Review and Measurements of Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh

[BDWoody]

Late to the party but came across these exchanges quite by accident. Since the dawn of audiophilia there have always been tension between the naysayers (the “bits are bits and no cable can render measurable performance difference” crowd) vs the converts (sound improvement is out there, subjective and always possible). Count me in the latter camp.

Previous system included a Sonos that fed a Benchmark DAC2-L connected to a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. Introduced the SM between Sonos and DAC and noticed clear improvement overall. When the time came to upgrade the DAC earlier this year I opted for a Bryston BDA-3. Once again, the SM made an audible difference with the Sonos sound vs Sonos directly connected to DAC. No other change whatsoever to system. And, by the way, my cables and connectors and PS Audio Power Plant P-10 are hardly sub-par.

So, for those of you inclined to disparage or dismiss Empirical Audio’s SM as unnecessary, ineffective, worthless gear unless you have been convinced with substantive data, graphical comparisons, blind tests, and nerd analytics, blah, blah, blah, fine! The specs, no matter how detailed, omit a fundamental sense in this hobby—your ears and how your auditory senses heighten the overall experience with familiar music. So you can keep your blind tests, grouse all you want about Steve‘s unwillingness to satiate your desire for confirming data, yada, yada, yada. The rest of us who are fortunate enough to afford spending reasonable sums to enhance our music listening experience based on real field tests that count will continue trusting our ears and our subjective experiences...and not regret money spent doing so for one minute.

And, those who resort to psycho babble to suggest we are merely justifying purchase should keep in mind that a great many of us have no problem whatsoever returning equipment that fails to perform as advertised or fails to improve/enhance our music listening experience. We don’t buy cars on specs alone; or purchase houses sight unseen based on inspector’s report only; or marry women only on the basis of measurable cup size; or purchase audiophile gear on comparative data analysis only. Except maybe for those favoring magazine brides, the subjective experience in each of those instances is a way more reliable predictor of long term enjoyment. Happy listening.

Uh huh...

 

[hyperplanar]

Late to the party but came across these exchanges quite by accident. Since the dawn of audiophilia there have always been tension between the naysayers (the “bits are bits and no cable can render measurable performance difference” crowd) vs the converts (sound improvement is out there, subjective and always possible). Count me in the latter camp.

Previous system included a Sonos that fed a Benchmark DAC2-L connected to a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. Introduced the SM between Sonos and DAC and noticed clear improvement overall. When the time came to upgrade the DAC earlier this year I opted for a Bryston BDA-3. Once again, the SM made an audible difference with the Sonos sound vs Sonos directly connected to DAC. No other change whatsoever to system. And, by the way, my cables and connectors and PS Audio Power Plant P-10 are hardly sub-par.

So, for those of you inclined to disparage or dismiss Empirical Audio’s SM as unnecessary, ineffective, worthless gear unless you have been convinced with substantive data, graphical comparisons, blind tests, and nerd analytics, blah, blah, blah, fine! The specs, no matter how detailed, omit a fundamental sense in this hobby—your ears and how your auditory senses heighten the overall experience with familiar music. So you can keep your blind tests, grouse all you want about Steve‘s unwillingness to satiate your desire for confirming data, yada, yada, yada. The rest of us who are fortunate enough to afford spending reasonable sums to enhance our music listening experience based on real field tests that count will continue trusting our ears and our subjective experiences...and not regret money spent doing so for one minute.

And, those who resort to psycho babble to suggest we are merely justifying purchase should keep in mind that a great many of us have no problem whatsoever returning equipment that fails to perform as advertised or fails to improve/enhance our music listening experience. We don’t buy cars on specs alone; or purchase houses sight unseen based on inspector’s report only; or marry women only on the basis of measurable cup size; or purchase audiophile gear on comparative data analysis only. Except maybe for those favoring magazine brides, the subjective experience in each of those instances is a way more reliable predictor of long term enjoyment. Happy listening.

Nobody is saying to not trust your ears.

That’s the entire point of a blind test. If you really trusted your ears then you would be able to tell the difference without peeking, a factor which has been consistently shown to make a huge difference in people’s impressions of things.

I’m sure you psychologically enjoy your device but saying it makes an audible difference is dubious. I guess I’m a nerd because I don’t like to waste money on sugar pills.

 

[Thomas savage]

Late to the party but came across these exchanges quite by accident. Since the dawn of audiophilia there have always been tension between the naysayers (the “bits are bits and no cable can render measurable performance difference” crowd) vs the converts (sound improvement is out there, subjective and always possible). Count me in the latter camp.

Previous system included a Sonos that fed a Benchmark DAC2-L connected to a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. Introduced the SM between Sonos and DAC and noticed clear improvement overall. When the time came to upgrade the DAC earlier this year I opted for a Bryston BDA-3. Once again, the SM made an audible difference with the Sonos sound vs Sonos directly connected to DAC. No other change whatsoever to system. And, by the way, my cables and connectors and PS Audio Power Plant P-10 are hardly sub-par.

So, for those of you inclined to disparage or dismiss Empirical Audio’s SM as unnecessary, ineffective, worthless gear unless you have been convinced with substantive data, graphical comparisons, blind tests, and nerd analytics, blah, blah, blah, fine! The specs, no matter how detailed, omit a fundamental sense in this hobby—your ears and how your auditory senses heighten the overall experience with familiar music. So you can keep your blind tests, grouse all you want about Steve‘s unwillingness to satiate your desire for confirming data, yada, yada, yada. The rest of us who are fortunate enough to afford spending reasonable sums to enhance our music listening experience based on real field tests that count will continue trusting our ears and our subjective experiences...and not regret money spent doing so for one minute.

And, those who resort to psycho babble to suggest we are merely justifying purchase should keep in mind that a great many of us have no problem whatsoever returning equipment that fails to perform as advertised or fails to improve/enhance our music listening experience. We don’t buy cars on specs alone; or purchase houses sight unseen based on inspector’s report only; or marry women only on the basis of measurable cup size; or purchase audiophile gear on comparative data analysis only. Except maybe for those favoring magazine brides, the subjective experience in each of those instances is a way more reliable predictor of long term enjoyment. Happy listening.

There's some spectacularly confused logic and miss guided analogies in this , is it a parody piece?

If not and you are absolutely committed to these ideas you might want to frequent one of the many other audio forums that's activity encourages this way of thinking .

 

[FrantzM]

There are plenty of forums where technically illiterate enthusiasts write complete bollox about things they imagine which can't possibly exist. Placebo effect. Sugar pills can cure illness in those susceptible to it, it is very powerful.
You could stick around here and learn something from people who are experts in their field or go (back?) to one of them, where ignorance is bliss and happiness doesn't require any aptitude(s) whatsoever.

IMO I am glad this place exists, it is the only hifi web site I have found so far which isn't overloaded with largely delusional opinion based on an absence of understanding basics.

+1
to WeHaDude:
If you are not trolling and sincerely want to improve your audio system and spend much. much less, stick around. Else there are many other forums on the web where you can share your ideas on audiophile cables, audiophile routers, switches and expensive audio gear. ASR is not one of them.

 

[watchnerd]

Hey, I married a magazine bride.

How do I know if I married a magazine bride?

Is there a double-blind test?

 

[WeHaDude]

+1
to WeHaDude:
If you are not trolling and sincerely want to improve your audio system and spend much. much less, stick around. Else there are many other forums on the web where you can share your ideas on audiophile cables, audiophile routers, switches and expensive audio gear. ASR is not one of them.

Wouldn’t all this brain power be better leveraged to design, develop and bring your ideal, technologically superior products to market for the listening public than trash another?

Look, as a former R&D scientist and patent agent, I appreciate the science. As a current lawyer/litigator, I prefer to let a jury comprised of the listening public decide the issue rather than biased, obstinate jury cast-offs hell bent on convincing anyone that their charts, graphs and oscilloscope sensitivities are the truest determinants of sound/sound quality. As we say in my business, your arguments (or rants as the case may be) are not persuasive.

You got a beef with Empirical Audio, take that up with them directly but don’t dismiss the experiences of the many of us whose ears and discerning systems say otherwise. Now, if you and others want to continue your nerd war about technical data, our inferior systems, placebos and sugar pills while I ready my “noise” cancellation headphones, knock yourselves out. In the meantime, bye Felicias...and, oh, happy listening!

