Weird that so many audiophile threads are argumentative

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Roog

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May 20, 2016
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As per the title, why?

I’m a member of other male dominated forums including, musicians forums, RC (radio control ), astronomy, cycling and model engineering, (yes I have too many hobbies) and there is barely a murmur of discord.

People seem so defensive of their choice of HiFi and it seems to be getting worse.

Come on people, it shouldn’t be like this.
 
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Roog said:
Come on people, it shouldn’t be like this.
Click to expand...
Forums are useful for seeking help but, also for discussion of differing points of view and, some things are never agreed on. Cables are especially divisive, as some believe they can be transformative, whilst some others believe they make no difference. It's really only a problem when somebody gets uppity, because they think no-one has the right to disagree with them, although fortunately, most active members are not like that.
 
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images
 
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Roog said:
As per the title, why?

I’m a member of other male dominated forums including, musicians forums, RC (radio control ), astronomy, cycling and model engineering, (yes I have too many hobbies) and there is barely a murmur of discord.

People seem so defensive of their choice of HiFi and it seems to be getting worse.

Come on people, it shouldn’t be like this.
Click to expand...
The main issue in consumer hifi is that measurements tell us we shouldnt hear differences with cables. The science is pretty definitive on that. And people continue to claim they do. It's actually the same for CD players and DACs too and getting that way for amps (ignoring power differences).

People who claim there are differences tend to soley use subjective listening comparisons, often with significant time periods in between. Also proper volume matching is rarely done.

So yes, when you have a situation like that there will be arguments. Lots of them.
 
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It's subjective!!! People don't like being told that what they experience isn't an accurate reflection of reality. Moreover, there is confirmation bias - people who have spent a small fortune on a piece of kit or indeed have "signed up" to a particular belief, hear what the expect to hear, i.e. excellent performance. Tell them that they are wrong and tempers can flare!

The bottom line though is - if it sounds good to you then that is all that matters.
 
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ToppingSMSL,
Do you honestly believe All CD players sound the same?
I recently purchased a replacement CD player and compared it with my 24 year old Cambridge Azur640C.
There is no contest. All those years I thought I had a High-End player. But I was wrong. Now I believe I have a truly High-End player.
Some tracks brought tears to my eyes. There is a great gulf between a £260 player from Richer Sounds. And A £4,000 SACD from
Peter Tyson. I'm not qualified to make a comparison with other SACD's. I can only describe my own experience.
BTW, I spent all the money I was saving for a new amp. (now, next year).
Slightly argumentally.
IAN.
 
Roog said:
As per the title, why?

I’m a member of other male dominated forums including, musicians forums, RC (radio control ), astronomy, cycling and model engineering, (yes I have too many hobbies) and there is barely a murmur of discord.

People seem so defensive of their choice of HiFi and it seems to be getting worse.

Come on people, it shouldn’t be like this.
Click to expand...
Really? weight weenies (cycling) you get some hum diggers going in that forum over a set of wheels or a seatpost.

But camera forums are quite possibly the worst and by a good long way, all you have to say is "Lightroom is the best and subscription service is fantastic" and watch the hate flow.
 
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Roog said:
As per the title, why?

I’m a member of other male dominated forums including, musicians forums, RC (radio control ), astronomy, cycling and model engineering, (yes I have too many hobbies) and there is barely a murmur of discord.

People seem so defensive of their choice of HiFi and it seems to be getting worse.

Come on people, it shouldn’t be like this.
Click to expand...
Ah we're all audiophile divas at heart! 🙂

Seriously though, I hate that word audiophile, back in the day, I believe it was in reference to a person who is very interested in and enthusiastic about equipment for playing recorded sound, and its quality, this implies vinyl but today it seems, the meaning has become more generic.

The word itself is a catalyst for debate, no wonder the HiFi community is always on edge.
 
Covenanter said:
It's subjective!!! People don't like being told that what they experience isn't an accurate reflection of reality. Moreover, there is confirmation bias - people who have spent a small fortune on a piece of kit or indeed have "signed up" to a particular belief, hear what the expect to hear, i.e. excellent performance. Tell them that they are wrong and tempers can flare!

The bottom line though is - if it sounds good to you then that is all that matters.
Click to expand...

Also, I have observed from the numerous comments.

When you try to debunk subjectivity with get out of jail cards like placebo or confirmation bias these are essentially socially engineered phrases that also have no correlation to actual science that seems a bit of a contradiction, doesn't it?
 
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ianrjones said:
ToppingSMSL,
Do you honestly believe All CD players sound the same?
I recently purchased a replacement CD player and compared it with my 24 year old Cambridge Azur640C.
There is no contest. All those years I thought I had a High-End player. But I was wrong. Now I believe I have a truly High-End player.
Some tracks brought tears to my eyes. There is a great gulf between a £260 player from Richer Sounds. And A £4,000 SACD from
Peter Tyson. I'm not qualified to make a comparison with other SACD's. I can only describe my own experience.
BTW, I spent all the money I was saving for a new amp. (now, next year).
Slightly argumentally.
IAN.
Click to expand...
CD uses PCM, SACD uses DSD, so if there wasn't a difference there would be something wrong with your system. (Don't compare Apples & Oranges)

Bill
 
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Jasonovich said:
Also, I have observed from the numerous comments.

When you try to debunk subjectivity with get out of jail cards like placebo or confirmation bias these are essentially socially engineered phrases that also have no correlation to actual science that seems a bit of a contradiction, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
Placebo & confirmation bias has always been accepted by the scientific community, without them many sciences could not be tested in the real world. (If you have taken any type of medicinal drug, they will have been tested for the placebo effect)

Bill
 
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