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

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Re: Defintion of Objectivist.

Posted by Soundmind (A) on June 1, 2006 at 13:15:57

In Reply to: Defintion of Objectivist. posted by thetubeguy1954 on June 1, 2006 at 09:56:26:

An objectivist is among other things, someone who recognizes that from the output of the mixdown tape deck at a recording studio to the input terminals of a loudspeaker, a sound system is nothing more or less than a system for the storage, retrieval, and amplification of electrical signals and whether it contains intermediary elements which are optical, mechanical, or magnetic, the only rational way to judge each individual element and overall performance is by comparing electrical measurements of it to ideal standards for their function.

One advantage objectivists have is that they know that once equipment falls within predetermined limits of deviation from the ideal, there is no point in obtaining further improvement because it doesn't result in superior usable function. Another is that when equipment which measures well doesn't result in satisfactory overall performance, the place to look for the problem is elsewhere.

People who are not objectivists would give you a million and one reasons why a problem is anything but what can be measured. They would have you buy a million and one products each one promising a magic bullet. I'd be careful of any of them who have a vested interest in someone spending money when they make a recomendation. If there is one legitimate gripe they could voice but seldom if ever do, it's that the electrical tests normally conducted are not sensitive enough because they don't reflect equipment performance under real world conditions of use. That would lead them to insist on better tests. But that is not their customary hew and cry. By not having fixed external standards to which people can hold up each individual piece of equipment and agree on the degree to which they function to meet or fail to meet those standards, they can advocate an endless and changing stream of equipment which generates endless expense for those who follow their advice and endless profits for those who make, sell, advertise, and review them.

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