Audio foo/woo thread

[Freddy58]

Let's face it, according to this forum recently, we're all living in The Matrix - nothing is real and what we see and hear is all BS.

David, are you the 'one'? *biggrin*

 

[tinkywinkydipsylalapo]

So we created this "padded cell" for them

Good thread: patronising and divisive. Solid work.

 

[Frank Harvey]

David, are you the 'one'? *biggrin*

Not even the Oracle knows that...

But there's a few people round here that would believe there IS a spoon, because it will hurt

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Let's face it, according to this forum recently, we're all living in The Matrix - nothing is real and what we see and hear is all BS.

Largely true I guess (although no more relevant than most comments but maybe more interesting and thought provoking than many).

Vision and hearing are illusions only making sense to us within our brains. Optical and audio illusions abound and remind us of same.

 

[CnoEvil]

What's your story?

Once upon a time, long ago, somewhere in the mists of time, there used to be an interesting, well moderated forum. It was populated by a people that had altruistic intentions and an interest in discussing hifi in a very temporate climate. The Sun always shone and the villagers were happy. Anyone that broke the rules were expelled from the land.

Then slowly, little by little, anarchy was given free reign and anyone with an interesting history, or a gentler, more moderate outlook, were driven from this land by the new ruling class. These new usurpers were educated but arrogant and intolarant, and had little appitite for those of a different persuasion.

It was just a matter of time; the sky clowded over and the Sun seldom managed to break through, as the new ruling class had achieved their coup.

This once joyous land now became a souless shadow of its former self.....but it was all for the best, as its very foundation was built on aspiration and subjective opinion, which hadn't been double blind tested, or subjected to proper scientific protocols; so finally, like many great civilations before it, crumbled into dust.

And all the remaining inhabitants lived happily ever after, though they missed their main sport of foo-busting, as this was now a distant memory.

 

[Freddy58]

What's your story?

Once upon a time, long ago, somewhere in the mists of time, there used to be an interesting, well moderated forum. It was populated by a people that had altruistic intentions and an interest in discussing hifi in a very temporate climate. The Sun always shone and the villagers were happy. Anyone that broke the rules were expelled from the land.

Then slowly, little by little, anarchy was given free reign and anyone with an interesting history, or a gentler, more moderate outlook, were driven from this land by the new ruling class. These new usurpers were educated but arrogant and intolarant, and had little appitite for those of a different persuasion.

It was just a matter of time; the sky clowded over and the Sun seldom managed to break through, as the new ruling class had achieved their coup.

This once joyous land now became a souless shadow of its former self.....but it was all for the best, as its very foundation was built on aspiration and subjective opinion, which hadn't been double blind tested, or subjected to proper scientific protocols; so finally, like many great civilations before it, crumbled into dust.

And all the remaining inhabitants lived happily ever after, though they missed their main sport of foo-busting, as this was now a distant memory.

A wonderful story *biggrin*

 

[Vladimir]

We ruined your shopping bistro?

 

[chebby]

What's your story?

Once upon a time, long ago, somewhere in the mists of time, there used to be an interesting, well moderated forum. It was populated by a people that had altruistic intentions and an interest in discussing hifi in a very temporate climate. The Sun always shone and the villagers were happy. Anyone that broke the rules were expelled from the land.

 

[CnoEvil]

We ruined your shopping bistro?

Since I'm going skiing for a week, I don't really care.....so as you were.

You can have a "Cno Free" 7 days and be as objective as you like, without my interference. *yahoo*

 

[Vladimir]

Have fun! *air_kiss*

 

[CnoEvil]

Have fun! *air_kiss*

I will now! *man_in_love*

 

[Frank Harvey]

Once upon a time, long ago, somewhere in the mists of time, there used to be an interesting, well moderated forum. It was populated by a people that had altruistic intentions and an interest in discussing hifi in a very temporate climate. The Sun always shone and the villagers were happy. Anyone that broke the rules were expelled from the land.

Then slowly, little by little, anarchy was given free reign and anyone with an interesting history, or a gentler, more moderate outlook, were driven from this land by the new ruling class. These new usurpers were educated but arrogant and intolarant, and had little appitite for those of a different persuasion.

It was just a matter of time; the sky clowded over and the Sun seldom managed to break through, as the new ruling class had achieved their coup.

This once joyous land now became a souless shadow of its former self.....but it was all for the best, as its very foundation was built on aspiration and subjective opinion, which hadn't been double blind tested, or subjected to proper scientific protocols; so finally, like many great civilations before it, crumbled into dust.

And all the remaining inhabitants lived happily ever after, though they missed their main sport of foo-busting, as this was now a distant memory.

Now read that in the style of Morgan Freeman

 

[CnoEvil]

What's your story?

Once upon a time, long ago, somewhere in the mists of time, there used to be an interesting, well moderated forum. It was populated by a people that had altruistic intentions and an interest in discussing hifi in a very temporate climate. The Sun always shone and the villagers were happy. Anyone that broke the rules were expelled from the land.

That forum has a better looking clientele....where do I sign?

