you're right but in this case we have the measurements too.
Yes, for me the ideal review is subjective and also with measurements.
Plus many of these reviewers use and promote expensive foo - so can I really trust that they know what they're doing?
Given your suspicions, I can see why you wouldn't put any credence in subjective reviewers. I read them for entertainment, but also find some of the descriptions perceptive and informative (when I've had experience with the product).
But isn't the fundamental issue here that our aural memory is pitifully short - so how meaningful is a comparison to "other speakers on hand" ? How did he do the comparison - did he have an autochanger like Revel
Was the comparison side by side and immediate or over many days with gaps. I just don't think it's very helpful. Just a personal POV.
Each reviewer identified sonic characteristics, including colorations in the bass regions that showed up in measurements, without a revel switcher. And they, especially Herb, described to the reader the type of sonic, subjective effect this has on voices and instruments in that affected region. That's information that the measurements don't just "tell you" UNLESS perhaps you have tons of experience correlating speaker measurements to their sonic characteristics playing music. But most audiophiles don't have that type of professional or DIY-type experience. So it's helpful when someone translates the measurements to "what it sounds like and why you might care." And that's what subjective reviewers do, even often when measurements aren't available.
I've said many times before: the strategy of only looking at measurements, and winnowing down your speaker choices based on "good measurements" is obviously a very reasonable approach. There's not a thing I have to say against anyone choosing that rational route for their purchases.
I only try to make the case for why subjective reports and reviews can be useful for me, and many other audiophiles. Because in that gig people are looking at wide variety of speakers and not just going "good" or "bad" based on measurements, but "this is how music sounds through X, and how it sounds through Y." Which serves the more open-ended interests of some audiophiles. And this means the subjective review crowd CAN be attuned to detailing the type of sonic traits that I might very much covet, which would not be bothered with on a forum like this.
For instance, when I first encountered my current speakers in an audio show then an audio store, some sonic traits immediately jumped out and had me super excited, much more than most speakers I listen to. One trait was subtle but very particular: a super smoothness that, in subjective terms, seemed like a "lash of hash or grain" to the sound and a sort of "black background" effect. That is simply what came to mind when I heard them, as well as other traits, with all my favourite tracks. Having discovered this brand first in hearing it for myself, I looked up reviews and found that
almost every one spoke about the particular sonic attributes I felt I heard. It's the type of stuff, and language that people attracted to ASR will say "what is that? Flowery B.S.? Just show me the measurements!" But it's some very particular qualities that some audiophiles listen for, and care about, that I'm confident would go unremarked upon here. Not because people couldn't hear it, but because it's the type of stuff I don't see people discussing here, since it's more about 'does it measure well against THIS curve or not?' type discussions.
ASR self selects for a certain type, I think, in terms of the engineering "more comfortable with numbers, not subjective language" type. But some of us are maybe wired a bit different and really enjoy the exchange of subjective impressions, and the attempt to describe sound in words, which can actually be informative. And I can see some of that information in the review quotes I gave.
Herb has also had in for review both Joseph Audio and Harbeth speakers, both of which I've owned. In his Joseph audio review he compared the traits of the Joseph speakers to the Harbeth and he NAILED exactly the differences I heard between them, precisely the differences that stuck out to me as an owner. Again, that can be informative...IF one cares about information in that form.
Cheers.
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