How do you judge your equipment?

[beppe61]

Dear Sirs,


I would be very interested in knowing if you base your choiche more on the hear or on objective electrical measurements during the construction of your prototype.
I have heard that some manufactures claim that they use squads of golden ears for the fine tuning of their equipment.
Are they joking or are they serious?

Thank you to all.

Regards,


beppe61

[SY]

Both measurement and listening.

[anatech]

Ditto. Each is important.

[Jan Dupont]

My end jugdement are based solely on my ears
I don't care what other thinks....
I have to listen to it every day, enjoy my favorite music on it etc. !!
My own (and my girlfriend) ears decide which circuit/speaker constelation has gone through the narrow "pass through" band

[Tekko]

My gear is cheap NoFi but i enjoy it, but i get really annoyed with the sound if the tweeters get quiet, bad sound when the woofer goes fullrange.

[Jan Dupont]

To all:
Please have in mind that sound is individual.....
Some like distorted sound, some sterile and other somewhere in between....
The most important factor in all diy is. " DO YOU LIKE IT YOUR SELF ?"
Nevermind what other thinks..... You are the one having to listen to it every day................

[keyser]

In most cases measurements on equipement (like solid states) is more reliable than the ear. An amp that sounds good, doesn't always have good specs. The other way round is always true though!

[beppe61]

Originally posted by keyser
In most cases measurements on equipement (like solid states) is more reliable than the ear. An amp that sounds good, doesn't always have good specs. The other way round is always true though!

Dear Mr. Keyser,

Thank you very much for your kind and valuable reply.
I can understand that you are with objectivists (people who relate on measurements to assess the quality of an audio equipment).
I must confess you that I am quite disorientated.
Do you know all the discussion about a line preamp from Morrison brand called Elad?
I have a copy of the magazine AUDIO CRITIC where it was nominated the best line preamp on the market on the basis of its exceptional set of electric measurements.
I report some excerpts from that issue:
" Flat frequency response, low distortion, low noise - this is what we can hear"
" Go out today and spend big bucks on new tube equipment is the height of folly. If the tube happens to be a single-ended triode amplifier, then folly is too weak a word: idiocy would be more appropriate"
" High-end power amplifiers or preamps don't sound better than mid price units (Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, ecc.) with similar specifications".

Are you on the same track?
Following your opinion an audio equipment that measure well sound fine. Am I wrong?
If so, this is a fundamental achievement in judging a stereo equipment because pres or amps with very good specs are readily available at human prices.

Thank you very much for your interesting opinion that deserves further comments from other people attending this forums.

Kind regards,

beppe61

[anatech]

Hi beppe61,
It's true that things that measure well can sound bad. It's also true that something that sounds bad can sometimes be measured. I don't believe it is possible to create something on listening tests alone. In creating an amplifier, I will listen to it. If it doesn't sound right in some way, further investigation will reveal the cause. I've done this many times with my own designs and those of others.

Finally, good design practice is important. When you turn the power switch on you must be assured of getting music, not smoke. Many commercial products fall short here too.

Finally, "golden ears" have proved to be faulty many times. If you read the mags, it's "the product of the month". Give me a break, there are several products that have stood the test of time and got bad reviews. What I have seen is that the better a piece of gear is, the more people like the sound of it. The other thing that's true is that two amplifiers with very similar specs can sound vastly different. Cheap, light stuff will not sound as good as properly designed and built stuff.

-Chris

[BrianDonegan]

Measurement for stability and getting output in the ballpark. Ear for final tuning and pleasing sound. Then maybe measurement again to be sure it won't blow up