Which country has the best hi fi industry in the world

[Macca]

I don't think preferring some kit necessarily makes it better per see as a stereo. If it's subjective and ones preference , it takes out the issue of what is better. Obviously you buy what you think is best, so that's the measure. It's subjective in that sense.

But there are things you can measure in a listening sense, like dynamics, scale, realism, clarity, which a more expensive system can often do better.

I could say I don't like any bass and I want an iPod dock, that's what I like, but it doesn't make it better than a system that conveys bass better, much deeper and punchier, and is £5k. The measure is what faithfully reproduces the music better. The issue with hi fi is if you sent people in with audiophile experience and asked them to score these areas - bass punch, clarity, dynamics. These are all things which make a hifi good or not. Then you'd explain it better as to what is good. If you then said do you prefer that system with better dynamics or scale, they'd probably say yes if each measure is better, which is likely.

People can't ever say that cheaper systems are better than more expensive ones as that introduces more error and multiplying each persons view. So if you wanted to do this, you have to have some science to it. Preference is another matter. But if you conceded it's just about preference you'd have to say a £150k system could be better than a £5k one even if it was not technically better on these testing variables of scale etc, i.e. Just by chance.

That's when the subjectivenss of hi fi comes in for people to then think that's not great value, my system sounds better for the money, it's not a huge difference. These are all things which make us think ours is better than more expensive systems, or difference in taste. You can put something down if the bass is less or more or whatever. But I never think that mine is best, as I know another is better. But I'm happy with what I have, more than happy.

Your confusing best in a technical sense with 'which one do you want to take home with you?'

It is one or the other, either you judge on measurements or on preference for how it sounds. Getting a load of audiophiles to listen and mark them out of ten for 'bass punch' or whatever isn't at all scientific, it's just making a meal of it.

[Dynamics]

Your confusing best in a technical sense with 'which one do you want to take home with you?'

It is one or the other, either you judge on measurements or on preference for how it sounds. Getting a load of audiophiles to listen and mark them out of ten for 'bass punch' or whatever isn't at all scientific, it's just making a meal of it.

I am confusing it purposefully because if you wanted to test the question is a £150k hi fi better than a £5k one, you'd have to test it on measurable standards and scientifically. I'm not talking sound meters but an element of scoring dynamics etc. It wouldn't be making a meal out if it. It would be testing a hypothesis and analysing that hypothesis. On what ingredients make the sound best and most faithful, what they are, i.e. The variables for this, and scoring.

I could do that with an iPod dock and my system and it would be an extreme test, but if I then got others to rate dynamics on a scale according to best, better, worse etc, you could score what's better to the hypothesis.