Is It True? | The Ten Biggest Lies in Audio

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microstrip said:
Bob,

Next time please write the name of the author in your post. :eyebrow:
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he did

NorthStar said:
* I did not notice the writer's name. ...Perhaps it's better that way? :)

EDIT: On the top left corner it says: By Peter Aczel, Editor
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there 'ya go !

NorthStar said:
I think it's a fun read, and for some people even more fun. ...That's the main reason I posted the link. :)
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Bob, this comes up at least once a year on the various audio forums and while I agree it's worth a chuckle or two I also believe some of what preaches has an ounce or two of truth associated with it.
 
Lets start our own list based on our personal experiences. I'll go first (not in any priority order).

(1) You can always trust what you read in an Audio Magazine to be the full truth.
(2) Review articles are the best place to find out how a piece of equipment will truly sound.
(3) Cables don't make a difference.
(4) There's no difference between analogue and digital playback.
(5) Footers/racks don't make a difference.
(6) Putting together any combination of highly regarded/reviewed equipment is guaranteed to sound great.
(7) Tweaks don't work.
(8) I can hear just as well at 50 as I could at 20.
(9) The room isn't as important as the quality of the equipment in it.
(10) All audiophiles are rich.
 
BobM said:
Lets start our own list based on our personal experiences. I'll go first (not in any priority order).

(1) You can always trust what you read in an Audio Magazine to be the full truth.
(2) Review articles are the best place to find out how a piece of equipment will truly sound.
(3) Cables don't make a difference.
(4) There's no difference between analogue and digital playback.
(5) Footers/racks don't make a difference.
(6) Putting together any combination of highly regarded/reviewed equipment is guaranteed to sound great.
(7) Tweaks don't work.
(8) I can hear just as well at 50 as I could at 20.
(9) The room isn't as important as the quality of the equipment in it.
(10) All audiophiles are rich.
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Don't forget the corollary to your #1. You can always trust what you read on an audio forum to be the full truth.
 
NorthStar said:
Lol, I din't interpret your post for anything else than the words written in it and their straight true meaning. :)
...I simply divulged the full truth behind me starting this thread.
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Very good - i appreciate the authenticity and integrity. The silver lining about the article is it forces an evaluation of what does and doesnt work. And many of those tweaks or mediums have made a huge difference to my ears. My problem is i need to not sweat the equipment but enjoy the music.


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Hiker said:
Don't forget the corollary to your #1. You can always trust what you read on an audio forum to be the full truth.
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Another corollary is

"If you do not experience something then nobody else does either."

or

"If you do not experience something then anybody who claims they do are actually experiencing psycho-acoustic phenomina; i. e., they are delusional."

or

"If some idea does not make any sense to you then that idea is obviously false and irrational."

or

"We now know, understand, and can measure all electrical behavior from both the classic physics side, and from the quantum side."

or

"Anybody who says that effects occurring at the atomic level can be heard is delusional."

or

etc., etc., etc.
 
That article gives me the impression that the author had not heard a high-quality (note I did not say "expensive") music system up to that point. If he had, then I'm bewildered as to how he could have reached those conclusions.
 
(11) Spending more money always gets you better sound.
(12) If it can't be measured it can't be heard.
(13) The newest version of a piece of equipment will always be better than the previous version.
(14) Tubes sound slow and tubby while solid state sounds overly foward and fatiguing.
(15) New records don't have to be cleaned.
 
Bob, you're into something interesting here with 15 'audio truths' so far. :cool:

Shall we take one point at a time, and elaborate deeply into each one of your own fifteen 'audio laws'? ;)
...Plus the ten biggest audio lies of the original link?
 
There is a great quote in my VAC manual, I will try to find it. It's for all those people who insist on measurements rather than relying on their ears.


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NorthStar said:
Mike, sounds like Objectivity versus Subjectivity, in overall audio analysis.
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Bob, it's becoming clear that you don't believe in a lot of the things others do, as in cables, break in, or various subjective audio isms. Believe me when I say that I have no interest in changing your mind. But at the same time, people that don't believe in the subjective aspects in audio need to leave the rest of us that do, alone. And just make your statement and move on !
 
Here's what it says in my VAC manual "In the immortal words of Daniel von Recklinghausen, 'If it measures good and sounds bad, -- it is bad. If it sounds good and measures bad, -- you've measured the wrong thing.'"

Kevin's states in the manual that he builds his amps "with the critical ear as the major arbiter."

'Nuff said.

When I see a Spectrum Analyzer lining up for tickets to the next concert, I'll maybe review my position.
 
Mike said:
What a waste of space. And the world is flat. We never landed on the moon. Big foot is real. Elvis is still alive. Whatever. If the author insists that everything he hears must be measured to prove its better than he assumes our measurement tools and technology have evolved to the point where everything our ears can hear and our brain can process can be measured.

He can buy lamp cord or a clock radio with a CD player and save a lot of money.

Once again, I believe that not everything our ears can hear and our brains can process can be measured. Maybe that day will come, but until then, we don't know, what we don't know.

....did anyone note that the waste of space is almost 14 years old? Where's the author now?
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Sorry guys I agree with most of what he's saying.And Mike, Bigfoot is real,seriously!
 
MDP said:
Bob, it's becoming clear that you don't believe in a lot of the things others do, as in cables, break in, or various subjective audio isms. Believe me when I say that I have no interest in changing your mind. But at the same time, people that don't believe in the subjective aspects in audio need to leave the rest of us that do, alone. And just make your statement and move on !
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Mark, you know very little about what I truly believe and not.
But that's not the point; live and let live, we're all free to have discussions.

And what you read yesterday has nothing to do with today and tomorrow.

With regards,
Bob

P.S. If you see bad in me just tell me and I will go somewhere else.
 
Mike said:
Here's what it says in my VAC manual "In the immortal words of Daniel von Recklinghausen, 'If it measures good and sounds bad, -- it is bad. If it sounds good and measures bad, -- you've measured the wrong thing.'"

Kevin's states in the manual that he builds his amps "with the critical ear as the major arbiter."







'Nuff said.

When I see a Spectrum Analyzer lining up for tickets to the next concert, I'll maybe review my position.
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Mike, I'm not sure this quote means anything. I have owned McIntosh products for a very long time and trust their design and engineering abilities. I believe their products sound good. I would be surprised if their products did not also measure good.
 
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