Except of course, that for every unaffordable product that does nothing or worse, there is another, barely affordable product that “offers most of the experience” and those are the ones that take our money.
It redirects money that would otherwise go towards advancing the entire industry. In most other industries, when you pay top dollar you get the latest, best thing with the most advanced technology, and it funds research and development to keep the technology moving forward. Audiophoolery sucks that money into a black hole.
A $10 watch from Walmart will demonstrably outperform a $100k Swiss trophy watch.
automatic watches are awesome. I have a simple Hamilton that’s within 3 seconds a day. Pretty awesome when you really think about a mechanical movement being that accurate. Bought a Sinn a few years back for every day. Damn thing is just as accurate. Gotta love the Germans. I don‘t see much snake oil in the watch market. The movements in the watches are tested, just like we test stuff here. Of course your Apple Watch tells time perfect, until you can’t plug it in every night.A $10 watch from Walmart will demonstrably outperform a $100k Swiss trophy watch.
Maybe it's time for wristwatchatchsciencereview...
Then it’s just a sad looking microchip on your wrist. TBH I really don’t like watch comparisons vs audio. But I get it. Rolex=Mcintosh. Nice thing about watches is really no snake oil, just a ton of money if you like them.I think of watches as more jewelry to begin with, but yeah watch analogies to audio....meh. 3 seconds a day works out to accuracy of .000347 %. Watch SINAD would count how audibly it ticks?automatic watches are awesome. I have a simple Hamilton that’s within 3 seconds a day. Pretty awesome when you really think about a mechanical movement being that accurate. Bought a Sinn a few years back for every day. Damn thing is just as accurate. Gotta love the Germans. I don‘t see much snake oil in the watch market. The movements in the watches are tested, just like we test stuff here. Of course your Apple Watch tells time perfect, until you can’t plug it in every night.
I've never carried a watch except when I was in charge of a time clock and there were no cell phones 40 years ago.
. I don't care if they give
Long ago watches passed the point where expensive was about accuracy or toughness. Long, long ago. Wristwatches now over say $200 are just jewelry. DACs have done that too, but somehow the word isn't out. I still think watches are a bit snake oil-like (or dishonest) compared to women's jewelry. It is expensive, it looks it and it is flashy is good enough for a bracelet or necklace or ear rings. Having a mechanical watch that is expensive, not particularly accurate, and considering the workmanship is really the same thing without quite admitting it. I do get guys like those mechanical things, but I don't get spending really big money for that.automatic watches are awesome. I have a simple Hamilton that’s within 3 seconds a day. Pretty awesome when you really think about a mechanical movement being that accurate. Bought a Sinn a few years back for every day. Damn thing is just as accurate. Gotta love the Germans. I don‘t see much snake oil in the watch market. The movements in the watches are tested, just like we test stuff here. Of course your Apple Watch tells time perfect, until you can’t plug it in every night.
What's with the anti-Arial coils? Do they not like this font? I don't get it.
That's because it takes some real effort to demonstrate that the cheap DAC sounds the same as the expensive one, whereas any fool can tell that his mechanical watch is not keeping time as well as the $20 one from Walmart.
Seeing as how they also used a cheap-ass molex connector for the daughter card even though it professes to be some ultra-high end product pretty much says what you need to know: "We sat around with a drill for a couple of hours twisting wires together, dicked in Cadence making some squiggly traces, and called it a day. Let those sweet bucks start rollin' in baby!" There is something to be said for such profound dishonesty in that they will make a shitton of money off of all the knobheads that will buy these things.
Out of curiosity, and with apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, what was the method of faking? Volume control manipulation? Different source material?
I guess its like SQ in that even inexpensive products can be close to SOTA, or even SOTA when it comes to electronics. I have a wall clock I got from Summit Racing with an order years ago that is accurate to a few ppm (probably down to luck of the draw with the crystal). But still the fact that accurate timing can be had for a few bucks means we mustn't talk of such things lest the obvious come to light. But I doubt buyers in this segment actually buy their watches with any thoughts of accuracy in mind.
True, they don't. But pre-quartz, that wasn't true: accuracy in watches was difficult to achieve and expensive, and so was prized. Now accuracy is cheap, and so is not prized.
Having now read the blurb for the DirectStream 2, I'm surprised that nobody is suggesting that analogue, handwritten labels are the only true way forward?
What is the point of such a review? Reminds me of the audio reviews in 6moons.com which are pretty much useless. If it looks neat or weird, and is expensive it gets a good review. No connection to actual performance. The guy compares it to some other very similar looking watches all working on a similar principle and costing from 15% to 500% as much in a section labeled value proposition. Why this $9000 one instead of the $40k+ watch none of which are much about keeping time? How is there any value beyond just advertising status? How is there any personal satisfaction? I just don't really grok that whole expensive watch thing.
I would say that this is what happens after something "peaks." In the context of audio, there are only so many different ways you can make a conventional stereo sound reproduction system. When the existing technological avenues have been exhausted, that is when the "boutique" market takes off. People still want something better and the feel of exclusivity, so the market caters to them with ultra upscale products that claim to deliver the moon and then some, but in reality are either snake oil, overpriced, or just glorified fancy furniture that plays music. They give the illusion of advancement in sound reproduction quality, accuracy, naturalness, or some other aspect, but in reality do nothing but empty bank accounts and end up being a tour-de-force in the placebo effect. Not saying all high-end audio is bad. There are plenty of speakers and electronics that deliver SOTA performance in an upscale package, but there are many more that obviously do not.
