then Amar Bose is "the best" audio designer on the planet?
sold a couple more systems than John as as far as I can tell
Well we could set up a double blind test to compare the products Bose Corp. and Dr. Bose's graduate students have actually invented and compare them to what existed before and see what the panel thinks is "better."
My money would be on Bose to win!
However Bose is not the largest producer of audio equipment so by the proposed standard Dr. Bose and his crew would not be the best!
The other issue raised on a regular basis is that there is more to sound reproduction than the electro-mechanical process. Bose is certainly the first to look at the acoustics of reproduction with the direct reflecting concept!
So for those who look at direct sound loudspeakers Bose is probably not the best reproduction quality for the money. But they have different goals and are apparently doing quite well at it.
So get over it.
Choose which you "like" better? By one particular person...with one particular sound system...in one particular room...playing one particular recording? Or maybe as many as a few? And how you know others will feel the same with their systems in their rooms playing their recordings? Where's the science in all this? What makes this any different from pure chance. Ever seen the same painting or the same room lit up with different lamps having different CRIs (color rendering indices?) Makes a world of difference. How do you know this isn't the same case? That's one problem with subjectivism. Eventually it not only leads to conclusions that may not even be a consensus of opinion but only the opinion of those whose views carry the most weight (such as past reputation) for whatever reason they hold it (selling product for example) but may not even reflect what you get in most other circumstances. This is to me an essential difference between a tinkerer and a real engineer. Not that tinkerers can't invent very clever, even excellent equipment that even surpasses what engineers have achieved but that is rarely the case. They don't have a specific objective, a definite goal, a method of achieving it and knowing when they are there. They just simply pursue trial and error until they find something they like better than what they had previously. In many cases they don't even know why they like it better. And for this those who often spend what I consider absurdly exhorbitant amounts of money take the word of the manufacturers, their advertisers, and their sometimes sycophant "professional reviewers" who are also often in the advertising feeding chain of those who have a personal financial stake in sales of a particular item.
I lament the decline of AES from what once seemed like a professional engineering society to a consumer and hobbyist club. You evidently don't have to be a degreed engineer from an accredited school to join or even have equivalent credentials. Evidently anyone who is interested or has tinkered and sold a product is eligalbe to join.
I lament the disappearance of straight forward audio engineering artiles from the JAES and try to do something about it by publishing Linear Audio on my own money.
So far there's no shortage of high quality articles, just need some more readers to break even
jan didden
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Hi John, welcome back, had a ball at T.H.E show?
So, to be clear, those 'A or B' tests that you do, are they sighted or blind?
If blind, which switch box that you feel is up to par do you use?
jan didden
Apparently, my physics degree and a few published articles were not enough to raise my AES profile from "associate" to "full" member. So it may not be quite the way you describe it...
That said, for hifi beyond signal processing, there's FAR more useful stuff in Linear Audio.
I lament the disappearance of straight forward audio engineering artiles from the JAES and try to do something about it by publishing Linear Audio on my own money.
So far there's no shortage of high quality articles, just need some more readers to break even
jan didden
Jan,
I am confused, if you need more readers, I will be glad to circulate my copy.
I admit to being a bit curious about your business model. Without advertising your publication is short of 1/2 of the typical income. The bookzine style does allow for the sale of back issues as they do not become stale. Of course the book model is tougher as many books never break even.
The other theory is that each additional issue generates new readers who will buy the back issues. So revenue should grow with longevity until the market saturates. If the market is large enough profitability is possible unless many others enter and muddy the market. Then the less able will fold until the market stabilizes.
So it is an interesting question which model is valid. Of course determining which model is valid requires financial risk. I suspect you are aware of that part!
The hedged bet side is that Volume 0 is always salable.
So best of luck on the venture, but even if it is wildly successful don't tell anyone, it will create competitors.
Ed I think you sum it up pretty accurate. I believe it'll be a few more issues to see if it can stand on it's own legs. That would mean one or two more years with 2 issues per year.
Still, it's great to be able to work with so many smart people that turn out to be great authors and that really have a well-thought out contribution to make to the tech state of audio.
jan didden
Still, it's great to be able to work with so many smart people that turn out to be great authors and that really have a well-thought out contribution to make to the tech state of audio.
jan didden
I'm really excited by the appearance of Linear Audio. Jan has managed to put together impressive sets of authors covering very diverse audio subjects in ways that are directly applicable by the DIYer.
Unless I've missed something, I don't think Jan uses the subscription model. In other words, a Linear Audio follower makes a purchase decision on each issue. I hope Jan corrects me if I am wrong. If I am right, I would suggest that he add a subscription option so that those who are committed to getting all issues can subscribe for a one-year, or even more, interval. Jan obviously has a great email list now as well, so he could in addition send out an email reminder when a new issue becomes available to those not subscribed. Just a few thoughts.
Great job, Jan. Linear Audio is a significant contribution to the audio fraternity.
Cheers,
Bob
I also lament the ways in which the AES has changed, but in some ways the opposite reason.
It seems the Journal articles have gotten more academic (and digital) and less involved with good old circuit design. I miss the "old days" when there was a lot of good practical stuff in the Journal (even though many of us fought over it). The AES has certainly not taken a direction to a hobbyist club. If anything, it has gone more in the pro direction and away from the audiophile.
Having recently been at the Convention, I also see changes there that disappoint me (but which others may feel were necessary). For example, the technical papers are divided up into many smaller rooms. In the old days, there was one big gathering where everyone was together for a presentation and if that presentation was not something they cared about, they chatted in the hallway and socialized (IMPORTANT). Another collateral damage of this is that many good papers are attended by a very few number of people.
Many conferences I attend do in fact have multiple "tracks", but often only three to five. The AES technical attendance is too fractured, in my opinion.
I guess this highly divided approach allows the acceptance and presentation of many more papers, but I think there may be an accompanying decline in quality.
I have also seen a decline in the big-time exhibitors "that were always there",
Meyer Sound, Dolby and Sony, to mention a few, if I am correct.
Growth can also be the enemy of a good conference. When the AES went from being entirely in a hotel to being in a place like the Javitts Center or Moscone, some of its character was lost.
Cheers,
Bob
Bob, thank you very much for your kind words. Indeed, several people have asked for a sub option. I'm not sure how to implement that (I'm new at this game too) but my thoughts were to offer a pre-paid sub for say 3 or 4 issues in exchange for free shipping or a comparable discount. I'd appreciate comments or inputs to that.
jan didden
The AES Conventions i Europe are now so small that, starting in 2010, they are back in a hotel. It is sad that the (pro) audio industry pulls out of the exhibition halls.
Discount? Could you translate this unfamiliar term for me.
The Diderot Enclopedie was by subscription.
The draw is that you are guaranteed a copy.
See Ed, that's why you have a hugely succesful audio business, and I am a retired hobbyist
jan didden
Throw in a gratuity pound of cheese for foreign subscribers. 
Yeah, SY´s role model is Memo Lucero : El Rey of eco-friendly synthetic dope.
(a Man Apart, Vinnie Diesel oil, '03)
Happy Now ?
Yeah, SY´s role model is Memo Lucero : El Rey of eco-friendly synthetic dope.
(a Man Apart, Vinnie Diesel oil, '03)
Happy Now ?
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