darrell;697613 Wrote: > Sorry, but I have to disagree. It has been said before that while music > is art, music recording and playback is science. And there are no > "personal truths" in science, only a single best approximation to truth > (or more correctly, reality). > > Of course, one who knows nothing or very little about a scientific > subject (such as digital audio or TCP/IP networking, for example) may > still, personally, have an opinion. But, objectively, such an opinion > is worthless. > > It's not like discussing a preference for one musician or another. It > is *not* a matter of taste. > > There is, of course, a school of thought in philosophy which says that > everything in the material world is a matter of interpretation or > opinion, that there is no objective truth. But I profoundly reject that > school of thought. Safe to say that no-one professing such ideas has, or > could, ever contribute to the advancement of science. > > One of the most destructive consequences of this "Post-Modernist" mode > of thought, which is endemic in certain areas of academia, is that it > has polluted the minds of the general population with the idea that all > opinions are equally valid. They are not. And again, statements like > "there are no stupid questions..." Yes there are: there are plenty of > very stupid questions. > > This approach is very tempting for people who want to be taken > seriously on a subject without doing the hard work required to > understand it first. > > I apologise if, to some, I sound strident. Another consequence of the > pervasiveness of post modern ideas in society is that clarity of > thought is often mistaken for stridency.
Darrell---A respectful disagreement, in my book, should always be, itself, respected. However, while I'm quite lazy and loathe to go back through all 185 pages of postings, I cannot really recall that anyone here has made a claim of any of these mods being science (to be sure, there have been claims of differences heard--an opinion). There have been plenty of claims that the mods are not. To wit: A number of folks claim that some of these mods, to their own ears, make their music sound different/better. A number of other people have said that until there is scientific proof (i.e. double blind testing, etc.) that, as a result of these mods, their music sounds better/different, these claims of improvements are simply a matter of opinion and not fact. What several posters have been saying is why not just leave it at that? Most people who feel that they do hear a positive change seem quite content to leave it at that. Nobody here is forcing anyone to make these mods nor attempting the charge exorbitant prices to convince you that these mods are "the next big thing" in audio. So why not just leave these poor sods to live happily in their unproven world of Soundcheck's mods? My recollection is that people like SBGK, Soundcheck, Magiccarpetride, GuidoF, etc. have simply come here and stated that they hear something different. As I also recall, the overarching comments have been "try them---if they don't make any difference, reverse them". Again, no harm, no foul. I will grant that some of the claims have contained some hyberbole, as have some of the counterclaims--both sides are guilty. I personally find the server, TCP/IP stuff, and cable tweaks out of my "comfort zone" and have no interest in trying them, so I won't. But I certainly don't begrudge nor wish to attempt to muzzle those who will--as long as what is being said is said civilly and with respect to those who have a different point of view. And, to Darrell: While I agree with some of what you said about not all opinions being equally valid, please tell me how our liking the qualities of one sound over another is NOT opinion. Some aspects of this are measurable, to be sure, but whether or not we LIKE, or prefer, the sound quality of one speaker/amplifier/dac/soundcheck mod over another is surely ONLY a matter of our personal opinion no matter what the devices measure, empirically. And because those are opinions of preference, like food, wine, composers, bands, etc., most of those sorts of opinions are, indeed, valid. The real battles have arisen here because the scientist-minded among this community have demanded proof of something that nobody's particularly interested in proving scientifically. And, in fact, the clear message has been: "if you can't prove it, don't say it". I DO find that strident and, as a general tenet of my personal philosophy, object to those who take that approach. I am perfectly capable of doing my own research, paying attention to those folks who's opinions I respect, doing my own evaluations, and coming to my own conclusions. I DON'T brook someone insulting me for going through that process and coming up with an answer (or opinion) that is not the same as theirs. The [non-science] folks in this small little corner of things, are perfectly content to leave these mods unproven. There's no intent that I've seen to proselytize this out to the general world of audio nor to cast aspersions on those who elect not to try them. Again, I would say: if you don't like the content of this thread, ignore it. I have no problem whatsoever with folks posting contrary opinion or reminding others of what the objective perspective is. But, at the least, respect the wishes of the rest who wish to dwell here, are well aware that these mods are not objectively proven, and would, nonetheless, like to continue to have these discussions. -- rgro Rg System information ------------------------ Main: PS Audio Quintet > Vortexbox > Teddy Pardo PS, Touch (wired) > Toslink > Rega DAC > LFD LE IV Signature amp > VA Mozart Grands > REL Acoustics R305. Home Theatre: Duet/SBR (Wired) > Pioneer VSX 919 > Energy Take 5 Classic 5.1. SBS 7.7.1 r33751 on a Vortexbox Appliance, V 2.0, Touch: FW 7.7.1 r9558. Duet: FW 7.7.1 r9557. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ rgro's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=34348 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=91322 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
