How close do the two sides actually get?

[Vladimir]

5. I buy what I like hearing. I don't care for measurements, specs, performance and high fidelity sound.

If this option didn't exist people would not buy turntables, valve amps, aftermarket cables, power conditioners etc.

 

[CnoEvil]

5. I buy what I like when I hear it. I don't care for measurements, specs, performance and high fidelity sound.

If this option didn't exist people would not buy turntables, valve amps, aftermarket cables, power conditioners etc.

This thread is specifically about the general overview, so is not getting into other areas.

 

[CnoEvil]

Just to confuse things, I would probably check out specs before auditioning to see what I wanted to audition. But if a salesman suggested something, I'd try it. And if I liked it, the specs wouldn't matter.

You wouldn't buy an amp without tone controls, so this nudges you out of 4.

 

[Vladimir]

OK. Have fun. *wink*

 

[Gazzip]

Speakers 4 and everything else 3.

 

[CnoEvil]

OK. Have fun. *wink*

Would you like to throw your hat into the ring?

If I had to guess, I'd put you down as a 2.5.

 

[CnoEvil]

Speakers 4 and everything else 3.

If you check the specs of the speakers to make sure they are a suitable load for the amp/size for the room, you are a 3. If you just connect them up and go with what you hear, you're a 4. ie. Any sneaky peaks into a spec sheet/checking of measurements, puts you into 3 territory.

 

[matt49]

2

(In future, can we just replace all discussion with a simple numbering system like this.)

 

[Vladimir]

OK. Have fun. *wink*

Would you like to throw your hat into the ring?

If I had to guess, I'd put you down as a 2.5.

I've done all of it and I doubt I'll manage to stay just in one or two slots in the future. My recent Category 5 purchase was a pair of the legendary AKG K141 Monitor headphones. I just like how they look since I was a kid and I thought why not treat myself with a pair.

 

[CnoEvil]

I've done all of it and I doubt I'll manage to stay just in one or two slots in the future.

Have you ever considered a career in politics? *smile*

 

[Gazzip]

I've done all of it and I doubt I'll manage to stay just in one or two slots in the future.

Have you ever considered a career in politics? *smile*

The Labour Party will be looking for a new leader in a couple of weeks if you are.

 

[Vladimir]

I've done all of it and I doubt I'll manage to stay just in one or two slots in the future.

Have you ever considered a career in politics? *smile*

Hypocrisy, mythomania and NPD are deemed qualities in UK politics?

 

[CnoEvil]

I'm surprisingly close to Frog. *shok*

I will look at specs and I will listen and I will try anything the dealer recommends, within budget.

- I won't buy if it doesn't float my boat.

- I will read through specs/measurements, but only to try and understand what I'm hearing and get further insight into the compaibity of the system.

I'm a 3.

 

[CnoEvil]

I've done all of it and I doubt I'll manage to stay just in one or two slots in the future.

Have you ever considered a career in politics? *smile*

Hypocrisy, mythomania and NPD are deemed qualities in UK politics?

So is avoiding the question and then answering a question that they would rather have been asked. *wink*

For the big purchasing decisions, I have you down as someone who does very detailed research, which you double check by listening.....one's as important as the other.

 

[Gazzip]

Speakers 4 and everything else 3.

If you check the specs of the speakers to make sure they are a suitable load for the amp/size for the room, you are a 3. If you just connect them up and go with what you hear, you're a 4. ie. Any sneaky peaks into a spec sheet/checking of measurements, puts you into 3 territory.

Okay. 3 across the board for me then.

 

[EvPa]

My last few purchases (ADAM ARTist 6s, Matrix Mini-i Pro) have pretty much been 1s...

Not the Phantoms though, I wanted to listen to them before ordering (and I happened to be in Paris).

There's a nice new TV between the Phantoms by the way, and TVs are definitely a 2 for me.

