My question: do these amplifier characteristics actually exist?
Most of them belong in the realm of speakers and rooms. Some of them are just a result of power headroom or a lack thereof. And a few of them are pure make believe.
LOL whathifi as a serious source....who does that?
Roughly ten years ago, after I had just moved, I noticed that my old speaker cables had severe oxidation throughout, and a quick online search gave me a What Hi-Fi review that told me to get some QED "air core" cable as a good bang-for-the-buck, and so I did.
Back then I still had the delusion that faulty test methods become less faulty if you just pile them up, not understanding that the self-reinforcement of bias actually makes sure the opposite is happening. Later I came across ASR, and it gave me the push I needed to put magical thinking on a shelf in times when it isn't helping the situation.
I still have the QEDs, but their permanent home is now in my "dad box" full of assorted you-never-know cables.
It gets very weird when conclusions and commentaries on measurements state that the issue being analysed is not in the audible domain (!?).
Not weird at all.
You simply take the measurement results and put them in the light of a centuries' worth of research into the limitations of human hearing.
If the comparison tells you that the chance of audiblity is extremely close to zero, then it's safe to assume that any audibility being reported to dispute this conclusion, is at an equally extreme risk of being fabricated by the listeners mind.
Ok, so what do we do as CONSUMMERS? We buy things, listen to them, then we read/ trust ASR that it measures bad. Say we listen again, preferably some blind testing, though many many CONSUMMERS have some diverse experience anyway. Still, difference is minor or we perceive no difference. What is the meaning to US, then?
Trust the people who point it out when things aren't physically possible. Use it as a guideline in times when you have the need to support the 'what' with some 'why'.
Other than that, just do whatever makes you happy.
The audio hobby is
not designed to avoid bias, so why fight it? If the look of your gear, the feel when you push its buttons and the narrative about its manufacturer and its legacy makes it sound better to you, then why not just enjoy it?
Even the die-hard "pragmatic" audiophiles can't escape it.
Huge unpainted DIY horn speakers with a stack of utilitarian PA gear powering it might give the impression that the setup has somehow circumvented the influence of aesthetics, but in actuality the "statement" of the setup will color the perception of its output just as much as any fancy high-end counterpart.
But don't confuse it with physics. A deeply personal experience is absolutely "real" to you, and you can possibly even pass on the bias through a recommendation, and make it "real" for others, but it's still not a remotely trustworthy depiction of reality.
Testing is easier and, if we choose by testing, then why do we need measurements?
A healty reality check, when needed.
Also, if you consistently choose gear by "testing" that show the same abnormalities in measurements, it might give you a helpful indication of the mechanisms behind your personal taste. You can then use measurements to weed out the gear that is highly likely to be a waste of time in your "testing".
I see here people that also do not understand measurements or acoustics, but they buy things as 'Amir says'. Not that far from the other bunch.
Trust me, I facepalm hard every time someone reports how an ultra high SINAD product takes clarity and resolution to new heights when compared only slightly less "competent" gear. And I guarantee you that most users in here feel the same.
A keystone of what makes ASR great, is the realization that no one is immune to bias. Awareness and acceptance of those shortcomings is important.
People who point at ASR as nothing but a different flavor of denial, have more or less inadvertently failed to understand what the place is trying to offer them.