Beware the audio guru


There are a few contributors to these forums who apparently see themselves as gurus. They speak in absolutes, using words such as "always" and "never." They make pronouncements about products or techniques they’ve never heard or experienced, justifying their conclusions because contrary claims are "impossible" or "snake oil." Those who disagree are accused of being "deluded," or suffering some insurmountable bias, or attempting to further some commercial agenda. On occasion, they have taunted detractors with an appeal that they engage in a wager - one guy wanted $25,000 cash up front and an agreement drafted by lawyers. Another offered 5-to-1 odds.

I am not going to tell you who to believe. But for anyone who might be uncertain about sorting out conflicting claims here, I suggest they consider the behavior of experts in other fields. No good doctor offers a 100 percent guarantee on any treatment or surgical procedure, even if medical science suggests success. No good attorney will tell you that you have a case that positively can’t be lost, even if the law appears to be on your side. No true professional will insult you for the questions you ask, or abandon you if you seek a second opinion.

A doctor conducts his own tests. An engineer makes his own measurements. Neither will insist the burden of documentation falls upon you.

These might be details to consider as you sift through the many conflicting claims made on Audiogon. In short: Decide for yourself. Don’t let other people tell you how to think, or listen.
Ag insider logo xs@2xcleeds
@david_ten - very Zen. If you think you are enlightened, you are wrong. 
Trust no one, not even yourself. :)
@dill : Sound trumps measurements - unless they're really bad! Why else would I listen?
I think the Yanni/Laurel thing, as silly as it may have been, taught us that many of us hear differently from others. Which proves even more you should listen with your own ears. Barring that at least try over time to get a sense of peoples tastes and biases on here and Audio mags to see if their tastes gibe with yours.
I've stated this many times, so why not once more...
"I'll defend the person who seeks the truth but
fight the person who claims to have found it."

As @teo_audio points out, the ear does not hear the same way a signal is measured. Get your head around that, and your ass will follow.
The ear "hears" in a non-linear manner as opposed to how a signal is measured. We can draw correlations but there's no absolutes.

All the best,
Nonoise
And our knowledge of how human hearing works and how to measure and correlate it is not very comprehensive