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Your vote: Most Useless Audio Adjective

From what I've seen in online audio discussion forums such as Audiogon, words like warm, taut, wooly, and forward can upset even died in the wool audiophiles. While some may have a hard time getting their arms around them, most of the terms seem quite appropriate to me. You have to develop some list of terms in order to convey a description of a component's sonics, or to delineate it from another component.

However, I have noticed the description "self effacing" creeping into more and more reviews, and it flat out boggles my mind. Initially, it seemed to fit into the context it was being used - affordable or downright cheap gear, that was fun and lively. However, now that I've read the term being used to describe quite a serious piece of high end kit, the time has come to point out how ridiculous things are getting.

I had to laugh out loud thinking of the snootiest, most condescending audio dealer I know who was carrying this brand. Using the term "self effacing" with anything had to do with this guy was akin to describing Phyllis Diller a young, hot sex symbol.

What is your most useless audio adjective???
trelja
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I'll agree with "blows away"...way over used at all audio forums. "Liquid?"...dumb, "fast bass?"...what the heck is that?...if one bass driver cycles faster than another, aren't they playing at different cycles?

Dave
trelja OP
3,215 posts
 
Mrtennis, a quantitative world, one without adjectives of the type we use, is simply one desired by the so-called objectivists.

As an example, reviewing bar b que ribs qualitatively and quantitatively: "The meat was tender, yet not to the falling off the bone stage. My only complaint was that things were just too salty." versus "I performed three measurements on a section of meat, having stripped the fat, and 3.4 mm from the bone, averaging 6.55 whatevers. Via an evaportative method, 600 mg of sodium residue was collected per kilogram of edible content."

Reviews of most things outside of audio follow the subjectivist model, and the world is comfortable with that. For whatever reason, audio does not follow suit, despite a long history of sound and measurements often not showing the best of correlation. High end audio does not have to be a physics or engineering exercise.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I performed three measurements on a section of meat, having stripped the fat, and 3.4 mm from the bone, averaging 6.55 whatevers. Via an evaportative method, 600 mg of sodium residue was collected per kilogram of edible content.
Obviously, a review of Corky's Barbeque.
restock
826 posts
 
Newbee, I thought musical meant engaging, tubelike, tuneful with lots of PRAT ;-)
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi trelja, i try to follow the motto "do no harm" .

since most adjectives are ambiguous because the intended meaning may not bge the same as the perceived medium, it may do more harm than good and motivate a decision involving an investment of funds and then disappointment.

referring to your food analogy.

it is sufficient to indicate the cut of meat without any adjectives. i will taste it and form my own opinions.

if there is fat surrounding the steak, say so. anything which is easy to confirm is useful, but often subjective comments could be tricky.

i know, life is dull without adjectives, it's hard not to have an opinion where adjectives are used, however, i guess one accepts opinions with good graces and makes the best of them
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