[Audio_Empire[_2_]]

On Monday, December 17, 2012 6:43:52 AM UTC-8, Arny Krueger wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message

...

On Dec 14, 8:17 pm, Barkingspyder wrote:





The nice thing about testing for difference as ABX does is that if there

is no difference detected you know that the more expensive one is not any

better sounding. Unless it has features you feel you must have or

you just like the look

better you can save some money. Personally, I like knowing that a

$2000.00 set of electronics is not going to be out performed by a

$20,000.00 set. Speakers of course, (the part that you actually hear in

a sound system)

are another story entirely.



heck if it makes you feel better about buying less expensive gear I guess

that's nice.



That comment seems to be descending a steeply downward angled nose. ;-)



But you are putting way too much weight on such a test if you think you

walk away from a single null result "knowing"

that the more expensive gear is not better sounding.



Ignores the fact that we are repeatedly told that hyper-expensive equipment

sounds "mind blowingly" better and that one has to be utterly tasteless to

not notice the difference immediately.

But your "hyper-expensive" gear is not so "mind blowingly" better than the less
expensive gear. It is subtly different, usually marginally cleaner, especially in the
top-end where the highs are less "grainy" and smoother than more run-of-the-
mill components. But many people cannot (or will not) hear the differences.
That's not their fault, really. Honest high-end equipment manufacturers use
the best quality components in their audio gear. They use the best capacitors,
the least noisy resistors, the finest potentiometers, the best grade of switches,
etc. This accounts for SOME of the high prices that these devices demand. And
it usually results in slightly better sound. But as I have stated before, while these
differences do exist, they are so small that if one bought any of them and inserted
them into their systems, after an hour of listening, they would find nothing to
complain about and happily accept the sound they are getting, forgetting any
of the differences that they may have heard in a DBT "shoot-out" between the
amps in question.



Also ignores the fact that all known objective bench testing and its

interpretation in conjunction with our best and most recent knowlege of

psychoacoustics says that no audible differences can be reasonably be

expected to be heard.

Then somebody is measuring the wrong thing.

But hey, if it makes you happy that's great.



It makes me happy to know that the best available current science actually

works out in the real world and that technological progress is still taking

place.



It makes me happy that good sound can be available to the masses if they

throw off the chains of tradition and ignorance.



I am also happy to see recognition of the fact that simply throwing vast

piles of money at solving problems that have been solved for a long time

doesn't help solve them. If we could only convince our politicians of that!

;-)



But not everyone is on board with you there.



Exactly. Those who have invested heavily in anti-science probably did so

because they are in some state of being poorly informed or are in denial of

the relevant scientific facts. There can be very little rational that can be

said to change their minds because rational thought has nothing to do with

what they currently believe.

And those who have invested heavily in the notion that current science has all
the answers, can pinch their pennies and enjoy lesser equipment safe in their
delusion that It's all the same....