Talk but not walk?

prof,

Thank you for your compliments, but I do not think I deserve them. I do not even think I am using any kind of critical thinking here (this forum), if I even ever do it anywhere except at work. I am approaching these things with some lightness and open mind. Still, I do notice and then ask. I try to stay neutral which means that I keep my mind open that there may be something to whatever someone is claiming. That is why I ask these questions, to clarify what seems odd to me at first reading or to add what I think is the answer to what someone was asking about in some conversation. Enough about me as me.

When it comes to tweaks, lovers of tweaks fiercely defend them and seem to dismiss anyone who is not a follower. Too much time, too much cost, too much uncertainty, too much emotions (at least around here), simply not worth it for some. Some people dedicate their free time and disposable income to tuning/tweaking/perfecting their system (room included) to match the ideal they hold dear. Some cannot care less and intermittently pick and choose what to focus on. I would be a hard sell for tunable cable elevators, or demagnetizers for a piece of plastic injected with non-magnetic material, but if someone likes them and thinks they are worth it, even as a placebo, so be it. It is good for them and it sounds suspicious to me. I would like to know their explanations and maybe become a convert, but that is about it. Sadly, more often than not, any discussion ends up in Internet hostilities and observers, such as I, do not get enough "data" to make our own opinion.


However, I do have to admit that about 25 years ago, a friend of mine and I borrowed Cardas speaker jumpers (those little things connecting inputs on biwireable speakers, a couple of centimeters long), that were costing way more than we could have ever dare to spend, from the local store. Neither was our amplifier anything special (so-called mid-fi at best), nor were the speakers anything great. We tried it for fun as, for all we knew, we could have connected those inputs with metal buttons and it would have been the same. Well, the difference was audible to both of us. We were sure it would not be, but it was. Repeatedly. Another day, same result. I have no idea why it was, even if it was just a bias of some sort, but we heard the difference. Having said that, I have no plans to ever buy "upgraded" speaker jumpers but remember those anyway. I am more of a talker (am I a faker once I admit I am a talker or I become genuine walker in the field of talking?), but appreciate those who try and tell me how it was. I appreciate even more if they explain why it was. Of course, financial disclosures are sometimes needed, but rarely seen in these woods.

So name calling is all you have, Michael? And you think this is a good look for you?

Your refusal to answer challenging questions is ever more conspicuous.

You can toss all the "troll" accusations you want - as is your modus operandi - but what you can’t do is justify them. You can’t point to anything in my first reply to you that isn’t reasonable or pertinent, all the way to the questions and points in my recent reply. That’s why you aren’t answering them - and anyone here can see the pertinence of my questions and comments on your claims.  I even took up an idea in your OP, about the nature of empirically based evaluations, and explored the roll of empirical claims, in a way you just ignored.

In contrast your replies to me have been evasive and bereft of argument or substantiation of anything you wrote, often comprising passive-aggressive disses, and finally in this last post...you fall to pure trolling. (See, I can justify that description because your post actually fits: The method of a troll is to ignore the arguments made against his position and respond instead with baiting insults - precisely what you just did).

So your hypocrisy could not be more vividly on display. And all the more so because your bluff has been called; when you are asked if you are in fact walking the walk of employing good empirical methods, you evade, evade.

BTW, no date for you. I don’t date anyone Geoffkait has dated, and your torrid affairs on other forums are legion. ;-)

prof,

As much as I feel that many of the "improvements" floated around in audio community are not worth much, if at all, I am aware that no technical explanation for something does not necessarily mean that said something does not exist. That has happened throughout the history and is, I think, the culprit for development of what we these days call science. As science progresses, more answers become available and what used to be magic then becomes a well-understood knowledge now. Who knows, maybe we will all be feeding capacitors with organic gluten-free electricity one day to make them happier after someone discovers a CHF-inhibitor (capacitor happiness factor-inhibitor) in electricity produced close to wheat fields.

I cannot agree more that just claiming something and trying to get points for it without more structured challenge to own's observation is pretty useless and reeks of lack of credibility (Like my Cardas jumpers, although we tried a few times on different days to exclude too fast of a conclusion. The study was aborted because there was a much more interesting party in progress nearby and we never regretted it.).


I know that Michael Green did not elaborate on this crowded capacitors and musicians thought, but I put him in a very similar category as that friend with Cardas jumpers and myself. Probably noticed something, believed in it, and possibly not really thought too long and too deep about why that is. For one reason, or another, I did not expect overly elaborate answer. With all due respect to Michael Green, just a glance on his website made me think he is not a seasoned electronical engineer, but is pursuing different avenues in this hobby/business. I may be wrong on that one and I apologize if it is an unacceptable assumption, but that is how I saw it. If I wanted to get deep to the core of this crowding business, I would go straight to Accuphase engineers (or pick any other heavy-duty manufacturer) and ask about it. However, as Michael Green mentioned it, I thought it was worth dropping a word here, too. I never know what someone may know. The statement about listeners getting biased towards manufacturer seems simplified, but quite plausible, though.

As I write this, I started thinking that problem with these tuning/tweaking supporters and those against them may be in tuning/tweaking crowd trying too hard to gain credibility and then using words and statements based somewhere in current science, but not having it all baked well-enough together. That way, anyone with a minor knowledge of physics or whatever matter is discussed, can reasonably start running laps around them. Now, as Michael Green is some sort of a host in this thread, or at least the lightning rod, I could use him as an example. I have no doubt that his room-manipulations change how the room sounds (sound in the room) and that it is often, if not always, for better. Anyone who has ever entered a cave and a family living room would have to agree that they sound different. In theory, placing a toothpick in a room will change a sound in there, refraction, absorption, change in volume, whatever. He, from what pictures show, places very big toothpicks, so to say. Of course it will change the sound. Now, if you take a bunch of big toothpicks and have enough time for trial and error set-up process, you may get great results. Eventually, you will place them where they work the best for you and that room. If you go all the way, you can experiment with toothpicks made of different wood, too. That is all easy, provided enough time and resources. However, then you want to convince the world how great it is and you start talking after walking. You start using serious words to give legitimacy to your findings and even construct a theory or two why it is so good. That is like throwing a whole bunch of banana peels in front of you. You believe in what you say, and to many it seems quite right, but then there is a guy you did not see coming. He is on the other side of your screen, you have no idea where he really sits and how he looks like, but he reads your posts carefully. And he has PhD about laminar flow and has been dealing with intricacies of the flow for decades. Of course, he could annihilate you on that topic, he'd better be able, but he may not be interested. And then, there is an engineer fully dedicated to capacitors and he is a jerk. And the obnoxious professor who sits on IRB of a major teaching institution demanding structured answers. And on and on and on. In the end, it would have been better if you toned it down from the start than exposing your weaknesses.

Who knows, maybe those demagnetizers work. I personally doubt it.