Audiogon thread critical of ASR

[Astoneroad]

I think I saw someone in the thread saying that ASR doesn't "respect alternative facts". I don't really know how to unwrap that one.
If you jump from a plane with no parachute because you believe in "alternative gravity", it probably isn't going to end well for you.

A lifted veil is just a parachute turned upside down.

 

[Vacceo]

"nothing different from the communist countries."

OK, then.

I'm quite sure there is also a Jewish conspiracy that manipulates the Japanese to produce veiled gear on purpose because you know, Marantz does not sound very WASP.

I have listened to quasi-fascist comments like those before. And yes, it's disgusting.

 

[RichB]

I sold a couple of pieces of gear years ago on Audiogon but the last time I tried they wanted so much banking information I gave up.
This site seems primarily for resellers.

Now, I just use: https://www.usaudiomart.com/

- Rich

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Angry Audiogon Audiophools

Wow. I'm always amazed at the zealotry of belief and the rejection of science. Humans, as a whole, haven't evolved a bit in this regard... by looking around and reading the headlines... "Time's Up".

For humans to evolve, our senses and brain would need to evolve to a point where there are no longer perceived differences when there are in fact none to perceive.

As long as that isn't the case, some people will opt to go with what they perceive rather than what they know on a theoretical level, because ultimately: they listen with their imperfect senses/brains and not an Audio Precision™ analyzer. Add in group dynamics of "I can hear it, can't you!?" and you have a recipe for disaster.

So, this is an unrealistic expectation.

What could and should evolve is the marketing/production side. They could cut the lies, publish honest tests like Amir and not try to make a quick buck by abusing the rather underdeveloped human psyche.

Probably an equally unrealistic expectation, as greed seems to be one of the defining aspects of human beings.

 

[fpitas]

Being a cynical and suspicious miscreant, I have to wonder if any of the anti-ASR threads over there are written by snake-oil salespeople.

 

[Benton1234]

It's really disappointing reading just a few comments left in that thread. Assuming that everyone here doesn't listen to anything and just reads graphs and specs for fun as if everyone here has a twig, resistor, and some cable for their equipment hahaha.

I never understood the gatekeeping either, if you really believe you've found audio nirvana, wouldn't you want to share it with others, even if there are measurements proving otherwise? There are some very humble optimistic people even on these forums that believe their equipment, no matter how poorly it may measure, makes a difference to them and the community is very accepting. If it makes you happy, that's all that matters in the end.

That is something incredibly rare to find in almost any audiophile gathering I've seen in the last 10 years.

 

[julian_hughes]

But the silver wire sounds bright and the copper cable sounds warm. Facts.

That's why I use aluminium wires. They sound more modern than those old fashioned metals.

 

[Prana Ferox]

I'm quite sure there is also a Jewish conspiracy that manipulates the Japanese to produce veiled gear on purpose because you know, Marantz does not sound very WASP.

We're more funny hats and sometimes wigs. No one brags their music sounds like a funny hat came off. For veils you're thinking of the other guys

 

[Astoneroad]

That's why I use aluminium wires. They sound more modern than those old fashioned metals.

That's why I use iron wires... just like the ancient speaker wires discovered in Iron Age burial sites.

 

[Beershaun]

People tend to get mad when you take money away from them. There is a lot of high dollar stuff sold used on audiogon and when ASR comes along and says cheap new stuff is better than expensive used old stuff the value of things being sold on Audiogon goes down. And then Audiogon's revenue goes down. ASR is bad for their business.

@amirm should be popping champagne every time a major audio site complains or tries to fight ASR. It means he's having an impact on the community.

 

[sq225917]

People have different motives shocker, money clouds opinions, people think their viewpoint has wider application, science is absolutism, our hifi isn't good enough, our hearing is substandard, etc etc. Does that about cover it?

 

[Deleted member 21219]

I've attempted rationalizing and psychoanalyzing the little bit of reading that I did at the Audiogon webpage link. The feeling I was getting was that some peeps are left out at ASR because they don't have the acumen to hang at ASR, their approach gets them into unfamiliar waters and they get into friction here at ASR. Others are whiners and they just make mind spin about the horrible people at ASR. One peep was complaining about the music.

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right. People are born with different gifts and talents to different degrees. I'm not very smart, and sometimes it shows ..... to an embarrassing degree .
Then again, I'm not resentful of the people who are smarter than I am. It is what it is.

Jim

 

[Astoneroad]

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right. People are born with different gifts and talents to different degrees. I'm not very smart, and sometimes it shows ..... to an embarrassing degree .
Then again, I'm not resentful of the people who are smarter than I am. It is what it is.

Jim

If I'm the dumbest guy in the room, then I can learn from everyone that's smarter than me and I'm very comfortable with that. I have found that most people are very uncomfortable being the dumbest guy in the room... so they don't hang out with smart guys... like my family for example... lol.

 

[SKBubba]

If I'm the dumbest guy in the room, then I can learn from everyone that's smarter than me and I'm very comfortable with that. I have found that most people are very uncomfortable being the dumbest guy in the room... so they don't hang out with smart guys... like my family for example... lol.

That was one of the best things I ever learned in life and especially business. I always wanted to hire people smarter than me and end up being the dumbest guy in the room. Worked for me. Learned a lot. And we had good teams.

 

[tmtomh]

I didn't read beyond the first 4-5 posts in that Audiogon thread, but my interpretation of the original post in the thread is that the OP genuinely cannot believe that the measurements show what they show. I don't want to spend the time to revisit it, but doesn't the OP include a statement to the effect that ASR says $500 speakers sound just as good as $1000 speakers? I remember reading that and thinking, "that's not a very large magnitude of difference in price, of course that could be possible." So whatever the thread as a whole might be motivated by, I think the OP exemplifies the religious faith cultivated by the industry - what ASR says simply can't be true to folks like the OP because their entire audio worldview is predicated on the myths.

 

[Vacceo]

We're more funny hats and sometimes wigs. No one brags their music sounds like a funny hat came off. For veils you're thinking of the other guys

The Jews I listen to typically include lots of distortion. Think of bands such as Salem.

If there are veils in that, they're definitely hard to listen to.

 

[DMill]

I think the OP exemplifies the religious faith cultivated by the industry - what ASR says simply can't be true to folks like the OP because their entire audio worldview is predicated on the myths.

It’s an e-commerce site. spend more=better reproduction. It’s probably the only thing I don’t enjoy about this hobby. I’m actually surprised they are still around. EBay is just fine for what that site was intended for and figured it out long ago.

 

[Ken1951]

Back to our regularly scheduled pogrom.

Made me laugh out loud! Thanks!

 

[Axo1989]

Being a cynical and suspicious miscreant, I have to wonder if any of the anti-ASR threads over there are written by snake-oil salespeople.

We’ll, the OP (in that thread, not this one) confuses Darko with ASR, so I doubt it in that case (I don’t follow Audiogon forums generally, so other cases may well exist).

 

[coonmanx]

I used to post a lot over on Audio Karma. But then I saw a thread where they were bad mouthing this place. Have not been back on there since. It's called the echo chamber of the internet.