Hi-fi: How do we qualify subtleties?

steveinaz

One of the biggest hurdles in audio is opinion. What is one persons "huge" improvement, is anothers "subtle" improvement. How do we account for this "wrench" in the works of objectivity? There's a certain emotional quotient present, because we all get excited about new stuff. When I read thru some of my earliest reviews, I cringe. I was obviously too excited to render a proper review. This got me thinking about this topic; and also how often I see posts where people report "huge" benefits to this, or that--knowing from personal experience, it just doesn't add up--or maybe I'm possibly deaf?

So, how do we get past the "kool-aid" drinking and render a relatively objective review? How do we qualify subtleties? A couple things helped me get better at it. 1) I became more patient. 2) Rather than focusing on the good, I try to find the bad--even if it brusies my ego. This is why I constantly "opine" that if you're not spending at least a 1K on a DAC, you're probably wasting your time (and money). I say this through personal experience, and thru knowing that there's nothing worst than audio-disappointment. To me, there's not a whole lot of difference between the analog outputs of my $600 CDP, and my $1500 external DAC. Now, before you tell me: (a) I'm deaf, or (b) Told'ja so, Benchmark does suck; I know better on both counts--I'm just willing to be honest about the fact (at least in "my" measure) that there isn't a "huge" difference--at least not in the context of "huge" that I learned in school.

Do we over do it? Get a little too excited maybe? Ah, let ye without sin cast the first stone. I've been guilty of spreading a little too much sugar at times, but I'm getting better.

Thoughts?

heiney9

Steve, I can usually tell right away something is different when I put in something new, whether it's a cable, tube, piece of gear, upgraded parts, etc. The material I'm listening to has to be extremely familiar. I may not always be able to quantify the differences in those first moments, but there is an initial "ok that's different", sometimes positive, sometime negative, sometimes subtle, sometimes very obvious. I know what I like and I also have learned what to listen for and from day 1 of an evaluation. I have trained myself to listen for certain things. It's become somewhat "automatic" just like it does for other people in other hobbies who are atuned to specifics regarding that hobby or something they do that gives them extreme enjoyment. I admit, many times it's hard for me to turn these "automatic" tendencies as I am constantly evaluating and listening for things everytime I sit down to critically listen to music.

This hobby and finding the right combo of gear, recordings, tubes, cables etc can be quite subtle and I can understand those that aren't into it as much as I am or who aren't capable to listening or experiencing the same things when trying to evaluate something. It's when the people who can't do this or don't care to do this start telling those of use who can do it and care about doing it that we are all full of crap, or drinking the Kool-aid or elitist or crazy or hearing things, etc.

H9

heiney9

For instance the Stig is a race car driver. I bet he can take the same car out on different tires and go on and on about the differences in the way the car rides, handles, etc. Even if the lap times are consitent. He will feel how the car responds to the different tires even though he can still maintain consistent lap times which is the only objective way to measure. Me as Joe Schmoe can get in the car as have all the tires feel the same, because I am not atuned to what differences I should be experiencing either because I'm a novice or I don't know what to look for. Would I go and tell the Stig he's crazy, it doesn't matter, who cares because the lap times are consistent? No, I certainly wouldn't. Knowing me I'd want him to teach me how to tell the difference between the various tires so I could experience it for myself.

H9

steveinaz

I have a very good "ear" for tonal character/accuracy, though my freq range is limited, especially in my left ear. I'm very sensitive to distortions and background noise---how this is, I don't know--it just is. It's probably why cable routing/management is a big thing for me, I'm severely anal about it--no cable comes anywhere close to any other cable. The payback is dead-quiet system. I also favor simplicity--with as few connections as humanly possible. Does this help? Probably, it certainly can't hurt.

Of course a lot of this is dependant upon what you are comparing to what. I've had some cable changes that I could not detect any difference, and others where it didn't take long at all to detect a cables tonal characteristics. I'm talking "time" not the magnatude of improvement.

In my 35yrs in this hobby I've never heard anything that was a HUGE improvement over anything else; sans comparing an am transistor radio to a serious hi-fi setup. I've heard "significant" improvements (mostly associated with loudspeakers or TT cartridges). But then this is what the topic is all about, how do we qualify these observations?

Joe08867

I usually look at reviews in the perspective of immersion. Did the sound change? Did it make me feel more in touch with the music? Did it surround me or open up the soundstage so i felt like I was in the studio when they recorded it? Does it sound sparkly, brittle, bright, dark so on and so on.

I have said huge improvement three times in audio. All speaker related. The first time I heard SDA's against Klipschorns, The first time I did the 4.1TL mod and the first time I changed out the SL for the RD0 replacement tweeters. All of these changes were not slight but huge in improvement.

So I guess the word huge needs a qualifier. This was a Huge improvement to my ears or from what I had before. I try not to use those types of statements myself and shoot more for accurate descriptions. The highs opened up and the midrange was warm and smooth. That tells a person more than Huge anyday.

Huge can be taken to mean extreme and maybe someone wants just a tweak. I would hesitate to try something that is a huge difference if I already enjoy what I have. Know what I mean?