Anyone read the latest from archimago's take on Stereophile editorial? Linked here:

[sofrep811]

It's VERY good. It’s towards the Stereophile editorial that snuck in a jab at Amir.

Summer Musings: On Stereophile's "Quackery, Gullibility, and Open-mindedness". Nature of audio devices. Truths in audio (and medicine).

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

 

[Katji]

I read the article itself when i found it on the front page after the [silly snide] one. It is crazy, quite depressing, and much more serious than the silly snide one. Read the comments there too, like part of it. I remember that it includes the tired old story rationalising [wealthy] nutcases buying absurdly overpriced cables.
It needs to be explained by social psychology expert, who can break it down, to some extent, so that ordinary people can understand it.
For some reason, the picture for the story is a weird beetle.
More serious - as in, if the silly snide article was worth so many pages of reaction here, this one is worth about 5 times more.
Still, motivated by the same thing - maintaining the illusion for the vested interest network of reviewers and consumers and manufacturers.

 

[sofrep811]

I was a huge fan of Archimago before ASR came around. Back then it felt like a small island for people to find someone to challenge the utter BS being perpetrated by the folks who are supposed to be helping you along a fun journey.

 

[syn08]

Long and indigest prose. Lost me after the first 20 lines, don't care about the conclusions (if any).

 

[sq225917]

That's a beautifully written piece by Archimago, logical, pragmatic and to the point.

 

[Katji]

I was a huge fan of Archimago before ASR came around. Back then it felt like a small island for people to find someone to challenge the utter BS being perpetrated by the folks who are supposed to be helping you along a fun journey.

Ethan Winer too, about amps and cables, mostly, iirc.

 

[voodooless]

It’s a bit long for sure, but absolutely spot on! A great critique of the Stereophile article!

 

[Katji]

I'm glad t hear that someone did it. It must have taken some work, some energy, because that article was quite clever - iirc.

 

[SKBubba]

Great essay. Did not know he was a physician.

 

[sofrep811]

Long and indigest prose. Lost me after the first 20 lines, don't care about the conclusions (if any).

Great. Thanks for sharing...

 

[sofrep811]

Great essay. Did not know he was a physician.

I did not as well. You can tell he had to jump in because Stereopile had to try and compare audiophilia to medicine. I don't think he took kindly to it.

 

[Gary_G]

That is quite a read!

 

[Ajax]

Thanks for sharing.

Arch is such a balanced guy, which becomes obvious if you read his blogs. He can get long winded but his pursuit of truth and common sense cannot be faulted, he is much like Amir in his work effort and objective outlook.

Both these guys show a lot of courage and conviction and deserve our support.

 

[Pablo27]

What a great essay. He / she is also a wonderful wordsmith, "The human brain is forever on a search-and-destroy mission against ambiguity"

 

[JSmith]

I like Archimago's musings... I just wish he would abandon that brown font and background of the site. It does a number on my eyes!

"The human brain is forever on a search-and-destroy mission against ambiguity"

Actually, upon reading the balance of the article, that was a quote;

In Joe Abercrombie's novel Before They Are Hanged, a character spits out this aphorism:

I did like this part;

Being open mindedness is inadequate if one is devoid of knowledge or understanding. In life, there will always be ambiguities, but not necessarily with everything we do, or every hobby we partake in because not everything is that complicated. The audio system doesn't need to be shrouded with all kinds of mysteries as if the best consumer electronics exist on a metaphysical plane. That some people go to extremes with certain audiophile beliefs more likely suggests an element of psychological health that needs to be addressed. I don't think the gray matter craves "dead certainty". I think for most of us, a reasonable amount of understanding is probably good enough, at least to steer clear of some of the most "crooked entrepreneurs" out there who claims to have magical, unproven solutions.

JSmith

 

[Blumlein 88]

I read the article itself when i found it on the front page after the [silly snide] one. It is crazy, quite depressing, and much more serious than the silly snide one. Read the comments there too, like part of it. I remember that it includes the tired old story rationalising [wealthy] nutcases buying absurdly overpriced cables.
It needs to be explained by social psychology expert, who can break it down, to some extent, so that ordinary people can understand it.
For some reason, the picture for the story is a weird beetle.
More serious - as in, if the silly snide article was worth so many pages of reaction here, this one is worth about 5 times more.
Still, motivated by the same thing - maintaining the illusion for the vested interest network of reviewers and consumers and manufacturers.

The picture is a tick not a beetle. It relates to the Lyme disease references in the Stereophile article.

 

[EL_PW]

It's VERY good. It’s towards the Stereophile editorial that snuck in a jab at Amir.

Summer Musings: On Stereophile's "Quackery, Gullibility, and Open-mindedness". Nature of audio devices. Truths in audio (and medicine).

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

Golly! Things are getting downright pugilistic in the S-Fool comments section:

Genelec G Three active loudspeaker

My review samples of Genelec's G Three powered loudspeaker came with a little hand-sized green and tan cardboard card featuring a poem in bold black letters dated 1898: At the cottage window a little bird sang. And the light of the window did flicker. And look. The roof up it sprang and the...

www.stereophile.com

I wonder who posted that...

 

[sofrep811]

I wasn’t sure where to post this? I used to have all Audio Critic magazines on PDFz They’re a great read from way back when. They’d call out Fremer, Atkinson, any Stereophile writer along with the con men who were in cahoots with them.

Highly recommend you check out this one issue I’ve linked. Promise — you will enjoy.

https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/02_PEARL_Arch/Vol_16/Sec_53/Audio_Critic/1997_Audio_Critic_No_24.pdf

 

[JSmith]

Audio Critic magazines

Quite the article/s there... love this bit;

JSmith

 

[Blumlein 88]

Quite the article/s there... love this bit;

View attachment 221043


JSmith

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