Latest Guttenberg Video talks about measurements

[Jmudrick]

I think he loves the limelight, and realizes that in his business, negative reviews are a non-starter.

Is one of the reasons if he says anything even remotely negative he won’t get sent any more equipment from that distributor?
Keith

Feel free to watch the video in lieu of guessing.

 

[mhardy6647]

Since I found this looking for a good image of Julian with a buncha electronics, and it's a photo I've never seen before of some interesting guys from hifi's (and Stereo Review's) past, I'm just going to drop it here. For posterity.

 

[GXAlan]

I just posted these measurements which sort of have the paradoxical conclusion of transparent to null testing based upon PK metric even though subjectively, it is supposed to have a sound signature.

Sony TA-ZH1ES: A DAC/Headphone Amp with a Sonic Signature?

Sony TA-ZH1ES: A DAC/Headphone Amp with a Sonic Signature? Stop. やめる. Halt. Arrêt. You probably shouldn’t read the rest of this post, it's triggering. There's a lot of speculation even though there are a good amount of measurements too. If you're looking for a transparent DAC/headphone...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[computer-audiophile]

Since I found this looking for a good image of Julian with a buncha electronics, and it's a photo I've never seen before of some interesting guys from hifi's (and Stereo Review's) past, I'm just going to drop it here. For posterity.

Thank you for the insight. I know the American scene and important personalities less well. As a pupil in the sixties I dreamed of Heathkit (unattainable, but I had the catalog) and much later around the year 2000 I studied all the Soundpractices magazines from Joe Roberts intensively. Over the decades I had owned relatively few American audio stuff, e.g. McIntosh amps and OHM F speakers and some ALTEC and JBL stuff. I was more connected to European audio technology or also Japan.

 

[mhardy6647]

Joe Roberts brought the EMILAR EH500-2 horn to my attention a few years back.
In fact, one of the two I managed to acquire came from him.
Bless his heart!

 

[computer-audiophile]

Joe Roberts brought the EMILAR EH500-2 horn to my attention a few years back.
In fact, one of the two I managed to acquire came from him.
Bless his heart!

@mhardy6647

I met a few of the audio crazies from USA when they were at the European Triode Festivals I attended. But I have forgotten their names.

My own photo with Altec horns and Classic Wien Bridge Sine Wave Oscillator

(Sorry for beeing off topic)

 

[mhardy6647]

I guess we're off topic @computer-audiophile , but, heck, a Wien bridge! Seems quantitative to me!
I am not sure what the ASR tribe would think of the ETF tribe, in fact...

etf22_012 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_036 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_061 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_073 by Holger Barske, on Flickr
Herb

etf16_071 by Holger Barske, on Flickr
Death on a board

The ETF gang seem to me to be sort of at that left brain/right brain interface, which I don't see as a bad thing at all.

I'd love to get to an ETF someday, but I don't rise quite high enough up the tubes 'n' horns social ladder...

Tschuss!

 

[computer-audiophile]

I guess we're off topic @computer-audiophile , but, heck, a Wien bridge! Seems quantitative to me!
I am not sure what the ASR tribe would think of the ETF tribe, in fact...

etf22_012 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_036 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_061 by Holger Barske, on Flickr

etf18_073 by Holger Barske, on Flickr
Herb

etf16_071 by Holger Barske, on Flickr
Death on a board

The ETF gang seem to me to be sort of at that left brain/right brain interface, which I don't see as a bad thing at all.

I'd love to get to an ETF someday, but I don't rise quite high enough up the tubes 'n' horns social ladder...

Tschuss!

I know Holger Barske who made the Photos and the whole gang very well. I used to be part of it. In the Corona era, that fell away from me, and besides, I'm getting too old to carry all those boat-anchor amplifiers. I haven't built anything interesting for a while, while the rest of the guys are getting more and more extreme. I'm beginning to lose the plot, I'm afraid.

