This exchange with
@blackdiamond has made me conscious about how I use measurements .... and how others use them. It had always bothered me that there were consumers who used measurements to find the
ne plus ultra in their quests
. All around us, we are bombarded with that type of thinking. Stereophile has its "best of ..." ratings. The car mags constantly tease us with which car is "best". Firearms publications have articles on the "best" pistol or the "best" shotgun. Even yoga pants are "rated".
I can see that this competitive way of thinking has become part and parcel of our modern society. Everyone wants to know, "Which one is best, and how do I get it?". The cost of the object at the pinnacle is assumed to be commensurate .... and it usually is.
I don't think that way.
I want something that satisfies my requirements. To get to that point, I use measurements,
but I use them to reject what is inferior or inapplicable. The remainder are all "good enough", and
further winnowing is based on purely personal or financial criteria.
I have noticed that some people are offended by this way of thinking. They view "good enough" as a heresy or a crime. They call it "settling for second-best", and deride it.
I don't view it as settling for second-best at all. Sometimes I view it as settling for third-best.
Seriously, though ....... I view this competitive mode of thought with a great deal of discomfort. It breeds dissatisfaction and causes consumers to not use that which is useful and not apply that which is applicable, all because they overlook what is at hand while they gaze wistfully at the horizon for something "better". (Notice I said "consumers". I realize that scientists and engineers constantly search for something "better".) By association, this means that I reject uncontrolled consumerism.
So when
@blackdiamond asked about selecting a DAC, amp, cables and so forth, I was in a quandary. I was at a loss what to tell him. I kept thinking, "Well, just pick one that works. There are hundreds." That's how out-of-touch I am with the competitive (or comparative) way of thinking; I don't know how to explain "good enough".
All I know is that I enjoy listening to music on my "second-best" system, and my sleep is not disturbed by thoughts of "gotta-have-it" or "is-this-better-than-that". If I could give that peace to
@blackdiamond , I would consider it a wonderful gift.
And if that's a crime, then I'm happy to be a criminal.
Jim Taylor
p.s. - The biggest reason I liked ASR when I discovered it was that Amir seemed to concentrate on showing which items
didn't met specs. That was the sort of information that I desired. I wasn't interested in finding out how many veils were lifted.