• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Audio Skepticism

bjb

Graduate Poster
B
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
1,079
There was some mention in the Vinyl vs. Digital Audio thread about debunking some of the more fanciful beliefs that are common among audiophiles, so I thought I'd start another thread for this subject. To outsiders, audiophiles seem to believe in every exotic idea that comes along, but there are some who are interested in high fidelity who take a more rational approach. In fact, many of them are doing their best to combat the snake oil that is common in the industry.

For example, Auidoholics website contains several articles dealing with some of these myths:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/cables.htm

I was interested in hi-fi back in the late 70's-early 80's, and many of 'principles' that audiophiles now believe did not even exist back then! I don't agree 100% with everything on the Audioholics site (their PSpice simulations use a simple 8-ohm resistance to model a speaker/crossover!) but they definitely are on the right track. They even have the guts to put up direct links to the various articles they are trying to debunk. Anyway, I read through a couple of articles and although I am shocked at the nonsense that has come along in the last 25 years, I am very pleased to see that some people out there are taking the time to debunk the snake oil salesmen in a rational manner. If anyone has links to other skeptical audio websites, I hope this is a good place to post them.
 
Well, it's somewhat hard to find skeptical audio sites. It's really easy to find, well, "odd" sites that are, well, less than skeptical. You see the site I posted on skepticforum the other day? I think it's www.bybeetech.com Check out the products, the prices, and the white paper on how it all works.
But not TOO carefully, ok?
 
Wow, I really thought there would be more of a response. I've come across several anti-woo audio pages myself over the years so maybe I'll have to be the one to post them.

Certainly it is easier to find audio woo pages. Here's a very entertaining list of questionable audiophile products from ILikeJam. Apparently, a lot of other people are linking to this page:

http://www.ilikejam.dsl.pipex.com/audiophile.htm

My favorite is the Silver Rock wooden knob that sells for $485. Some of these advertisements claim they were recommended in Stereophile magazine, which surprised more than it should have.
 
I guess I've been deprived. I've been "gifted" mostly with serious audiophile woo sites myself.

It's good that there are some sensible sites out there, beyond the ABX site, at least.

Yes, I am interested, but not enough to start my own site, I've gotten too much hate mail, too many nasty phone calls, too many people writing my boss that I dissed their particular form of crappola, a couple of people threatening violence, nutcases stalking me both on the internet and via telephone/email/mail to the president of the company, etc, etc.

They're nuts.
 
Thanks for the link bjb they are a pretty straight forward no nonsense bunch. Lots of good information there.

I got a good chuckle out of the Placement Suggestion for Cubed Speakers article. It reminded me of the time I was in a store run by a big company that sells a certain cubed speaker and I took their home theater experience demo. The kids and I sit down in this fairly nice theatre room and salesguy punches a big button and we get this canned demo. Actually very well produced. At a certain point sales guy shows up to reveal that we have been listening to little cube speakers. We were supposed to go wow but I thought they sounded poor. Sales guy says 'don't those sound amazing'. I say 'no not really'. Should have seen the look on his face. I didn't have the heart to tell him that my car sounds better.

They sounded okay and I'm sure to many people who haven't heard really good audio they sound great but to my ear they didn't image at all. They were okay left and right but they had no depth. All the sound was there but it was two dimensional. Like it was painted against the wall. No presence. Bass wasn't very strong either.

I didn't get into it with him but the system didn't hold a candle to my home theater sound system although I guess it was about $1500 cheaper and a whole lot smaller.
 
Prosound web ( cant post urls yet in here)

Dan Lavry's place...Always good for the battling of audiophile BS, however, I think the baby may have gone with the bathwater sometimes when the best digital minds get together.

My all time favorite claim of audiophiles "With this gear I can actually hear the session better NOW than you could while recording it"

So let me get this straight, you NOW hear that voice, better than I did, and you are talking AFTER me punching together a zillion takes, editing the time placemnt, tuning, compressors, flangers, reverbs, eq's, and all manner of sound mangling stuff?

OK
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom