK high-end audio is about...especially if you intend to continue to hold up JGH as high-end audio's patron saint.

Best Regards,
Jim

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