In Reply to: Audio critics should publish their hearing tests posted by triamp on March 21, 2017 at 16:39:14:
As many have said already, it's not how much a reviewer can hear, it's more about how they hear things relative to other things.
For example, a professional wine sommelier can describe the characters of many different wines because he has spent countless hours reading about and tasting different wines. I may have a much more sensitive palate than any random wine expert, but there is no way I will be able to recognize a California wine vs a French wine. Yet the guy with the educated palate, even though it may not be as sensitive as mine, can. My sensitive palate does not make me more qualified to recommend wine than the sommalier with 20 years of wine tasting and research under his belt.
A 60 year old turntable reviewer may not have the hearing of a teenager, but he's heard thousands of different turntables and thousands of different cartridges over the years. He can instantly (we hope) hear wow and flutter. He can, even if his hearing is limited by age, hear what performs better. He also knows what is better built. He knows if the price is inflated. He evaluates the customer service. His experience in the end, allows him to recommend equipment that will give his readers the best value for money (again, we hope).
It's not just about hearing, although that's a lot of it, it's also about being able to weigh all the other factors that go into audio or any other kind of equipment and putting that all together into an informative and entertaining package.
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Follow Ups
- I don't think that matters much. - MannyE 17:46:25 04/02/17 (0)