 

[steve_1979]

The scale goes like this:

1. If it measures right, I will buy it unseen/heard.

2. I will always listen, but wouldn't buy it, if it didn't measure well.

3. I buy on what I hear, but make sure that I've also checked the specs/measurements, to avoid disaster.

4 I don't care how it measures, I will buy it if I like it.

Juxtaposedly I'm both number 1 and number 4 on your scale.

Does that make me a objective subjectivist?

 

[CnoEvil]

The scale goes like this:

1. If it measures right, I will buy it unseen/heard.

2. I will always listen, but wouldn't buy it, if it didn't measure well.

3. I buy on what I hear, but make sure that I've also checked the specs/measurements, to avoid disaster.

4 I don't care how it measures, I will buy it if I like it.

Juxtaposedly I'm both number 1 and number 4 on your scale.

Does that make me a objective subjectivist?

If you think that listening has a part to play in the selection process, no matter how small, you can't be a 1.

 

[Gazzip]

Speakers 4 and everything else 3.

If you check the specs of the speakers to make sure they are a suitable load for the amp/size for the room, you are a 3. If you just connect them up and go with what you hear, you're a 4. ie. Any sneaky peaks into a spec sheet/checking of measurements, puts you into 3 territory.

Okay. 3 across the board for me then.

That said I am building a new system at the moment (see my new chapter thread) based entirely upon technical specs vs cost!

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/new-chapter

 

[CnoEvil]

That said I am building a new system at the moment (see my new chapter thread) based entirely upon technical specs vs cost!

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/new-chapter

A foot in both camps. I like it.

 

[CnoEvil]

The scale goes like this:

1. If it measures right, I will buy it unseen/heard.

2. I will always listen, but wouldn't buy it, if it didn't measure well.

3. I buy on what I hear, but make sure that I've also checked the specs/measurements, to avoid disaster.

4 I don't care how it measures, I will buy it if I like it.

Juxtaposedly I'm both number 1 and number 4 on your scale.

Does that make me a objective subjectivist?

If you think that listening has a part to play in the selection process, no matter how small, you can't be a 1.

But I'm not a 2 or 3 on your scale.

I've bought 3 DAC's based on low distortion measurments knowing that they'll be audbly transparent. I also listened (A/B comparison) to them to check.

Speakers and headphones I look at the measurements out of interest but at the end of the day it all comes down to how they sound and if I like something I'll buy it no matter what the measurements say. The Sennheiser HD700 for example look quite bad on the measurements but sound really nice with a bit of EQing.

You are around a 2.5.....ie. measurements are important and so is listening.

 

[steve_1979]

The scale goes like this:

1. If it measures right, I will buy it unseen/heard.

2. I will always listen, but wouldn't buy it, if it didn't measure well.

3. I buy on what I hear, but make sure that I've also checked the specs/measurements, to avoid disaster.

4 I don't care how it measures, I will buy it if I like it.

Juxtaposedly I'm both number 1 and number 4 on your scale.

Does that make me a objective subjectivist?

If you think that listening has a part to play in the selection process, no matter how small, you can't be a 1.

I've bought 3 DAC's based on low distortion measurments knowing that they'll be audibly transparent. I also listened (A/B comparison) to them to check they are audibly transparent.

Speakers and headphones I look at the measurements out of interest but at the end of the day it all comes down to how they sound and if I like something I'll buy it no matter what the measurements say. The Sennheiser HD700 for example look quite bad on the measurements but sound really nice with a bit of EQing.

 

[steve_1979]

You are around a 2.5.....ie. measurements are important and so is listening.

I've worked it out now.

With DAC's and cables I'm in camp 1.

With speakers and headphones I'm in camp 4.

 

[CnoEvil]

You are around a 2.5.....ie. measurements are important and so is listening.

I've worked it out now.

With DAC's and cables I'm in camp 1.

With speakers and headphones I'm in camp 4.

You are becoming too specific.

If you were selecting an entire system (from scratch), to what extent would you rely on your senses and to what extent would you be swayed by measurements?

 

[Native_bon]

3