The Science of Vinyl/Analog Setups


It seems to me that there is too little scientific, objective evidence for why vinyl/analog setups sound the way they do. When I see discussions on tables, cartridges, tonearms and even phono cables, physical attributes are discussed; things like isolation, material, geometry, etc. and rarely are things discussed like wow, rumble, resonance, compliance, etc. Why is this? Why aren’t vinyl/analog setups discussed in terms of physical measurements very often?

Seems to me like that would increase the customer base. I know several “objectivists” that won’t accept any of your claims unless you have measurements and blind tests. If there were measurements that correlated to what you hear, I think more people would be interested in vinyl/analog setups. 

I know vinyl/analog setups are often system-dependent but there are still many generalizations that can be made.
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Showing 4 responses by celander

@elizabeth Thanks for your post—a wealth of info in that link.

@tablejockey True enough.

@cleeds Indeed, you are correct. It’s about things other than being objective. Measurements are used often to justify the objectivist argument. But therein lies the trap—measurements often have subjective presumptions tied into the mix.

@stevecham I have no Q’s about specific items.

As the astute will recognize, I created this thread to funnel similar posts away from the “The Science of Cables” thread in the Cables sub-forum.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/the-science-of-cables



It’s often helpful to read beyond the original post to understand why the original post was made. But, verily, it’s sad the literate are not among us to discern the nuance thereof.