Snake Oil Department, Top This

[gzost]

I don't have a technical background and I used to read a lot of audiophile press. I believed in burn in, PRAT and the like.

My road to Damascus moment was coming across issues of "The Audio Critic" online. It was quickly obvious to me that they were writing about real effects and making testable statements within a coherent system (of course with the expected amount of uncertainty) and that this made so much more sense than the subjectivist rags ever did.

Peter Aczel's (editor) standard stametement on amplifiers is a great example:

"In controlled double-blind listening tests, no one has ever (yes, ever!) heard a difference between two amplifiers with high input impedance, low output impedance, flat response, low distortion, and low noise, when operated at precisely matched levels (±0.1 dB) and not clipped."
(https://www.biline.ca/audio_critic/critic1.htm)

Every part of that is well defined and the claim would be easily falsifiable.

 

[Truth Ness]

"The best equipment racks reveal the true sound of each component, allowing you to make better upgrade decisions as you audition elements in your system. A common mistake is to repeatedly upgrade components without first addressing equipment racks and AC power; you may find that your components sound a lot better (or different) than you thought."

Without words.

 

[mhardy6647]

ELEKIT TU-8400

ELEKIT TU-8400 is available now it seems. I like the specs and description. Has anyone tried one yet?

www.audiosciencereview.com

beautiful and majestic...

 

[kyuu]

ELEKIT TU-8400

ELEKIT TU-8400 is available now it seems. I like the specs and description. Has anyone tried one yet?

www.audiosciencereview.com

beautiful and majestic...

Yeah if I ever got any tubes where the bass was merely beautiful but not majestic those would have to go straight in the trash.

 

[mhardy6647]

Yeah if I ever got any tubes where the bass was merely beautiful but not majestic those would have to go straight in the trash.

Exactly!
Best my SE 2A3 amps'll do is sonorous bass, truth be told.

 

[Ruediger]

Peace of mind - that's a good one. Who hasn't found himself in the situation of several good choices, but going for the slightly overqualified one out of this reason. Or to have some reserves, not have overseen something. Whatever we tell us. That's very human. Harmony is back after the decision and it won't come up again fast.

 

[TLEDDY]

Type: Three-shelf equipment stand
Model reviewed: VXR-1921-3V

@amirm I hope someone can send you this for a review. I'd love to hear your take on it.

Harmonic Resolution Systems VXR Equipment Rack

Harmonic Resolution Systems is a 25-year-old company based in Buffalo, New York, that designs and builds cutting-edge audio equipment racks and stands. It

redirect.viglink.com

Type: Three-shelf equipment stand
Model reviewed: VXR-1921-3V with three M3X2 bases
Price: $37,245

Ok… The Absolute Sound named this stand as one of the major innovation in the latest issue! WTF?!?
OMG! Ranks up there with $100K speaker cables, high fidelity fuses, Tice Clock ad nauseum!!

I recognize the need to make money… but, damnation! Robert Johnson made a better deal at the Crossroads!

 

[TLEDDY]

"The best equipment racks reveal the true sound of each component, allowing you to make better upgrade decisions as you audition elements in your system. A common mistake is to repeatedly upgrade components without first addressing equipment racks and AC power; you may find that your components sound a lot better (or different) than you thought."

Without words.

I am going to attempt creating an emoji of a maggot throwing up! It will be in the public domain and free to use in place of the face-palm…

 

[Ruediger]

Ok… The Absolute Sound named this stand as one of the major innovation in the latest issue! WTF?!?
OMG! Ranks up there with $100K speaker cables, high fidelity fuses, Tice Clock ad nauseum!!

I recognize the need to make money… but, damnation! Robert Johnson made a better deal at the Crossroads!

What's with the viglink referral linking... that's blacklisted everywhere here. Is that a browser extension, malware, or an actual decision..

 

[TLEDDY]

I am going to attempt creating an emoji of a maggot throwing up! It will be in the public domain and free to use in place of the face-palm…

 

[egellings]

Ok… The Absolute Sound named this stand as one of the major innovation in the latest issue! WTF?!?
OMG! Ranks up there with $100K speaker cables, high fidelity fuses, Tice Clock ad nauseum!!

