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

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Re: For The Record....

Posted by kerr (A) on October 25, 2006 at 05:31:32

In Reply to: Re: For The Record.... posted by andy19191 on October 25, 2006 at 03:30:33:

>Again, it not your experiences that are being questioned but your incorrect projection of them onto hardware guided by the marketing of the audiophile industry.<

I guess I've only gone to the extent of "put A in the system, sound is X - put B in the system, sound is Y - therefore A sounds different than B". Typical for most consumers.

When we're discussing sonic differences in electronics, I'm getting the impression you're thinking I'm comparing tubed electronics to solid state. I'm not. I'm talking about two solid state amps with identical measurements. Just checking to make sure we're on the same page here.

>If the large cable companies with their knowledge, resources and strong interest cannot come up with a single example what do you think are the chances for you, tubeguy or myself? Is it worth bothering about unless, of course, you have a reason to believe?<

Perhaps the large cable companies feeling it's not worth bothering about is the reason they have not shown a single example. But do check the archives for JNeutron's IID discussions. I'd be interested in your feedback.

>So you would consider your perception of sound to be perfectly correlated with the sound impinging on your ear and that it remains unaffected by experience, expectation, visual cues, tiredness, chemicals, etc... <

Not at all. I just don't compare components when I'm tired or have had a couple of drinks. Critical listening is for when my mind is unencumbered with outside influences. As for expectations, I can think of several occasions where the component I thought sounded "better" was less expensive or uglier or more common or some such. Many, many times I've heard no differences at all.

>Consider the oft reported case of audiophiles comparing cables and reporting differences when they think they are listening to different cables but are in fact listening to the same one again. Are such audiophiles truthfully reporting perceived differences or is everyone of them telling lies to champion the cause?<

I think sometimes audiophiles want to hear differences, particularly when blind testing. BassNut has brought this up many times. Sometimes they are pressured into it, either by themselves or others. I'll never forget the time an audio salesman nearly booted me from his store because I consistently could NOT tell the difference between a normal CD and one treated by his Bedini Clarifier. Man, was he pissed! There were other potential buyers in the vicinity, you see.

Finally, you say that we project our impressions onto the hardware. While that's true to a degree (certain components have sonic signatures) I think we're all pretty careful to say that it's dependant on the rest of the system, the room and the individual. I can't imagine someone stating unequivocally, for example, that Preamp A will sound bright in all systems. It usually goes without saying.

As I've said before many times, I'm the student, not the teacher, and it's particularly true in this area. Are you going to do as many have done before and tell me to do my own research or are you at least going to give me some hints as to what to look for???

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