Hans is at it again

[Soniclife]

I consider the fact that people get their information from sources like Youtube and facebook to be one of the reasons so many people believe bollox, whether in HiFi or anything else.
I don't think populist politics or this sort of hifi subjectivism or all the stronly held belief not supported by fact could so widely exist and prosper without.

People were doing quite well at being idiots before the internet, and populist politics has it's worst excess before the dawn of the internet (trying to avoid invoking godwin's law here), what I think the internet and social media has really done is exposed just how dumb the average human is, and sadly encouraged them to be confident in their idiocy.

 

[Soundstage]

Like many reviewers: it most likely never happened.

And their defence has always been the same: "That's because I only review products that I like in the first place."

So why read/watch the review then, if it is good when it is reviewed?

 

[VintageFlanker]

So why read/watch the review then, if it is good when it is reviewed?

The same reason Andrew Robinson tells us that "measurements don't matter" because "everyone in every room hears differently"... but still recommends products based on his room and ears: Enjoying complete nonsense, I guess...

 

[Mnyb]

Don't put down YT to much . I follow 100's of good quality science related shows on YT their exists many of them . If Fermilab and Royal Institution and PBS and more thinks YouTube is good place to spread the word is good enough for us .

Since they removed the 10 minute barrier a while back there is more than cat video's on YT .

If you think YT is for idiots only your not up to speed on what you can find there.

 

[Katji]

People were doing quite well at being idiots before the internet, and populist politics has it's worst excess before the dawn of the internet (trying to avoid invoking godwin's law here), what I think the internet and social media has really done is exposed just how dumb the average human is, and sadly encouraged them to be confident in their idiocy.

So I eventually realised that I was fortunate to work in an IT environment. Driving to work was something else.

 

[Mnyb]

People were doing quite well at being idiots before the internet, and populist politics has it's worst excess before the dawn of the internet (trying to avoid invoking godwin's law here), what I think the internet and social media has really done is exposed just how dumb the average human is, and sadly encouraged them to be confident in their idiocy.

And also lowered the hurdle to publish to nothing, anyone can write say a forum post like this one In the days of papers you had to send your UFO theories as a letter to an editor in some newspaper and suppose even a Rupert Murdoch owned rag would bin 90% of "letters to the editor"

 

[DonH56]

I did not, and almost certainly shall not, watch the video.

I have a passive noise-suppression device on my Ethernet line right now. It works, and I can measure the difference. It is called a "ferrite bead" and it is to help reduce radiated noise into my test bench.

 

[richard12511]

I use Youtube exclusively for video consumption. If ASR videos were hosted elsewhere, I would never watch them, and I'm sure there are others just like me.

Hosting on Youtube does have flaws, as @sergeauckland points out. However, hosting elsewhere has even more flaws, imo. Biggest flaw with hosting elsewhere is that by and large, the only people that will ever see those videos are the people who already agree with them. As mentioned, there are problems with Youtube, but all things considered, it still seems better to me to reach a much, much larger audience. The more eyes we can get on videos like ASR's, the more people we'll convert. The more people we convert, the smaller the market for snake oil will become. The smaller that market becomes, the less snake oil manufacturers there will be.

 

[Koeitje]

I don't agree.
There are sources of properly researched, peer reviewed information from proper journals.
I consider the fact that people get their information from sources like Youtube and facebook to be one of the reasons so many people believe bollox, whether in HiFi or anything else.
I don't think populist politics or this sort of hifi subjectivism or all the stronly held belief not supported by fact could so widely exist and prosper without.

Peer reviewed material is not always available for free. Your best hope is to just email the researchers.

Also there is very good material available on Youtube where experts explain concepts. I rather listen to Sabine Hossenfelder to try and understand a concept than go back to school and plough through several books and dozens of papers.

 

[Jim Matthews]

Hi guys, when did our beloved Hans dislike a product for the last time?

I suspect he only posts reviews of items he favors.

 

[Jim Matthews]

People were doing quite well at being idiots before the internet, and populist politics has it's worst excess before the dawn of the internet (trying to avoid invoking godwin's law here), what I think the internet and social media has really done is exposed just how dumb the average human is, and sadly encouraged them to be confident in their idiocy.

It's a resurgence of "Yellow journalism".

The balancing act between regulations and censorship is delicate.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I am being a bit harsh on Youtube and Facebook I realise that if you are in a position to verify the source of the information or video there is a lot of value there.
Hard to separate the wheat from the chaff though in a new subject.

 

[PierreV]

People were doing quite well at being idiots before the internet, and populist politics has it's worst excess before the dawn of the internet (trying to avoid invoking godwin's law here), what I think the internet and social media has really done is exposed just how dumb the average human is, and sadly encouraged them to be confident in their idiocy.

I tend to agree with you but also try to remember that one is always somebody else's idiot in some field.

 

[raif71]

Don't know about you all but I love Hans

 

[scott wurcer]

The same reason Andrew Robinson tells us that "measurements don't matter" because "everyone in every room hears differently"... but still recommends products based on his room and ears: Enjoying complete nonsense, I guess...

That's funny, his youtube on video monitors is essentially the opposite. Getting as close to perfect calibration for the source is important even to the point of buying some expensive software or hiring an expert. At one point he almost begs you not to adjust it to your personal preference.

 

[Emlin]

I suspect he only posts reviews of items he favors.

I suspect the he favours and reviews all products that he gets a kickback from.

 

[Grumple]

Yes, it would seem not!
The internet is used by so many people for their source of information and news that no wonder people are dangerously ignorant!

People have been "dangerously ignorant" as long as there have been people. The internet has not changed that, it has just given them more nonesense to injest. There are so many examples of people consuming idiocy that I couldn't mention them all but The Protocals of the Elders of Zion springs to mind as one example of dangerous ignorance. The problem isn't the information that is available or the platform it is available on, the problem is people.

 

[sergeauckland]

I'm not sure that the Protocols were dangerously ignorant, they seem more deliberately and knowingly propaganda. Dangerous certainly, most unpleasant definitely, but not ignorant, as I presume the authors knew very well what they were doing.

Dangerously ignorant I think applies more to the anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and their ilk that mostly don't know, don't want to know, and are proud of it.

Much like cable fanciers (albeit more dangerous)

S.

 

[Pennyless Audiophile]

When I was a child, I was reading the newspapers (I always used to read anything...) and I found them inaccurate about cartoons. I became passionate on military matters, then I found them inaccurate on military stuff. I studied history, aeronautics, then IT, then Economy and every time I became proficient in a subject, mainstream media became inaccurate.

It is positive that our information doesn't rely on mainstream media anymore, since YT, blogs and the wider Internet world do provide a viable alternative on many subjects.

In this specific case, though, the author should be intellectually honest enough to present the information leaving room for some doubt.
I am YTer, and when I am not sure I say that I am not sure; when I am just speculating, I make it clear.
That is enough: the intelligent viewer will recognize the need for further analysis.
Shutting voices up, though, is the wrong thing to do in the context of the world we live in.

 

[egellings]

YT is not curated in anyway, so bullshit lives cheek by jowl with useful factually correct information. Balance, wouldn't you know.