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Pro v Audiophile - Science v Snake Oil?

I have a long time friend Mike who has an interest in audio gear that broadcasters/pros use unlike myself who remained mainly confined to domestic audio. He reads journals written for industry professionals and is mainly interested in using pro/semi pro gear. 

Of course there is no hard and fast distinction between professional and domestic audio, as companies such as ATC, B&W, Harbeth, JBL, PMC, Sony, Technics etc. often have product lines for both markets. However there does seem to be a feeling of two separate camps each with its own aims. This feeling is probably enhanced by the different way the products are often reviewed and sold (with the possible exception being headphones) which often don't seem to care which camp they fall into.

Domestic audio used to be sold by retail outlets whilst pro gear was often sold via catalogues. The rise of internet shopping through retailers like Amazon now sees such products often sold side by side. Still, the way they are reviewed are remain separate between industry publications and domestic magazine press. Professional audio gear remains largely ignored by the domestic press and vice versa. You can almost sense the feeling that each camp might regard the other as being beneath contempt. 

Industry users and reviewers seem to have a no nonsense approach to audio gear and go by technical specs and durability whereas domestic reviews major on vague subjective impressions. Yet once upon a time domestic audio too used to be reviewed in a similar fashion. 

As the years have rolled by I increasingly find myself asking whether by reading domestic audio magazines and the like, I was on the wrong road all along. Especially when I consider how 99.99% of all the film, music and TV/ radio output that I've enjoyed was originally produced and recorded. Mike just knowingly smiles in a 'I told you so' way, and just this once he may well be right.  

Anyway, here's a great resource showcasing  how audio journalism once used to work.

https://www.americanradiohistory.com





cd318

Showing 6 responses by cd318

cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@shadorne Great points! Live recording is always going to remain a good point of  reference for playback.
 
I imagine Film and TV studios would place a  high priority on performance and reliability simply because of the huge recording and production costs. Time is big money indeed, and unreliable products get very short shrift.

It's saying something that in 2019 the BBC developed loudspeaker designs are going from strength to strength. Not only Harbeth and Spendor, but also PMC have their roots in the BBC R&D dept.

Another British company ATC seems to straddle both worlds with ease. Almost every review hints of their speakers perhaps being too honest. Too honest for what? Bad production values? Are domestic loudspeakers supposed to hide recording faults?

Wouldn't we rather have the unvarnished truth? 


cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@tomcy6 No I don’t believe recording standards are very high. In fact it’s pretty obvious that most of the industry has very little regard for the concerns of audiophiles. We’re just far too small a group for them to take us seriously. The Steve Hoffman's and Barry Diament's are few and far between in the recording world unfortunately.

Your idea of ’helping’ recordings sounds good, say if you want to add a little warmth and bass via your setup, it might help thin sounding recordings and vice versa. Perhaps all amps should have tone controls.
cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@taras22 , that is a shame to hear about film sound bring treated so badly. I imagined after all the efforts of Orson Welles, the great musical scores down the ages, and more recently George Lucas's weight behind THX that the industry would finally realise it's importance. Hmm, maybe they have the same attitude towards the consumers as the recording industry does.  

As for Barry Diament, it's unfortunate that someone so polite with so well thought and reasoned opinions can be deemed to be so threatening by so many people. 

It would be great to hear him contribute here. We should all stand to be corrected if necessary, shouldn't we?


cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
I think it's also fair to say that there is an entirely different expectation from professional and domestic audio. One is a tool for work and the other for hopefully, a route to pleasure.

Professional audio gear is there primarily to serve a purpose ie help the technicians and engineers to get a job done and is judged by reputation and performance specs. Design and ergonomics must follow function.

Audiophile gear is sold on cosmetics and styling first. Performance specs and reliability appear to be an afterthought or even unimportant in many reviews!

Snake oil does exist in both camps but I can't imagine many engineers worrying too much about cable directionality, or sound quality differences amongst digital hardware - it either works or it doesn't. Domestic audio has always been littered with surplus 'eye candy' junk such as glitzy connectors or ephemera such as bi-wiring, spikes, or Dolby B whilst useful features such as tone controls or a mono switch are often omitted altogether!

The world of domestic audiophilia can easily look like a dangerously expensive place infested with snake oil sellers where the promise of audio satisfaction is forever kept tantalizingly just beyond reach.

For the uninitiated, a safer course to  follow might be to look at those manufacturers who have some association in both camps (ATC, Audio Technica, B&W, Beyerdynamic, Focal, Harbeth, Harman Kardon, JBL, KEF, Kerr Acoustic, PMC, Sennheiser, Sony, Tannoy, Technics etc) and ask yourself just what the differences between their offered product lines might be.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_audio

cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
One of the audio greats of our time sharing some of his immense knowledge.

Floyd Toole on Sound Reproduction - art and science / opinions and facts

https://youtu.be/zrpUDuUtxPM
cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
@gosta yes, the technology is definitely better, (give or take the old valve driven mixing desks) but I fear much of the old snobbish attitude to anything other than Classical or Jazz remains.

Pop recordings and authenticity parted ways many decades ago. Most are created to sell. No more no less. And they do.
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