Okay, okay. So my graduate degree was in the history of science -- I studied physics, history, and philosopy for five years after college and came away with a funny hat and a nice robe with stripes on the sleeves. I can assure you that there are stacks and stacks of books and arguments and counter-arguments as to what constitutes a scientific method. So let's not overly simplify.
I think the point some of the "autistic" people were making -- and I believe this has been conflated with the "realist" set -- is that it is useful and important for manufacturers to be open about their product and to publish materials to back up their claims. It is silly to say "I will replace part X with part Y"; it is useful to say that "by replacing part X with party Y we will achieve these goals, and here i the proof." Of course, ultimately, it all comes down to hearing and to one's personal experience of pleasure in the hobby. I know, for instance, for a certain fact that my Carver A-500x, my McIntosh, and my Nuforces are very close to each other in performance...and that most people can't tell the difference. Still, I really like those blue meters...even if I don't use them at the moment. Okay, so personal taste, right? Now, here's the thing: when it comes to electronics, by and large you can tell a great deal from measurements. If an amp is not linear, if a preamp is noisy, if a DAC is jittery, then those are good indicators that we might not want to pay attention to the product. As I state elsewhere, this becomes trickier with speakers. Speakers are mechanical and different speakers can measure the same -- or be made to measure the same, through EQ or DSP -- but sound vastly different. Sure, some numbers are meaningful, but ultimately you have to sit down and see if they "grab" and involve you in the music. This is a, really, and objective and subjective approach. So, I suggest that the above post casts things in a rather black and white light. We have to take a measured approach to our interests and purchases. We have to use our heads, but we also have to use our ears. Some things might be difficult: for instance, a tube amp is not capable of the same precision performance as a solid state amp. Still, it might sound really good to someone, it might perform at a high level, and that's great. When it comes to mods -- or Microsoft or many high end companies -- we should all desire more openness and less hype. If everyone says their mod or product is th best, well, then someone had to be wrong. Publish numbers. Give us facts. Give us an opportunity to hear what you're talking about. (Slim Devices publishes and discusses facts; moreover, they have an exceedingly generous trial period guarantee AND open source software. How unique is that?!) That's it. And, please, let us not use insulting and ugly language. That only leads to problems. SuperQ;143793 Wrote: > This has nothing to do with the Scientific Method. > > To quote wikipedia: > "Scientific researchers propose specific hypotheses as explanations of > natural phenomena" > > also see this page: > http://physics.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node7.html -- highdudgeon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ highdudgeon's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2195 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=28368 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
