Well, Ted raises a good point, I think. We do tend to fixate on that whole "wire with gain" principle without considering other operations that might be taking place in the signal chain.

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How many of these ABX tests and results from various testing procedures do we need before something goes from supported to proven?



Umm, I guess until they suck the joy out of every individual's user experience? Dan, I honestly mean no disrespect. I am simply looking at the world from a more humanistic perspective. If Charles or Ted derive joy from their experiences, I see no margin - no good - from trying to convince them that they're not having fun because they can't possibly tell the difference. Nobody can prove how they feel.

Jack, you are - as usual - much too kind.

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I would disagree with one part of Tom's statement. He says "The notion of "Accuracy" inherently inserts Science as the arbiter of satisfaction." I feel the notion of accuracy inherently inserts Science as the arbiter only of accuracy. I don't know if I'm correct or not, but I perceive accuracy as being objective, and satisfaction as being subjective



I think that, in my eagerness to engage, I committed a logical error and did not fully understand the context of your initial comment. When you mentioned "accuracy", I immediately flew to "accurate response/reproduction", which would presumably measure and compare the output against the input (i.e. the typical measurements we see today about THD, separation, noise, etc.). I can see now that you were talking about the accuracy (internal consistency?) of the person's perception (i.e. can the person scientifically verify that particular equipment ACTUALLY sounds better TO THEM when other factors are removed).

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Science can tell us that speaker A has a flatter (more accurate?) frequency response than speaker B, but, being perverse as I am, I very well might prefer (be more satisfied by) the sound of speaker B.



Critical! Bravo!

I'm still swayed by the notion that the user's emotional involvement in the listening experience is what matters, and that it is impossible to measure that critical and subjective element. I also believe that different people perceive the world in different ways, and that we can't hope to quantify - or have a comprehensive understanding of - those powers of perception.

Just because it "sounds" the same doesn't necessarily mean it "feels" the same.

I'm going to go commune with my crystals and don my tinfoil hat, now.

bibere usque ad hilaritatem