Chris Hornbeck wrote:
On 25 Sep 2006 03:09:39 -0700, "Andre Jute" wrote:
Bring on your topics, Chris. We could do with some fresh air in RAT.
[various snips]
if I may, a few
possibilities:
1. Unweighted THD is useless as an indicator of quality.
2. Unweighted IMD " " "
No argument about points 1 and 2; I just normally put it more
emotively.
3. We make totally unwarranted assumptions of monotonicity.
This is a fatal flaw in our thinking, and we all do it, all
the time.
4. We make often unwarranted assumptions about input signal
bandwidth.
5. We *always* *without exception* forget to properly weight
the importance of simply being upstream in the signal path.
Always.
When you find the time, please elaborate on points 3, 4 and 5.
6. Loud voices will say that everything (that doesn't include
the dreaded vacuum valve, scourge of nations) sounds the same.
This has recently been expanded to include transistor amplifiers
from the early 1970's, by certain especially vocal ideologes,
in another thread, this very week.
Against such a religious fervor, nothing can stand.
This relates back to points 1 and 2, where for judgement has been
substituted the belief that when the master tape is reproduced with
under-x per cent of THD, the engineer has faithfully performed his
service. In human terms, elevating a single measure of goodness so high
is inspired by fear, a desire to control events (can't let a bunch of
arty-farties substitute taste for what engineers "know"), which is also
a form of fear, and of course the largest fear-reflex of them all is
religion, the defense against fear of the unknown darkness.
Modeling and analysis are essential; but the map is not
the world.
Actually, the only °essential* is having some method of deciding where
you want to arrive. High fidelity went wrong long before Mr Leak's
inspired marketing terminology (Point One) became an engineering
article of faith, but that set the seal on the decline.
Which conclusion? That "triodes sound better" or that "there must be an
electrical explanation"?
Strong agreement with the former;
That's why we are here.
strong disagreement ('cause
that ain't science!) with the latter.
Eh? Surely a thermionic valve is nothing but a bunch of electrical
impulses created by vacuum, wire and electricity? Whatever happens in
there, regardless of whether we can see it or not, regardless of what
we call the result, *must* perforce have an *electrical* explanation.
°That* is science. Anything else would make me uncomfortable -- and me
a certified witchdoctor!
"Take the money and run" -- Len Deighton
And also... who? Bob Segar? Somebody like that, anyway.
Woody Allen. From of an early movie about a hapless bank robber. Len
Deighton, one of the best novelists ever to work in the thriller genre,
was referring to a novelist's relationships with "moom pitcher pipple".
Much thanks, as always,
Chris Hornbeck
Andre Jute
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