Dear Jeff: IMHO we audiophiles don't fear measurements/specs. All of us have a brain that give us the possibility to " think/discern " and be " rational " on any subject.
What this could means?: why should I take my time in audio item measurements that can't tell me its quality performance and if that quality performance could match my priorities?.
In the other side all of us already learn through the AHEE teaching that " measurements/specs are not important. What is important is what we like through our ears. " So we learn that we don't have to look or take care about: output impedance, frequency response, IMD, THD or RIAA eq, channel gain, accuracy, etc, etc, that our ears are more than enough.
This has a price to pay ( and I'm not talking about money high money we invest on ) and that all of us are paying with inaccuracies and high colorations/distortions in our system quality performance that could be fixed if we cares a little on mesures and specs.
All the members of the AHEE goes in that WRONG ( IMHO ) direction: no magazyne ( virtual or in paper. ) but Stereophile made/make measurements on the audio items they review, so even the reviewers does not care or don't have a " measurements references " and I think don't ask for.
But even in Stereophile the reviewers don't tell us the true about those measurements, we have a lot of Stereophile reviews some of them " dramatic " ones where what the reviewer states is contrary to measures that shows the audio item is a mediocre unit and the reviewer say is first rate.
What could tell me this reviewers behavior?: wrong ears? wrong audio perception? wrong bias priorities? wrong music/sound know-how? corruption? wrong test audio system? or a combination of all those " wrongs ".
In the past I trust and respect J. Atkinson measures and his comments about, this was true for me till last week when I read the Vitus phono stage measures and the JA statement that IMHO is a kind of corrupted statement that I never imagine could comes from a person like the editor in chief of STP J.Atkinson for whom I had a lot of respect like reviewer:
we can read and see the Vitus RIAA response where the Vitus has a RIAA deviation ( we have to remember here that a normal/standard high end phono stage RIAA deviation is: 0.1db from 20 hz to 20 khz ) of -1.5db!!! at 20hz ( for whatever reason. ), as a fact the Vitus has a very significant fall in the RIAA frequency response from 500 hz and down.
J.Atkinson states in his review: " the error in the preampliifer's RIAA correction was very low ( fig.1) ". JA is not an ignorant and he knows that that " error " was not not only " very low " but inadmissible by any circumstances/standards for any phono stage but that that happen in a 60K dedicated phono stage design like the Vitus : has no name!, for say the least. Why not disclose the true of those measures?, J. Atkinson could think we are " stupid " audiophiles?. IMHO he made more harm with his statements that if he said nothing. Maybe he thought to " protect " Vitus but that's not the way to do it: evidence/facts ( like those measures. ) has no protection.
M. Fremer review on that Vitus phono stage told us: " The MP-201's dynamic presentation at both ends of the scale was nothing short of ridiculous: ITS BASS EXTENSION, CONTROL AND WEIGHT WERE GRANITIC ".
How comes how is that with that Vitus severe midbass/low bass roll-off? . MF has a very nice system that there is no doubt can shows what is happening " down there " along that he is not an ignorant.
So why MF stated what he states in his review?. just incredible.
This was not the first time MF made that kind of reviews, he made the same when he reviewed the Dartzeel Phonolinepream ( that he own. ) that measures “ terrible “ ( +2.5db at 20hz and +1.8db at 20khz!!!! ) on that same RIAA subject and not only that in the Dartzeel is worst because both channels measures ( have errors/inaccuracies ) way different !!! and even that he " bought " it.
Dear friends, remember that each frequency RIAA error affect not only that single frequency but due that the RIAA is a curve each one of those errors affect almost three music octaves!!!!
How can we in the future to trust in reviewer/AHEE opinions that are corrupted!!!! Btw, I prefer ignorance that corruption.
The manufacturers give us some kind of specs and not always the ones we need, example: in loudspeakers there are IMHO at least two important specs first THD and second IMD at say 85db SPL and 95db SPL, even they don't tell us under which cirmcustances were made those manufacturer specs/measures. Manufacturers with complex electrical impedance/phase speakers that recommend tubes electronics that has inherent high output impedance values that preclude an accurate performance: they are recommended a mistmatch between their speakers and amplifiers!!! unveliable that this is happening but it is happening, Wilson is one of them but there are a lot of examples.
The audio dealers/distributors are not prepared either to make the " job " and are not interested in to.
We almost don't understand what in theory the measures/specs means and how could help us.
All these IMHO makes that we are not interested on measures but not because we have fear about.
Gentlemans, TILL TODAY NO ONE DISCLOSED ANYTHING ABOUT MEASURES/SPECS AND WHAT REALLY MEANS. NO ONE IN THAT AHEE ( MANUFACTURERS, AUDIO DEALERS, REVIEWERS, tec, etc. ) TELL/TOLD US THE TRUE AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUE, all these people has no single respect for each one of us and not only because they don't tell us the true but because they lies to us day after day thinking we are " blind " or stupid people and you know what?: WE ARE NOT!.
I think that we have to begin to learn ( by our self. ) about measuresa/specs and how use it along our ears to make audio items choices. I think we don't have to know/learn the mathematics theory behind all those different specs but more important is understand it and why could help us.
Frequency response alone could means almost nothing on an audio item but for example if we take that FR and output impedance in amplifiers then this has a meaning that could tell us how good could match with our speakers if we have too the speaker electrical impedance curve.
I think that are some specs that are critical on audio:
IMD on speakers, amplifier output impedance, RIAA eq. deviation on phono stages, THD/TIM on electronics or frequency response. We have to understand how to use it not stand alone but in combination for we can have a " meaning ".
There are measures that we can read in Stereophile that are important and almost no one cares: frequency response on both channels or gain on both channels. These examples are extremely important because IMHO accuracy is the first target that can shows measures and if we want a " decent " quality performance system we need first than all: accuracy. Do you know if the frequency response or gain in both channels of your electronics are the same?, probably not and almost here begin our each one distortions/colorations problems with our audio system that we could fixed when we know what is happening.
Our ears are not enough we need the right measures and understand it and we have to have the music knowledge because: how can we take any audio item choices if we don’t know how a Flute or a Cello sounds in a live free environment?
Unfortunately the AHEE is doing nothing in favor but only making things worst, put us in deep “ ignorance “ that goes in favor of NOTHING and against the AHEE where we audiophiles/customers are IMHO the most important part of that AHEE.
IMHO the science always can help in audio, problem is that there are no scientific " models " that can relate in precise way audio measurements with what we heard as quality performance at different quality levels. But this not means that all what we heard has no scientific answers because those answers exist and my hope is that in the future we can have those precise answers!!!
Jeff: +++++ " Why Some Audiophiles Fear Measurements " +++++
I'm sure we did not. I'm more worried and with fear that that whole " measurements " subject be and stay in the WRONG hands inside the AHEE.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
