Can't we all just get along?

@willemj   I agree. I like to read about facts here that inform me about audio equipment.  I do also, however, value the opinion of most who post here.  In my case, that is the main reason I come here.  

I have a reputation with my extended family for being the "researcher".  I am known by them to be the one who will read review after review, both professional and user reviews to help inform me on an upcoming purchase.  I'm not talking here about audio but of auto tires, hairdryers, etc. etc.  

I have rarely after investing the time to do so, been led astray by others' opinions.  I look for the commonalities in the statements of others to guide my purchases.

To reciprocate, I review many products that I have purchased and try to be as accurate about my experiences as possible so others may benefit as well. 

Again, no sweat if that's not your thing.  I do understand how some folks do not value others' opinions.  You don't know them nor they you.  It is a leap of trust that I am sure is difficult for some.  That's okay!

The problem in a nutshell is that one man’s fact is another man’s opinion. A recent post stated, ”only quite facts.” Which I (very tactfully, of course) mocked. When two or more people agree on whether some fact is TRUE it doesn’t necessarily mean it is TRUE. That’s why there is such a thing as Appeal to Authority. Claiming to be an authority or claiming to quite a 100% reliable source doesn’t constitute a valid argument. If it did constitute a valid argument, all anyone would have to say to win ANY argument is, “I’m an expert on the subject so I must be right.” Even when the person actually IS an expert in the field, which he may or may not be. I wouldn’t think of impugning anyone’s motives for saying something or another. Furthermore, even experts in a given field disagree. Hel-loo!

@geoffkait  "Furthermore, even experts in a given field disagree."  Totally TRUE.  In reading about the similar design goals that disparate designers have, it is intriguing how many totally different approaches these various designers employ to get to the same end goal of producing components that are as truthful to the music as possible.

Paul McGowan of PS Audio records a video daily where he answers an audio question sent in by audiophiles.  In watching many of these it is interesting to see how Paul, who has been designing fine gear for decades, has allowed his ears to inform new thinking about basic approaches to circuit design.

In one particular video when tubes were being discussed, he admits that although admiring the virtues of tubes, he was a SS designer and as such didn't employ them.  Enter, Bascom H. King.  In his interactions with Paul, he convinced Paul to utilize tubes in his BHK amps and preamps.  Paul admitted in the video that it was the right approach and contributes to the excellent sonics of the BHK gear.

That's an audio designer that I want to listen to.  He allowed himself to be taken to a new place in the design process even though it didn't fit his established paradigm. 

willemj
Geoff, I am not German (my grandfather sailed in convoys on the Atlantic and landed in Normandy delivering ammo on the beach while my father was in a labour camp). But what is the point of such xenophobic remarks? Modern Germany is a perfectly decent country.

I never said Germany wasn’t a decent country today. By the way, I used to work with a group of submariners. Ironic, no? It’s also ironic I have the English name, and you the German name. Run silent, run deep. 😁