Why do many discussions about sonic performance disintegrate into technical discusions?

The American hifi mags have perpetuated the myth that it’s all about components. This CD player is class A and that amp is class B. Any component can slot into any system.

We don’t listen to components, we listen to systems. In some systems the components integrate well and are more than the sum of their parts, and some systems just sound disjointed and out of sorts. The Brits have emphasized this for years.

Some of that has to do with specs and how various components electrically interrelate, and some just comes from a knowledge base of others who have tried various combinations of components. 

It would be hard to buy a fine watch without knowing how many complications it has, and hard to buy a car without knowing how many cylinders it has, it would be hard to buy a diamond without knowing the three Cs, of course, unless it was going to end up at the end of your cantilever. We live in a technical world where we try to quantify our purchases using various metrics.

I addressed your first paragraph by noting sexist discrimination and cultural issues that contribute to your "it's a fact" statement, and the second paragraph does't apply to anything I've said although maybe that wasn't aimed at my comment…I welcome any approach as relevant, and anyone who doesn't should get out more…example: "You like it because it sounds good to you or maybe because you think it's technically superior, or both." Or maybe it just looks cool…smells good…it's shiny!

Thinkers want the technical detail and call that the truth. Romantics dismiss that

Hang on Elizabeth!, just because one understands the technical side, doesn’t mean your not an "Audiophile" who doesn’t love music also. Because if they didn’t love music they wouldn’t be here!! They’d be on "fridge circuits anonymous" or something, or some pure tech head forum.

The gods of Audio EG: Pass, Curl, Hansen ect hang out for tech discussions, and they are Audiophiles.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/index.php
or
http://www.diyhifi.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=2

But an "Audiophile"/Romantic who also loves music, can have not one shred of knowledge, and will therefore not understand it and tend to dismiss if an ignorant or snake oil purveyor .

Cheers George

Tastes Great!!
Less Filling!!

Well I can see that this thread is moving along nicely, well done!
Carry on!

Dear George,
The flaw of Western thought is the 'either/or', yes/no, black/white attitude going right back to Classical Greek thought.
This is in contrast to Eastern thought which considers both side to be part of one whole.
I see you are a strong believer in the West's crowning achievement of making it all as divisive as possible.