4th Aug 2020, 1:27 pm | #1661 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 1:42 pm | #1662 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 1:45 pm | #1663 | ||
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 1:54 pm | #1664 | ||
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 2:09 pm | #1665 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
Well, there you are - I'm not a great fan of ATC midrange, as judged by the two pairs I owned, but then the PMC LB1s by which I swear for professional purposes have been pilloried here for "funny bass" and other crimes. So what? They're both properly screwed together speakers, and we're each happy with what we have. Let the phools phool...
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4th Aug 2020, 3:53 pm | #1666 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
I have the first HFC A5 issue which was speaker reviews by Angus Mackenzie. As I recall, he hated all of them except the Yamaha NS-1000 and the Spendor BC-1!
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4th Aug 2020, 4:06 pm | #1667 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 5:08 pm | #1668 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
The original Hi Fi Choice issues threw more measurement horsepower at their subjects than was the norm, even at the time, and to good effect. The first issue, which dealt with cassette decks, was a masterly treatment of the limitations of the medium and the vices and virtues of the available equipment. Other authors followed the house rules closely, and the result was a solid body of reference material which remains useful today. Most valuable, I think, was McKenzie's insistence on rigour in measurement, coupled with listening tests to evaluate performance from the consumer's point of view. The present glossy of the same title is something entirely different - and worse.
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4th Aug 2020, 8:02 pm | #1669 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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4th Aug 2020, 11:13 pm | #1670 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
The other great reviewer was Hugh Ford - see old issues of Studio Sound for examples of his work.
-------- I think Steve will be very happy with his choice. I still have a pair of very early SCM20's. |
4th Aug 2020, 11:44 pm | #1671 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
Agreed. Hugh's analysis of tape transports was masterly. In a slightly earlier time, both Gordon King and Alec Tutchings provided solid evidence-based reviews.
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5th Aug 2020, 12:44 pm | #1672 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
The flip side was HiFi News during the 70's, and possibly somewhat before and after, when the reviews were only lab measurements. There were no listening tests involved.
They they flipped the other way almost entirely, and based their judgement on subjective assessment only. Of course, the danger is this. If you are going to do lab tests and listening tests - what order do you do them in? Lab tests can prejudice listening tests - if a piece of audio gear measures poorly it makes for a tendency to audition poorly too, human nature being what it is. Or the opposite way round. So you listen first, then do lab measurements. That also has a problem - if it sounds one way and the measurements the opposite, what do you then do? Listen again with prejudice, or try and measure in such a way to justify your listening test? Craig |
5th Aug 2020, 12:59 pm | #1673 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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Obviously I cannot speak for any of my colleagues, but my ears are so superb, they can instantly pick up on any measurement issues with complete accuracy... |
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5th Aug 2020, 1:05 pm | #1674 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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5th Aug 2020, 4:45 pm | #1675 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
Todays reviewers have such highly developed and trained hearing that they can tell if anything they are reviewing has been contaminated by previously having been connected to any form of measuring equipment.
Using logic, and considering their hearing to have no limitations, I'd ask if they could then determine what it must have sounded like before it was corrupted, but I'd only be told I was being silly. David
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5th Aug 2020, 7:56 pm | #1676 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
In other circumstances, hearing things that aren't there can be a cause for concern...
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5th Aug 2020, 8:39 pm | #1677 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for more on the dirty world of 70s hi-fi reviewing. AM allegedly fiddled the results.
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Wharfedale.htm |
6th Aug 2020, 12:55 am | #1678 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
I know Richard Lee well. He worked for me for a couple of years when I was CTO of Wharfedale. He eventually quit Wharfedale, not long after I left, and emigrated to Australia, where he teaches scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef. Quite a change from running R&D at Wharfedale!
A good and very knowledgeable guy. He set up blind listening at Wharfedale. You chose the music, had a switch box, and listened in mono to speakers which were hidden behind a room width, floor to ceiling black acoustically transparent curtain. He also designed Option 1, a dipole speaker with active crossover and multiple custom Quad current dumper amps in the bass. Details of this exceedingly rare beast attached Craig |
6th Aug 2020, 2:20 am | #1679 | |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
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6th Aug 2020, 8:13 am | #1680 |
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Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.
AM also did reviews of amateur radio equipment. Amongst some of the retrospective comments from his ex-assistants were comments that he was not at all a pleasant person to work for.
I'm very disappointed to read of his overriding his opinions from a blind listening test once he knew what he had been listening to. Someone practicing 'good science' should have found the disparity very interesting, logged it and set about investigating the cause. Discoveries are made when you didn't get what you expected. When nature hands you a clue, chucking it away is stupid. Fudging results is dishonest and dangerous because it can circle and bite. Fudging results with other people aware of it adds stupidity to dishonesty. It comes down to whether or not we believe this account. If it did happen, exclusion from future listening panels is the right thing to do. David
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