ASR and the rise of the intelligent idiots
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:00 am
I joined in a thread 'elsewhere' about an interview with the owner / main author of the Audio Science Review site. Here's my main contribution to that thread:
As a manufacturer, I have some concerns with the quality of some 'reviews' and 'forum speak' that surround what purports to be 'science'.
I am concerned about the lack of context that is evident in many of these 'reviews'. I wouldn't submit any of our amplifiers to some sites because they fail to take into account our design objectives. We're not trying to make an unconditionally stable amplifier. We're not trying to make an amplifier that will drive very difficult loads, to high volumes, over an extended period of time. We're looking to make an amplifier that interferes as little as possible with the signal and will sound like real music, without sonic distraction, when used with speakers that do not present unnecessary challenges. Someone like John Atkinson at Stereophile would take our design objectives into account, discuss those objectives in presenting measurements, and would pair our amplifiers with appropriate speakers to hear them at their best. I don't see that 'contextual intelligence' from some other reviewers.
A few months back, a guy contacted me because he was considering changing his amplifier - from a Sugden A21. From chatting with him, it was clear to me that the problem was not his amp, but his speakers (very complex crossover, impedance dropping to 2 ohms at lower frequncy). I gave him a list of speakers that would be a lot better matched with the Suggie. He contacted me, again, last week to say that he had changed speakers and is loving his 'new' system. I'm not going to get rich making hi-fi, am I, lol? (At some point, it became fashionable, mostly driven by the apparent desire for slimline cabinets, to design speakers more or less purely through their crossover. In my experience, such designs are music killers.) Am I daft for not taking his money? Truth is, I would rather that he didn't pair our amps with the speakers he was using.
We make a 'beer money' power amplifier that plays well beyond it's price point when paired with the right speakers. We also make a more expensive range of more powerful amps that will cope better with less sympathetic speakers. I'd rather both ranges were paired with appropriate speakers and the only requirement for extra power would be to play at higher volumes, in larger rooms, for extended periods. The less powerful amp will be more than enough for many people if they are intelligent about speaker choice, and I get more personal satisfaction from taking less money, because someone has 'worked it out'. How many buyers would discount that if a site 'only' publishes that our amplifier is not unconditionally stable and will not easily drive any loudspeaker on the market?
Lastly, and to make matters worse, some manufacturer's marketing departments are using specifications as advertising. They see that people like the idea of 'certainty' and easy answers, so they cherry pick or even change the parameters to make their kit look 'superior' on paper. Most of those potential buyers who are poring over measurements and specifications have little true idea whether those numbers are meaningful, or not, in the context of that particular design and in the context of how it will be used with other components. That lack of understanding is perpetuated by some 'scientific' reviews and creates a distorted view of 'non-standard' design.
As a consumer, I just need to listen. I should narrow down my choices by understanding the design objectives of the manufacturer, not based on an arbitrary scoresheet. This does not, in any way, suggest that measurements are inherently wrong or useless - I use measurements as part of selecting appropriate speakers (impedance and frequency response) - only that the application and interpretation of measurements requires genuine understanding.
Urban Dictionary definition
Intelligent Idiot
Too smart for ones own good.
I tried to help a friend get a date. I set him up with a good looking single girl. he spent 2 hours correcting her grammar and explaining the origins of the word she was saying. needless to say, she got bored and left. He is an intelligent idiot.
The above definition is meaningful, here, because it describes the futile attempt to attach a solely academic analysis to a sensory experience. Listening to music is ALWAYS subjective. Listening is all that EVER really matters. Learn who to respect and who to ignore. Listen with your own ears (and heart). Become your own expert.
As a manufacturer, I have some concerns with the quality of some 'reviews' and 'forum speak' that surround what purports to be 'science'.
I am concerned about the lack of context that is evident in many of these 'reviews'. I wouldn't submit any of our amplifiers to some sites because they fail to take into account our design objectives. We're not trying to make an unconditionally stable amplifier. We're not trying to make an amplifier that will drive very difficult loads, to high volumes, over an extended period of time. We're looking to make an amplifier that interferes as little as possible with the signal and will sound like real music, without sonic distraction, when used with speakers that do not present unnecessary challenges. Someone like John Atkinson at Stereophile would take our design objectives into account, discuss those objectives in presenting measurements, and would pair our amplifiers with appropriate speakers to hear them at their best. I don't see that 'contextual intelligence' from some other reviewers.
A few months back, a guy contacted me because he was considering changing his amplifier - from a Sugden A21. From chatting with him, it was clear to me that the problem was not his amp, but his speakers (very complex crossover, impedance dropping to 2 ohms at lower frequncy). I gave him a list of speakers that would be a lot better matched with the Suggie. He contacted me, again, last week to say that he had changed speakers and is loving his 'new' system. I'm not going to get rich making hi-fi, am I, lol? (At some point, it became fashionable, mostly driven by the apparent desire for slimline cabinets, to design speakers more or less purely through their crossover. In my experience, such designs are music killers.) Am I daft for not taking his money? Truth is, I would rather that he didn't pair our amps with the speakers he was using.
We make a 'beer money' power amplifier that plays well beyond it's price point when paired with the right speakers. We also make a more expensive range of more powerful amps that will cope better with less sympathetic speakers. I'd rather both ranges were paired with appropriate speakers and the only requirement for extra power would be to play at higher volumes, in larger rooms, for extended periods. The less powerful amp will be more than enough for many people if they are intelligent about speaker choice, and I get more personal satisfaction from taking less money, because someone has 'worked it out'. How many buyers would discount that if a site 'only' publishes that our amplifier is not unconditionally stable and will not easily drive any loudspeaker on the market?
Lastly, and to make matters worse, some manufacturer's marketing departments are using specifications as advertising. They see that people like the idea of 'certainty' and easy answers, so they cherry pick or even change the parameters to make their kit look 'superior' on paper. Most of those potential buyers who are poring over measurements and specifications have little true idea whether those numbers are meaningful, or not, in the context of that particular design and in the context of how it will be used with other components. That lack of understanding is perpetuated by some 'scientific' reviews and creates a distorted view of 'non-standard' design.
As a consumer, I just need to listen. I should narrow down my choices by understanding the design objectives of the manufacturer, not based on an arbitrary scoresheet. This does not, in any way, suggest that measurements are inherently wrong or useless - I use measurements as part of selecting appropriate speakers (impedance and frequency response) - only that the application and interpretation of measurements requires genuine understanding.
Urban Dictionary definition
Intelligent Idiot
Too smart for ones own good.
I tried to help a friend get a date. I set him up with a good looking single girl. he spent 2 hours correcting her grammar and explaining the origins of the word she was saying. needless to say, she got bored and left. He is an intelligent idiot.
The above definition is meaningful, here, because it describes the futile attempt to attach a solely academic analysis to a sensory experience. Listening to music is ALWAYS subjective. Listening is all that EVER really matters. Learn who to respect and who to ignore. Listen with your own ears (and heart). Become your own expert.