Feel vs. Think - take an objective look...

Simple:

The prudent high-end buyer will make his choice on emotion, subject to fact.

Interesting thread. In the classroom whenever I prefaced an answer with "I think" more often than not the clever educator ensconced for my enlightenment would interject "You think?! Don't you know?!" In the age of instant karma, delving past the foibles of human nature occasionally requires the use of one's own judgement and imagination.

As I'm sure many of you know, Myers-Briggs measures our personalities in terms of "preferences". The thinking vs feeling scale (one of four) relates to how we prefer to make decisions in the world around us. Thinkers can give detailed explainations of how they got to a decision, where feelers can describe what emotions drove them to a decision. Both can be perfectly valid, and most of us are capable of using either depending on the circumstances (although we each have our strong preferences and may not be aware of which we are using).

High end audio attracts and offers much to both types. Some of us spend our time looking at the specs and designs and drawing conclusions that we can substantiate with great detail and logic. Others spend their time listening to music and relating to the experience. Both can be just as convinced of their decisions and proud of their end systems.

My guess is that a good reviewer has to be fairly balanced at both and that should be revealed in their choice of words in the review. "I think this componant is better because the design is..." or "I feel this componant is the better choice due because it is more involving...".

Advertizers would have to appeal to both as well, although maybe not in the same ad. If I buy an amp because of the power needed to drive a speaker, I am thinking. If I buy an amp because I am imagining the reaction of my friends when they see it, I am feeling. Anyone ever done both?

So, high end sellers have an opportunity to use these ideas proactively to get us to buy. All is fair...

If you apply thought, or think about what you buy, then you will own Sony or like, and perhaps as high end as Best Buy's JBL or Klipsch.

How is it we all arrived here? Something moved us. The sound of some systems is better than others but hey they measure the same. So if you think they are equal, but if you listen you will likely feel that one is a clear choice over the other hence you "feel the music" more readily or what ever it is you hear.

Listen to a pair of Maggies vs a pair of Klipsch, on paper they produce similiar charts but--- they sure sound very different don't they.

So what we are left with is feel.

Define love, how do you feel about some one!

My point is made, what your realy not getting is with reviewers it's his opinion. Do you agree with his points of veiw or not. For me usually not.

M. Fremer on vinyl I tend to agree with more than not, and thats about as close as it gets to a reviewer.

So cheer up and quit analyzing so much and go flip a disc.

loontoon

After reading this thread & the responses, I reread the review I just wrote on Luminous Audio Synchestra Silver Refs just four threads below this one. Didn't even think about the "think vs. feel" conundrum, rather wrote more what I heard & the accompanying feeling it left me with. I wrote my review purely as a home stereo owner, wishing to let others know I've found a great cable with no financial gain to realize from increased sales by virtue of a positive review. I'm sure not all reviewers write from this perspective & would think your comments are geared towards the *for profit* crowd. The only reason I mention the review I just wrote is simply because I just wrote it & used "I think" & "I feel" in it. I'm not writing this as a defense of my review, rather as a comment on your observations. That actually sounds defensive but words w/o the accompanying feeling are just words & you have to read between the lines.

With that said, your comments probably have merit in regards to some of what you've brought up. As you and many others know, you could dissect just about anything you read & the writer could justify anything he writes, so it's a matter of being able to sift through the minutia.

You bring up an interesting point of view & I'm sure for anyone who reads this thread, they'll pay attention to this for a while, I think.