 

[mhardy6647]

I figured you would (know Holger Barske).
I am a big fan of his photography.

I am way out of practice vis-a-vis building, modifying, or even repairing stuff myself.

 

[stevenswall]

I think he loves the limelight, and realizes that in his business, negative reviews are a non-starter.

I'd love to see a reviewer cover nitpicks and focus on issues and bad expensive things... I'd watch that regularly vs someone who is positive about everything.

Joe n Tell ranks things which is nice since it forces him to say some things are worse than others.

 

[Angsty]

What we need is to have some molecular biologists* clone or reanimate... Julian Hirsch.


He didn't really say: "Of all of the amplifiers I've ever tested, this is certainly one of them."
... but you know he was thinkin' it.

____________________
* I mean, I know some...

I'm also off-topic, but... A one dollar Stereo Review in May 1975 translates to $5.62 in January 2023 using the CPI calculator. The latest issue of The Absolute Sound or Stereophile has a cover price of $8.99. Hmmm...

 

[posvibes]

Steve Gutenberg is an enthusiastic proseltysing force for Hi-Fi and very good at it, all in all he is good for Hi-Fi in general and for Hi-Fi business he is a positive force, but he is an unreliable reviewer or "critic".

In my opinion I don't think he presents himself as a critical reviewer, these days the term "influencer" would be more appropriate. Perhaps his interest in the objectivist/subjectivist debate is superficial, immersing himself in the kind of stuff Amir does takes a real effort (Lord knows I struggle all the time in getting to grips with this stuff).

But people spend their hard-earned based on his recommendations and therefore there is some responsibility on SG to perhaps offer a disclaimer and a "but listen for yourselves and make up your own minds etc" as an influencer in the end they are just personal opinions.

 

[MattHooper]

Steve Gutenberg is an enthusiastic proseltysing force for Hi-Fi and very good at it, all in all he is good for Hi-Fi in general and for Hi-Fi business he is a positive force, but he is an unreliable reviewer or "critic".

In my opinion I don't think he presents himself as a critical reviewer, these days the term "influencer" would be more appropriate. Perhaps his interest in the objectivist/subjectivist debate is superficial, immersing himself in the kind of stuff Amir does takes a real effort (Lord knows I struggle all the time in getting to grips with this stuff).

But people spend their hard-earned based on his recommendations and therefore there is some responsibility on SG to perhaps offer a disclaimer and a "but listen for yourselves and make up your own minds etc" as an influencer in the end they are just personal opinions.

I'm pretty sure Steve has said that very, very often. One of his main themes is not "pushing" equipment at the audience and emphasizing the diversity of taste, so there is a lot of "I can say how I think it sounded and what I liked, but that doesn't make it right for you? That's of course for you to decide."

Likewise Darko is continually emphasizing the same thing - tons of caveats throughout many of his reviews - that it's based on the equipment in his room, his taste, his taste in music (he uses lots of EDM/Electronica to review), that he can't tell the viewer what to like but just describe his experience with the gear.

I'm pretty sure many regulars are well warned.

On the other hand you have folks like Jay's Audio Lab who is all about expensive gear and acting like a guru for the audience, telling them "what's what" from the perspective of "I've played with lots of expensive gear so I know what I'm talking about."

 

[SIY]

I guess we're off topic @computer-audiophile , but, heck, a Wien bridge! Seems quantitative to me!
I am not sure what the ASR tribe would think of the ETF tribe, in fact...
The ETF gang seem to me to be sort of at that left brain/right brain interface, which I don't see as a bad thing at all.

I'd love to get to an ETF someday, but I don't rise quite high enough up the tubes 'n' horns social ladder...

Tschuss!

Don't know about the tribes, but I attended several ETFs, roomed with my good buddy Morgan Jones (except the year I brought my wife along), and had a rollicking good time. Tim deParavicini and John Broskie gave me a lot of stories to tell...