 

[SteveR750]

Quantum threading, that's what it's all about. Nothing exists until you actually look at it, otherwise it's not actually there. A piece of string has no length until you measure it. And all that jazz.

I'm sure the great cable debate about to ignite next door will be explained one day by quantum tunneling, but you'll need to buy a special vacuum packed bag of electrons (which aren't actually in the bag as they're somewhere else causing mischief in your neighbour's cables...) marked with a special black triangle.

 

[Anderson]

It's really very simple...don't believe what you are hearing, but believe what someone else tells you you're hearing.

I'm seing the Sun revolves arround the Earth and the Earth looks flat, yet science tells me it's vice versa. Who do I trust? My senses or science?

This is about Hearing....please try to keep up!

Your hearing is a sense, senses are interpreted by your brain, this makes them prone to error. You wouldn't look at a magic eye picture and proclaim that there's an invisible dolphin stuck in the page. No?

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's a sail boat.

 

[Freddy58]

In the beginning, the darkness ruled...

 

[Infiniteloop]

It's really very simple...don't believe what you are hearing, but believe what someone else tells you you're hearing.

I'm seing the Sun revolves arround the Earth and the Earth looks flat, yet science tells me it's vice versa. Who do I trust? My senses or science?

This is about Hearing....please try to keep up!

Your auditory memory is approx. 4 seconds long like with any human. Your subjective impressions from your own auditioning of gear is of no informative value to anyone. Why do you insist on telling people to ignore scientific facts and listen to you? PP said he is a hi-fi authority because he owned many amps. What's your story?

But its relative. - If it wasn't, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cheap transistor radio and a Valve Amp, because within that 4 seconds you'd have forgotten what the transistor radio sounds like.

Surely?

 

[Anderson]

In the beginning, the darkness ruled...

So the sales man said "LET THERE BE FOO" and so the foo was good.

 

[Anderson]

It's really very simple...don't believe what you are hearing, but believe what someone else tells you you're hearing.

I'm seing the Sun revolves arround the Earth and the Earth looks flat, yet science tells me it's vice versa. Who do I trust? My senses or science?

This is about Hearing....please try to keep up!

Your auditory memory is approx. 4 seconds long like with any human. Your subjective impressions from your own auditioning of gear is of no informative value to anyone. Why do you insist on telling people to ignore scientific facts and listen to you? PP said he is a hi-fi authority because he owned many amps. What's your story?

But its relative. - If it wasn't, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cheap transistor radio and a Valve Amp, because within that 4 seconds you'd have forgotten what the transistor radio sounds like.

Surely?

Each has their sound though. I believe the 4 seconds thing has stemmed from controlled listening tests, where equipment is deemed to be for all intents and purposes similar ie measures well.

 

[carter]

It's a sail boat.

ha ha, you dumb #*#*#*#*#* its not a sail boat its a schooner

 

[SteveR750]

It's a sail boat.

ha ha, you dumb #*#*#*#*#* its not a sail boat its a schooner

Yeah. And the schooner you realise, the better.

 

[steve_1979]

638Hz

 

[Vladimir]

637Hz

 

[Vladimir]

But its relative. - If it wasn't, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cheap transistor radio and a Valve Amp, because within that 4 seconds you'd have forgotten what the transistor radio sounds like.

Surely?

You will forget how that cheap transistor radio exactly sounded like after 4 seconds. What you do remember after few seconds are the crude impressions that your mind formed from the listening experience: gritty, noisy, screetchy, lean sound. Since the transistor radio generated different impressions than the valve amp (smooth, clean, warm, bassy), you will be able to compare them as different.

You said cheap transistor radio vs valve amp. What if there were two transistor radios of similar cheap build quality? You would struggle to differentiate those if played one after the other with wider gap than 20 sec. This is because your mind created the same lasting impressions derived from the similar by nature experience: gritty, noisy, screetchy, lean sound. For an accurate comparison you really need to switch between two very similar sounds within 4 seconds or less to appreciate the details and reliably tell the difference.

In a DBT you will not be able to tell the difference, but in a sighted test you will think you heard a difference, simply because you formed impressions not just from listening, but by watching the aesthetics, preknowledge on the brand and price bias/expectations. Your mind will strugle to not give a 1500GBP cable an audible advantage over a 5GBP cable in a sighted test. Everything it has learned in life screams at that moment that a higher price product is superior, especially with a x300 price margin.

That's what happens with silver cables. Because they are silver and said they will sound brighter and more detailed, in a sighted test you begin comparing copper to silver cables and the silver ones indeed sounded 'silvery.' Actually they don't, they sound the same as the copper ones but your mind added impressions from bias and expectation.

We describe sound with hot, cold, warm, fast, slow, high, low because our ears are very very crude at detecting frequency and terribly unlinear. Do you know/remember how 638Hz sounds like? You don't. Like I mentioned before, our hearing is very sensitive only to loudness. This is evolutionary derived. Those that weren't sensitive enough to hear gentle paws walking across the savannah grass, they became kitty lunch and didn't get to reproduce. This is why amplifier manufacturers manipulate the input sensitivity and volume knob position.