 

[SIY]

Wouldn’t all this brain power be better leveraged to design, develop and bring your ideal, technologically superior products to market for the listening public than trash another?

Look, as a former R&D scientist and patent agent, I appreciate the science. As a current lawyer/litigator, I prefer to let a jury comprised of the listening public decide the issue rather than biased, obstinate jury cast-offs hell bent on convincing anyone that their charts, graphs and oscilloscope sensitivities are the truest determinants of sound/sound quality. As we say in my business, your arguments (or rants as the case may be) are not persuasive.

You got a beef with Empirical Audio, take that up with them directly but don’t dismiss the experiences of the many of us whose ears and discerning systems say otherwise. Now, if you and others want to continue your nerd war about technical data, our inferior systems, placebos and sugar pills while I ready my “noise” cancellation headphones, knock yourselves out. In the meantime, bye Felicias...and, oh, happy listening!

Uh huh.

 

[watchnerd]

Wouldn’t all this brain power be better leveraged to design, develop and bring your ideal, technologically superior products to market for the listening public than trash another?

It's hard to develop a technologically superior product, with audible impact, if the problem being solved is a non-issue.

 

[BDWoody]

don’t dismiss the experiences of the many of us whose ears and discerning systems say otherwise.

Why not?

Maybe ANY one of 'the many' could demonstrate their claims with more than 'cause I (we) say so...'

 

[Deleted member 2944]

IOW, "You guys don't have the money or listening acuity to appreciate the difference. I feel sorry for you."

Gawd, how tired and boring is that judgmental premise in the audiophile world. And from a lawyer no less!
Ahem.

Dave.

 

[BDWoody]

IOW, You guys don't have the money or listening acuity to appreciate the difference. I feel sorry for you.

Didn't take long. What a staggering amount of ignorance/arrogance.

I wonder if you realize the cliche you are...

 

[gvl]

I prefer to let a jury comprised of the listening public decide the issue

Sounds like someone is confused between science and democracy.

 

[watchnerd]

Didn't take long. What a staggering amount of ignorance/arrogance.

I wonder if you realize the cliche you are...

The money part is particularly funny given the gear some members have.

 

[WeHaDude]

Sounds like someone is confused between science and democracy.

Sounds like someone’s “technical prowess” renders them incapable of appreciating metaphors.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Didn't take long. What a staggering amount of ignorance/arrogance.

I wonder if you realize the cliche you are...

The knee-jerking is so ready to knee jerk that sarcasm isn't even recognized.
Good golly.

Dave.

 

[SIY]

The knee-jerking is so ready to knee jerk that sarcasm isn't even recognized.
Good golly.

Dave.

Poe's Law. Well done, Dave!

 

[watchnerd]

Watching Dragon X dock with ISS is so much more stimulating than rehashing these decades-old tropes:

 

[WeHaDude]

Guys...put down your oscilloscope leads and jitter inducers. The arrogance you complain about is on full display when you dismiss anything that counters your tests and measures in a predominantly subjective hobby. Thankfully human advancement in science and technology in this and other areas occur in spite of naysaying lab techs or those professing to be well versed in the art and science.

Should it really bother you the price the buying public or the market is willing to bear for equipment? Isn’t it enough to simply consider yourselves fortunate not to incur that expense rather than disparage or belittle user experience? Until then, I’ll simply chalk it up to something you’re all familiar with: increased but inaudible noise level! Happy listening!

 

[BDWoody]

The knee-jerking is so ready to knee jerk that sarcasm isn't even recognized.
Good golly.

Dave.

Hmmm...

Sarcasm? Seemed to simply condense everything else you were spewing into what you actually mean.

obstinate jury cast-offs hell bent on convincing anyone

Sorry if I missed whatever I missed...hard to know someone after a few fairly aggressive posts.

Welcome! Enjoy the music!
Have a nice day!

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Hmmm...

Sarcasm? Seemed to simply condense everything else you were spewing into what you actually mean.

!

I'm sorry, I do a lot of other things, but I don't spew.
If you can't be bothered to look back and understand the incorrect tangent you went off on, then so be it.
Take care.

Dave.