Zensō
Major Contributor
That’s a lot of FUD for one week. Sheesh. https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/audio-science-review-review.9827/
Although it is quite needlessly combatively phrased, and I don't necessarily expect the criticism to remain salient, IMO the comparison regarding the amplifier in the LSR is quite reasonable: if an integrated amplifier module isn't degrading the LSR305P's performance in ways that limit it compared to other speakers, presumably driven by superior amplification, should we care a listeners?
I enjoy measurements on their own merit, because it's interesting to see how things behave under different circumstances, and I admit that I have a fondness for gear whose specs are more appropriate for lab use than listening applications, but if a DAC or amplifier isn't going to dominate the audible nonlinearities of the playback system, can we really say it's a bad addition to it (particularly in the case of the el cheapo stuff that leaves more money for the speakers/headphones)?
Although it is quite needlessly combatively phrased, and I don't necessarily expect the criticism to remain salient, IMO the comparison regarding the amplifier in the LSR is quite reasonable: if an integrated amplifier module isn't degrading the LSR305P's performance in ways that limit it compared to other speakers, presumably driven by superior amplification, should we care a listeners?
I enjoy measurements on their own merit, because it's interesting to see how things behave under different circumstances, and I admit that I have a fondness for gear whose specs are more appropriate for lab use than listening applications, but if a DAC or amplifier isn't going to dominate the audible nonlinearities of the playback system, can we really say it's a bad addition to it (particularly in the case of the el cheapo stuff that leaves more money for the speakers/headphones)?
Correct.>Measurements are objective by definition,
I'm not entirely sold on "keeping manufacturers in check", to be honest - I mean, in cases like the original Asgard's shutoff behavior, or arguably something like the strange low level muting behavior on this Monolith unit, where what you've detected is essentially a fundamentally broken functionality of the device, I certainly agree. But threads like the recent DSPeaker review give me pause - when a subjectively irrelevant level of distortion or noise disqualifies a product before its likely-to-be-quite-audible features are considered, that seems more to me like we're keeping ourselves in check than manufacturers...I see the speaker measurements and electronic measurements as two completely different beasts. The electronics measurements fun to compare and (imo) important for keeping manufacturers in check, but ultimately are of little use, given that we can't hear any of it anyway. Even if there are audible differences, they're tiny in comparison to loudspeaker differences. I actually agree with him that we focus too much on tiny inaudible differences in electronic gear. Just pick something that doesn't suck and that you think looks cool and fits your budget. I see nothing wrong with that strategy, and someone who's made such a purchase shouldn't feel like they've wasted their money because there exists a DAC with 9 more SINAD.
For speakers, though, it's different. We're talking tangible differences in sound quality that can be seen by looking at the measurements provided by the NFS. Very few others out there(if any) are providing the type of speaker measurements that ASR is.
Nope. But neither should we forget that standards for full-range amplifiers in terms of distortion are higher than those for ones in active speakers. (Conversely, noise becomes more of an issue.)Although it is quite needlessly combatively phrased, and I don't necessarily expect the criticism to remain salient, IMO the comparison regarding the amplifier in the LSR is quite reasonable: if an integrated amplifier module isn't degrading the LSR305P's performance in ways that limit it compared to other speakers, presumably driven by superior amplification, should we care a listeners?
So ... Chicago deep dish pizza?
Should this necessarily be the case, though? We could set a different bar for active speaker amplifiers if we want to, but you can cram a Purifi/Hypex module in there with some elbow grease. I'm not averse to saying "this amplifier measures meaningfully better than that one", but I start to get pretty leery when we're calling products meant to be listened to bad because of nonlinearities we don't hear - I think a lot of less versed people get misimpressions about where their money is best spent, among other things.Nope. But neither should we forget that standards for full-range amplifiers in terms of distortion are higher than those for ones in active speakers. (Conversely, noise becomes more of an issue.)
Haters gonna hate. That's all it is.
A bit like the Paul McClown story... a bit of truth mixed with a bunch of nonsense and misinformation that appeals to its fan base.
SBAF is what it is with their own fanclub, BS audio has their own fanclub, ASR has their own fanclub.
There is little compatibilty in thought processes.
Why not leave it at that ?
But neither should we forget that standards for full-range amplifiers in terms of distortion are higher than those for ones in active speakers.