Waiting for the Truth

[Frazeur1]

Here in lies part of the rub, we all have different ideas on what a good review is, or what it is to include. Some people are more technical-minded, some not so much. And then we have each reviewer doing his personal take on things, it certainly is a hit or miss type of thing, or at least maybe one might get little bits of this and that?

I do not read reviews often, but I used to, mainly the typical ones, HFN, Stereophile, TAS, and some of the online review thingies. I think maybe the best one can really do is once you have followed maybe a handful of your "preferred" writer/reviewers, and have actually gone and put your own ears to the equipment that they have reviewed, one can at least get some sort of idea about what they are on about. As long as those reviewers don't waffle around and keep their own priorities as to what they like, it at least gives you a smidgeon of a baseline-if that is at all possible.

In the end, we owe it to ourselves and our own ears regardless. I find most reviews difficult at best, like a chef trying to describe how a certain food would taste to a person that has only ever eaten at Mc D's.

[Firebottle]

..... like a chef trying to describe how a certain food would taste to a person that has only ever eaten at Mc D's.

Good analogy

I, along with many others, find it difficult to describe all the nuances of the sound 'picture' in front of you.

Marco can get a bit 'flowery' in his descriptions for my taste (no offense) but does have a far better gift of audio description than I.

For my part I like transparency, I can tell if there are low level distortions due to a softness or 'mushy' presentation, however small.

What turns me cold is the distinction of bass, mid and treble when describing the sound, in my mind quality equipment should have no trouble in presenting a very wide bandwidth without trouble.
The only kit that may fall short of this is speakers, particularly at the bass end given size restraints.

[Marco]

Good post, Timothy. I completely agree.

The folks I don't understand are those who aren't sufficiently technically minded to understand the proper meaning of graphs and measurements, but are nevertheless 'impressed' by them and/or folk who seemingly can waffle eruditely about electronics, but might have the 'musical ears' of Dr Deaf! What da fuck's all that about?

The audio designers I rate the most aren't necessarily those who can recite the contents of whatever technical journal is considered as the 'ultimate bible' for electronics experts, but those who can demonstrate lateral thinking/an ability to step 'outside of the box', push boundaries, test new principles and refuse to believe that all there is to know about audio design is already known and supported by 'Johnny's book of physics'.

Most importantly of all, however, is an audio designer who can demonstrate to me, via listening to their equipment, that he or she has a bloody good pair of ears and an intrinsic and fundamental understanding of how real voices and instruments are supposed to sound! Hence why the best audio designers I've met are music lovers first and foremost, ahead of 'measurement fetishists', and possess as much passion for music as they do for building boxes or playing around with oscilloscopes!!

Marco.

[walpurgis]

Yes. Ears first! Worry about the spec and reviews later. If at all.

Just listen to equipment. In your own system where possible. To an extent, does take experience to know what you are listening for, but a bad match of component is pretty obvious.

[Marco]

Marco can get a bit 'flowery' in his descriptions for my taste (no offense) but does have a far better gift of audio description than I.

Haha - no offence taken, daftee! Sometimes you can't help be a little bit "flowery", as you're searching in your mind for words to describe a particular sound or experience, and that's not always easy.

If I'm reviewing something, I just do my best to paint a picture of what I'm hearing/experiencing in a way that (hopefully) readers and/or potential customers can relate to. You also need a PERSONALITY, which folks either love or hate, and an ability to imbue enthusiasm. Ultimately, the important thing is that what's written gets READ...

Wishy-washy, boring bastards, therefore, don't make good reviewers!

If something is genuinely very good, I also think it's important to 'excite' people about that product, and make them *want* to try it, again via the use of descriptive language, which I do agree is a skill - and one not often appreciated by those born more gifted in the left side of their brains, than the right....



Marco [more of a 'righty' than a 'lefty']

[struth]

Haha - no offence taken, daftee! Sometimes you can't help be a little bit "flowery", as you're searching in your mind for words to describe a particular experience, and that's not always easy.

If I'm reviewing something, I just do my best to paint a mental picture of what I'm hearing/experiencing in a way that (hopefully) readers and/or potential customers can relate to.

If something is genuinely very good, I also think it's important to 'excite' people about that product, and make them *want* to try it, again via the use of descriptive language, which I do agree is a skill - and one not appreciated by those who have been more gifted in the left side of their brains, than the right....



Marco [more of a 'righty' than a 'lefty']

And calling someone a fathead is actually a compliment as the more fat in brain the better your brain works.

[RothwellAudio]

... but might have the 'musical ears' of mute!

Why would a person who can't speak have bad hearing?

But I take your point about measurements completely. In my experience it isn't at all straightforward to find links between measurements and what you hear. It isn't even straightforward to make measurements!

[Marco]

Haha, Grant - love it!

I also like the term 'helium head', which tends to mean the opposite

Marco.

[Marco]

Why would a person who can't speak have bad hearing?

Sorry, my mistook - brain freeze! Now amended....

In my experience it isn't at all straightforward to find links between measurements and what you hear. It isn't even straightforward to make measurements!

Indeed, and yet some consider them as the 'be all and end all'... 'Measurements fetishists', and those who treasure their test apparatus more than their music collection, roast my nut more than you'll ever know

And furthermore, I believe that the electronics engineers/audio designers most afflicted by that condition have been singlehandedly responsible for holding back progress in the field of recorded music reproduction more than any inventors of 'subjectivist foo'!

Why?

They think that all there is to know is already known (and proven by measurements), so they don't push boundaries far enough [often also dismissing out of hand that which doesn't 'fit' with their world view], in order to make new discoveries and thus allow proper progress to happen!!

Outside of computer audio, why else do you think that so little REAL progress has been made in the field of audio design, since the heyday of the 50s and 60s, and in terms of loudspeaker design, even earlier? The obsessive 'measurists' and rigid-thinking 'objectivists' in the industry have stifled real progress!

There's one for you to ponder, while I go out for my daily 5-mile power walk.........

Laters, muchachos!

Marco.

[farflungstar]

Good post, Timothy. I completely agree.

The folks I don't understand are those who aren't sufficiently technically minded to understand the proper meaning of graphs and measurements, but are nevertheless 'impressed' by them and/or folk who seemingly can waffle eruditely about electronics, but might have the 'musical ears' of Dr Deaf! What da fuck's all that about?

The audio designers I rate the most aren't necessarily those who can recite the contents of whatever technical journal is considered as the 'ultimate bible' for electronics engineers, but those who can demonstrate lateral thinking, have an ability to think 'outside of the box', push boundaries, test new principles and refuse to believe that all there is to know about audio design is already known and outlined in 'Johnny's book of physics'.

Most importantly of all, however, is an audio designer who can demonstrate to me, via listening to their equipment, that he or she has a bloody good pair of ears and an intrinsic and fundamental understanding of how real voices and instruments are supposed to sound! Hence why the best audio designers I've met are music lovers first and foremost, ahead of 'measurement fetishists', and possess as much passion for music as they do for building boxes or playing around with oscilloscopes!!

Marco.

You've just described the Truth and it's creator.