Audio Wisdom: Debunking common myths

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jneutron

jneutron

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Joined 2004
cotdt said:
it doesn't even matter if you can measure burn-in (you certainly can for many things like speaker drivers). it will still sound the same, because all speakers sound the same. no one has ever told the difference between two speakers in a double blind test.
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The first time you said this, I figured you wuz just havin fun.

Now, ya's beginnin ta scare me.

It's gettin old fast..

John
 
FastEddy

FastEddy

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4ourbees.com
" ... Small junctions ain't the key either. For dem widgits, it's the oxide quality as well as the passivation quality.. ..."

I guess I will bow outta this for now ... I do know of One Sure Absolute from all this:

Always Question Authority.

(" ... and dat lucky ol' Sun, just keeps rollin' aroun' ... Rollin' 'roun' heben all day ...")
 
jneutron

jneutron

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Joined 2004
FastEddy said:
" ... Small junctions ain't the key either. For dem widgits, it's the oxide quality as well as the passivation quality.. ..."

I guess I will bow outta this for now
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Good nuff. If you wish to discuss burn in with somebody who has done so for decades, just call, I have a "yittle" bit of experience along this line.

FastEddy said:
... I do know of One Sure Absolute from all this:

Always Question Authority.
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That is a must. To that, I add another: don't trust all the google results, there's a lot out there that is written by those who want to appear to be an authority.

Cheers ,John
 
jneutron

jneutron

Member
Joined 2004
FastEddy said:
" ... To that, I add another: don't trust all the google results, there's a lot out there that is written by those who want to appear to be an authority. ..."

Trust Google ?? ... No way.

Trust Wikipedia ?? ... Always ...


( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change :confused: )
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You gotta be kiddin me. Wikipedia??

Look up biwiring..or skin effect..

sigh..the accuracy is only as good as the proctor'd input.

Honestly, both have some good, some bad..but no tags stating such..I feel bad for the non-tech types looking for info.

If I want to know bout global warming, I only have to walk half a mile.

Cheers, John
 
pinkmouse

pinkmouse

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FastEddy said:
pinkmouse: Sir Karl Raimund Popper : " Logically, no number of positive outcomes at the level of experimental testing can confirm a scientific theory, but a single counterexample is logically decisive ..." You mean this guy?
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Yup that's the one, and speaking as a Fortean, that comment still stands as true. He did get a little strange at times, but then he was a philosopher. ;)
 
Pano

Pano

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Wow! When this thread opened I thought no one would reply. Wrong-o!

I browsed thru some of the articles linked. Fun stuff, good stuff, but it seems like way too much axe grinding from the "It all sounds the same" camp.

cotdt said:
all speakers sound the same. no one has ever told the difference between two speakers in a double blind test.
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:D:D Yep - I don't know why we even bother. If we listen to the reasonable people we will be shown that everything sounds the same. Maybe that's even true for music? Does it matter who's playing, as long as it's the same notes?

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of pure silver cryo treated power cords, but gosh - some things make a difference.

Although.... why does burn in always make the device sound better? Hmmm......
 
DrFrankenstein

DrFrankenstein

Banned
Joined 2006
cotdt said:
I have something else to add to the list of audiophile myths: It's a myth that different speakers can sound different. There has been numerous blind tests that have definitively proven that all speakers sound the same, and numerous tests showed that people couldn't tell the difference between $10 computer speaker and $10000 dollar "audiophile" speakers. This is pretty well known, yet here you've got all these people spending thousands of dollars on speakers when it makes no difference anyway. And in the loudspeaker forum, all these people are spending so much time trying to design and build their speakers, when it makes no difference anyway. It will only sound the same. Our ears play tricks on us.

The same applies to amplifiers. All amps sound the same and numerous blind tests have proven this as well. Our ears play tricks on us.

Needless to say, we are all a victim of our deceiving ears. Our ears play tricks on us.
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Based on your absurd logic cotdt, a tweeter sounds the same as a woofer because after all, they're both speakers.
:whazzat:

What CAN be said is, a $20 speaker can sound as good as or better than a $200 speaker, I've witnessed this plenty. Considering that speaker technology hasn't really changed in nearly 100 years aside from the use of better quality materials, it's hard to justify a single driver costing $200, I don't care what marketing scheme you use.
Beryllium?
Spare me.
Ribbon tweeters?
Is it Christmas ribbon because everyone loves Christmas...
Bose?
..excuse me while I fall down on the floor in hysterical laughter..pwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!:D

The myth here is, a $200 driver with a reputable name on it will sound better than a driver with very similar specs that has a lesser name on it and a $40 price tag. Not all the time but most of the time, you're paying for the name not a difference in quality.
I work with a lot of different drivers intended for different audio applications. My favorite is how superior Celestion Greenbacks are said to sound, an incredibly cheap speaker to manufacture with an incredibly ridiculous price tag on it. Meanwhile I've heard $30 and $40 drivers that can compare to or exceed it's sound quality and performance.
All speakers sound the same?
No but price is not an indication of sound quality and performance.

.
 
DCPreamp

DCPreamp

Member
Joined 2005
pjpoes said:
People may not like the existance of things like magic stones and sand filled stands, but even if they make no measurable difference, that doesn't mean that can't really improve the sound of reproduced music for a listener, as I said, placebo effects are just as real as anything else. If spending 50 dollars on a jar of marbles makes the imaging better in my head, I'm all for it, I would gladly spend 50 dollars to get a hypnotist to make me believe my speakers sound like a million bucks.
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So, would you be happy if a loved-one purchased a clock/radio for $100,000 because they thought it sounded good and it made them feel good without first checking other prices or listening to other units? How about if your loved-one was told the clock/radio was made with the finest hand-selected components, and with solder blessed by the Vatican, and plastic made from natural petroleum springs, when in fact it was mass-produced in China? Is it okay then?

Believe me, I’m all for people spending obscene amounts of money on silly things – as long as they know what they’re buying. However, when a charlatan sells a jar of marbles for $50 to improve stereo imaging, they should say it’s a jar of marbles and works if you think it works; not make claims that it’s a mystical energy focusing device utilizing untapped bovinic cosmic powers that works 100% of the time.

I also understand and believe in the placebo effect, but really wouldn’t like a pharmacy to boost its profits by randomly dispensing sugar-pills in place of antibiotics, BP medications, or immunosuppressants. When people voluntarily enter a drug study and fully understand they may receive placebos, then I’m fine with fake medications being dispensed and the “placebo effect” being witnessed.
 
DCPreamp

DCPreamp

Member
Joined 2005
SY said:


Wake up, they sell homeopathic "medicine" and "dietary supplements." Not to mention magnetic bracelets and shoe insoles. There's no shortage of desperate, ignorant suckers.
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But those silly things don’t require a prescription. There are, however pathetic and ridiculous it is, insurance companies that will pay for such items. Caveat emptor - with full disclosure.
 
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