 

[mhardy6647]

Don't know about the tribes, but I attended several ETFs, roomed with my good buddy Morgan Jones (except the year I brought my wife along), and had a rollicking good time. Tim deParavicini and John Broskie gave me a lot of stories to tell...

Well, heck, I collected two data points on ETF today... here at ASR!
That wasn't on my to-do list today (nor my 'to-be-expected' list, in fact)!

Cool enough!

PS I did have second thoughts about using the word tribe -- but (for better or worse) I thought it apt. Nor more, nor less, pejorative applied to ASR than it is applied to ETF. I guess the intersection of the two sets in the metaphorical Venn diagram is larger than I would have expected, though.

 

[posvibes]

"I've played with lots of expensive gear so I know what I'm talking about."

I confess I haven't watched a lot of SG through the years, but it has been a lot of years, his longevity and popularity is impressive especially as he seems to reach new generations of followers/ The sentiment of the above quote in my opinion is also implicit (consciously or not_ in SG's authority as an influencer due to his already mentioned longevity.

He has and rightly so, his own self interest to protect from a commercial point of view. I'm kind of interested in what drives audio company's to design gear to a specific quality when there is a "whatever floats your boat" message being directed to consumers that invariably leads to a non-hi-fidelity outcome, so that instead of the industry offering (near state or0 state-of-the-art solutions to the user, they could offer inferior products with good slab of marketing to support it and a trust your ears mantra sticker on every piece of gear?

I'm not talking High-End, I've never really experienced that and have no burning desire to experience it, can't afford it and I don't bend towards that direction in any way.

When I look at the mid-fi offerings of Yamaha in their amplifier offerings it seems an ethos of quality is inbuilt into those products right from the conceptual stage? I get that feeling with Topping as well of recent past reading Amir's reviews.

But if we reward those making those efforts and can show evidence of it with measurement and analysis etc then I think that will go someway to prolonging "hi-fi" as a hobby more than a "whatever you like is fine" attitude.

Amir and a few others is to Hi-Fi waht the early Ralph Nader was to the car industry.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Don't know about the tribes, but I attended several ETFs, roomed with my good buddy Morgan Jones (except the year I brought my wife along), and had a rollicking good time. Tim deParavicini and John Broskie gave me a lot of stories to tell...

That is interesting.

Morgan Jones was the one who got me to try LED biasing. I remember a lecture of him, it was very humorous and brilliant. I think it was typical old-school English humor. My wife always accompanied me, also to the German "Frickelfests" to the international "Lenco-Heaven Meets", or to several meetings of Mélaudia in Paris, which were other highlights. I'm lucky there. She also got some insight into audio through my audio pilgrimages to protagonists in Japan e.g. Unfortunately, I don't remember all the people and names I met.

 

[posvibes]

I've never seen before of some interesting guys

Is that by any chance Larry Klein the bass player one time husband of Joni Mitchell?

 

[SIY]

Is that by any chance Larry Klein the bass player one time husband of Joni Mitchell?

Nope, different one.

 

[Vacceo]

I'm pretty sure Steve has said that very, very often. One of his main themes is not "pushing" equipment at the audience and emphasizing the diversity of taste, so there is a lot of "I can say how I think it sounded and what I liked, but that doesn't make it right for you? That's of course for you to decide."

Likewise Darko is continually emphasizing the same thing - tons of caveats throughout many of his reviews - that it's based on the equipment in his room, his taste, his taste in music (he uses lots of EDM/Electronica to review), that he can't tell the viewer what to like but just describe his experience with the gear.

I'm pretty sure many regulars are well warned.

On the other hand you have folks like Jay's Audio Lab who is all about expensive gear and acting like a guru for the audience, telling them "what's what" from the perspective of "I've played with lots of expensive gear so I know what I'm talking about."

A guy who listens to EDM and has not used a subwoofer until recently does not strike me as the great conosseur he thinks he is.