Home Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

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

We just have to be careful...

...to discuss our audio differences in terms of preferences rather than absolutes. Unfortunately, most of what I've learned about the two factions of audio enthusiasts can be summed up:

Subjectivist: A gullible voodooist who allows his ears to fool him and gets suckered into buying worthless items, all the while badmouthing science.

Objectivist: A bookworm with bad hearing, poor critical listening skills and/or a system without sufficient resolution to elicit sonic differences.

As it shall always be.

I certainly give the other side their due - they've got me thinking. One thing I wonder about is the "concept" of fidelity. I call it a concept simply because I think the two sides view it differently. Since it is more an objective (measurable) term than it is subjective, I wondered about how subjectivists strive for it. I think most of us don't, whether we want to admit it or not. We don't, at least not fidelity to the recording. Rather, I think we strive for fidelity to our own personal idea of what the recording SHOULD have sounded like to us. In other words, we put our faith in the musicians rather than the recording engineer. This is why low THD and all the currently known metrics are of limited value to us; we want what sounds right to us i.e tubes, vinyl, wire, etc. All I can say is that the best measuring system I ever heard sounded like garbage, even on the best recordings - ESPECIALLY on the best recordings.

What do you think, Tom? I wonder if this should be its own topic.

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

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
  • We just have to be careful... - kerr 09:18:33 11/07/06 (0)
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top 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 ]