I recognize the need to make money… but, damnation! Robert Johnson made a better deal at the Crossroads!

I wonder how may of those they have sold at over 37 grand a pop.

 

[MattHooper]

@amirm I hope someone can send you this for a review. I'd love to hear your take on it.

Harmonic Resolution Systems VXR Equipment Rack

Harmonic Resolution Systems is a 25-year-old company based in Buffalo, New York, that designs and builds cutting-edge audio equipment racks and stands. It

redirect.viglink.com

Type: Three-shelf equipment stand
Model reviewed: VXR-1921-3V with three M3X2 bases
Price: $37,245

This rack review is also being discussed on the more subjective Steve Hoffman forum. Even there it is coming up against some pretty strong scepticism. But of course, there are also people defending the idea. Including a subjective reviewer of course. I’m doing my best trying to explain reasons for scepticism and requiring more rigorous evidence for such claims. Having a hard time getting it to land.

 

[egellings]

At that price, that baby better have a beer dispenser on it and a toilet paper holder on the side.

 

[mhardy6647]

At that price, that baby better have a beer dispenser on it and a toilet paper holder on the side.

hmm... or maybe a beer tap and a catheter and bag.
Perpetual motion.


As "Archie Bunker" put it*

You can't buy beer. You can only rent it.

_____________
* Not original to him/All in the Family, I am certain -- but that's where I heard it first, and I try to be good about citing my sources.

 

[VisualDarkN]

Yeah if I ever got any tubes where the bass was merely beautiful but not majestic those would have to go straight in the trash.

Maybe I shouldn't use the bass knob on my guitar amp, but swap tubes instead?

 

[Mart68]

This rack review is also being discussed on the more subjective Steve Hoffman forum. Even there it is coming up against some pretty strong scepticism. But of course, there are also people defending the idea. Including a subjective reviewer of course. I’m doing my best trying to explain reasons for scepticism and requiring more rigorous evidence for such claims. Having a hard time getting it to land.

Been following that and your heroic attempts to explain it to them. Wasting your time becuase they don't have the sufficient education to understand your replies.

 

[gzost]

Most of them could understand what Matt is saying - if they had any motivation for it. Since the next step would be the realisation of how much money they have wasted and what utter dolts they have been there is strong incentive to repeat audiophile dogma instead of actually think.

At this point audiophilia is really best understood as a cult. Or, seeing how many fundamentally contradictory views there are within it about most (supposed) problems, as an ecosystem of cults, with the only universally agreed tenets required by adherents to be welcomed into the big tent being that "everything matters" and "personal experience trumps science".

 

[AdrianusG]

Ok… The Absolute Sound named this stand as one of the major innovation in the latest issue! WTF?!?
OMG! Ranks up there with $100K speaker cables, high fidelity fuses, Tice Clock ad nauseum!!

I recognize the need to make money… but, damnation! Robert Johnson made a better deal at the Crossroads!

Price: $37,245

Mkay

 

[Mart68]

Since the next step would be the realisation of how much money they have wasted and what utter dolts they have been there is strong incentive to repeat audiophile dogma instead of actually think.

This is no doubt true of the big spenders, especially if they've also established a self-image as a golden-ear guru. However there's plenty who only ever splash about in the shallow end of audio spending (the 'doorstops on DACs' crowd) who are equally unable to understand that they can't take their perceptions to the bank. So there's more to it than that.

audiophilia is really best understood as a cult.

It does bear resemblance but it's more akin to anti-vax as mentioned above - lack of education results in a summary dismissal of any confounding evidence, and an indulgence in the feeling that they're the smart ones.

 

[Alan O]

This rack review is also being discussed on the more subjective Steve Hoffman forum. Even there it is coming up against some pretty strong scepticism. But of course, there are also people defending the idea. Including a subjective reviewer of course. I’m doing my best trying to explain reasons for scepticism and requiring more rigorous evidence for such claims. Having a hard time getting it to land.

I just read that discussion, and I feel your frustration.

And I did admire your restraint, particularly on this ...

I have learned over time that there are solid approaches from experts like Jim Smith, Todd Snyder, David Ellington, Ted Denney, and Caelin Gabriel to name a few.

I think that’s about us telling a sentence as one could find on this issue. ;-)