It is more humane for the teacher to teach by clearly and clearly explaining to the student why the subject is important and how seriously it should be taken. Have you ever seen a new student being attacked by his teacher? Opinions may differ, but ultimately we share the same world. Maybe our perspectives are different, it shouldn't be difficult to say that the issues are mispronounced. Steve Jobs listened to everyone. evaluated the results and implemented his own ideas. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to join you. What brought me here was the hobby we all spend time on. Yes, the test is definitive. My brain will be more pleased when I use a less efficient op-amp because it tells me it has better audio performance without testing. Isn't the aim to increase the level of pleasure?
A late and maybe meaningless response here, but it worked for me at the time and may be of interest... I swear I'm trying to assist rather than preach here.
Try to take in as many live unamplified concerts and gigs as you can, to get a 'feel' for the tones, expression (or lack of it sometimes) in the playing and timbres of acoustic instruments. A live jazz group for example (might help too, if you don't care for the genre overmuch, as it's not the music we're talking of here, more the 'sound' as perceived), or a nice central seat in a concert hall, discovering how amorphous a live orchestra can sound, but getting an idea for string tone and so on and how many 'analogue orientated' domestic sound systems over-egg the emotional pudding when it arguably wasn't there so much in the recording.
Yes, I do understand that once these sounds get into a microphone, into the mixing desk and recording devices and so on, then 'processed' in the mix-down and presented for us to consume, the end result can appear squashed and somewhat mangled sometimes. When I was going through this, I used good 1950s jazz recordings that were recorded and presented as simply as possible and carefully mastered to digital with the minimum of 'interference' in the mastering and used speakers that in my smaller room, gave a splendid facsimile of the live event given half a chance (and I don't care how they measure on a Klippel
).
If you're willing to try this and in any case, enjoy live music in various venues, all this stuff about op-amps, w@nky wires and the entire 'audiophool' side of this godforsaken industry and hobby, will be put into far better perspective and bit by bit, the MUSIC and the listener's connection with it should, with luck, take over
In more recent times, I've become far more aware of the psychological aspect of listening to audio equipment, initially using the music as a tool to do this. Our perceptions when the performers aren't there in front of you and ruling the senses, are so multi-faceted, you'd be amazed by the concept, repeatable too, of 'blind level matched tests' where supposed differences completely disappear when the sight and touch is taken away.
Apologies, I don't mean to preach. I did my own limited take on op-amp rolling in my preamp and in this case, the tested difference was noise floor reduction more than anything else. These days and using loudspeakers, my hearing loses low levels at higher 'presence' frequencies, so noise is no longer a question for me and I can play vinyl when I want to and the odd tick and splat apart, I'm not bothered at all.
The MUSIC itself transcends the gear-hobby I finally discovered. I lived for years trying to balance these two things with difficulty as my work was to demonstrate, sell set up and install the gear in client's homes. The pendulum has swung the other way now for me and looking at reports of recent audio shows both sides of the pond (we've just had the Bristol extravaganza), seeing pics of room after room full of overpriced (to me) bling and boxes my wife wouldn't be seen dead living with) actually made me feel nauseus to be honest.
I'd best take me meds and crawl back under my stone now. Why do I still frequent here? You can't take it all away from me after all these decades...
