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what is a high end component ?

the term "high end" is used to connote excellence of construction and sound.

yet there is no clear description or definition of the term.

sometimes the word is used in the context of marketing, advertsing to increase the probability of a sale.

it is hard to establish a benchmark for or an objective standard for quality of construction.

i have a suggestion for evaluating the aspect of sound quality.

i believe that high end is synonymous with minimal distortion. the question is how to define distortion, as it is multi dimensional and how to measure it.

in addition, an algorithm or equation combing the types of distortion would need to be developed to arrive at a quantitative rating.

i suspect however, that listening is the key and that ultimately it would be useful for expert listeners to judge distortion by listening, or failing that to evaluate a component or stereo system and assign the label high end or not high end. yes there will be disagreement. yes this is not scientific. it would be interesting to see if say 75 % of alistening panel could agree.

otherwise what we are left with is the term being heavily influenced by price of component, manufacturer and appearance.

any ideas
mrtennis

Showing 4 responses by tvad

tvad
9,467 posts
 
High end is not synonymous with minimal distortion, IMO. A $200 Technics consumer HT receiver has much lower distortion specs than my VAC Phi 110/110, but the VAC sounds better and has considerably better build quality. There are many elements that comprise a high end audio component, and low distortion is one criteria, but it is not at the top of the list.

Daniel von Recklinghausen said, "If it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad. If it measures bad and sounds good, you've measured the wrong things." (From the VAC owner's manual)
tvad
9,467 posts
 
One's opinion will always be considered biased by those who do not
agree, and one always brings past experiences to an opinion. It’s just
impossible not to do so. Therefore, an opinion is always biased.

To use your food example, you may claim not to like Sea Urchin, having
never eaten it. However, your dislike of Sea Urchin will invariably be
influenced by your past experience eating seafood, or another
food which you did not like that looks similar to Sea Urchin, or by
stepping on a spiky chestnut when you were a child that reminds you of
a Sea urchin, or any number of other possibilities. Our perceptions of
new things are always founded upon past experiences that we relate,
rightly or wrongly, to the new thing.

Furthermore, any qualifier of an “unbiased opinion” made by someone
expressing their opinion is essentially an attempt to persuade others to
accept the opinion based on its having been formed fairly and honestly.
However, it is anything but unbiased.

Just throw a dart at any Audiogon thread and read the evidence for
yourself.

Mrtennis, natural or synthetic gut?
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Webster's Dictionary definition of bias:
an inclination of temperament or outlook; esp: prejudice.

One can be inclined to have a certain outlook about any subject whether or not one has personal experience with that subject. One's outlook...or bias...can be formed through direct or indirect knowledge.

Sorry, Mr tennis, I don't think your argument holds water.

Beyond that, this discussion no longer has any relevance to the question of what constitutes high end equipment.

Personally, I believe the definition of high end audio gear is different for every individual based on many factors including exposure or knowledge of components, and economic means.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
the question still remains, if all opinios are biased, what is to be gained by mentioning them ?
Mrtennis  (Threads | Answers)
Reading reviews written by authors whose taste is similar to yours can be helpful in identifying new possibilities for equipment. Also, carefully looking at a reviewer's associated gear can help the reader get an idea of the reviewers "bias"...and experience. It takes some detective work.

I read lots of reviews, but there are only two ot three reviewers whose opinions I find valuable. All are biased, but at least I have some idea whether their bias is similar to mine.

It's not perfect, but it's the best anyone is going to get.

Sgt. Joe Friday is not going to start reviewing audio gear.
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