What is wrong with audiophiles?


Something that has happened countless times happened again last night. Ordinary people over for a party listening to some music easily hear things audiophiles argue endlessly don't even exist. Oh, its worse even than that- they not only easily hear but are stunned and amazed at what they hear. Its absolutely clearly obvious this is not anything they ever were expecting, not anything they can explain- and also is not anything they can deny. Because its so freaking obvious! Happens every time. Then I come on here and read one after another not only saying its impossible, but actually ridiculing people for the audacity of reporting on the existence of reality.

What is wrong with audiophiles?

Okay, concrete examples. Easy demos done last night. Cable Elevators, little ceramic insulators, raise cables off the floor. There's four holding each speaker cable up off the floor. Removed them one by one while playing music. Then replaced them. Music playing the whole time. First one came out, instant the cable goes on the floor the guy in the sweet spot says, "OH! WTF!?!?!"

Yeah. Just one. One by one, sound stage just collapses. Put em back, image depth returns.

Another one? Okay.

Element CTS cables have Active Shielding, another easy demo. Unplug, plug back in. Only takes a few seconds. Tuning bullets. Same thing. These are all very easy to demo while the music is playing without interruption. This kills like I don' know how many birds with one stone. Auditory memory? Zero. Change happens real time. Double blind? What could be more double blind than you don't know? Because nobody, not me, not the listener, not one single person in the room, knows exactly when to expect to hear a change- or what change to expect, or even if there would be any change to hear at all. Heck, even I have never sat there while someone did this so even I did not know it was possible to hear just one, or that the change would happen not when the Cable Elevator was removed but when the cable went down on the floor.

We're talking real experience here people. No armchair theorizing. What real people really hear in real time playing real music in a real room.

I could go on. People who get the point will get the point. People who ridicule- ALWAYS without ever bothering to try and hear for themselves!- will continue to hate and argue.

What is wrong with audiophiles?

Something almost all audiophiles insist on, its like Dogma 101, you absolutely always must play the same "revealing" track over and over again. Well, I never do this. Used to. Realized pretty quickly though just how boring it is. Ask yourself, which is easier to concentrate on- something new and interesting? Or something repetitive and boring? You know the answer. Its silly even to argue. Every single person in my experience hears just fine without boring them to tears playing the same thing over and over again. Only audiophiles subject themselves to such counterproductive tedium.

What is wrong with audiophiles????
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Yuvalg9
I suggest you read posts by a chap named Mark Waldarp; He explains the futility of investing such a preposterous amount on speaker cables, interconnects, "hi-grade" power cables, and power conditioners; do yourself a favor and read his
posts, or better yet, buy his book about sound theory; you won’t be disappointed. Mark is an extremely knowledgable audiophile, and he knows what he is talking about. The book is only $40; a well-spent investment.

>>>>>Actually, his name is Mark Waldrep...Dr. Mark Waldrep. I ran across this tidbit of Dr. Waldrep’s whilst cruising the ‘net a moment ago,

“A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about an event that reported on some of the nonsense demos that happen at trade shows (you can visit the article by clicking here ). I deliberately avoided naming the salesperson who demonstrated the "benefits" of expensive — very expensive — power cords and the name of his company out of respect for the hosts. His demo produced audible/measurable increases in the amplitude of identical music selections. A result that is impossible according to the laws of physics. Electrical engineers and those with even a casual knowledge of how electrical circuits and power supplies work know that a heavy twisted cable worth thousands of dollars cannot — and should not — increase the plus and minus voltages needed by the various circuits in the equipment in question.”

Gosh, can Dr, Waldrep be one of those Cargo Cultists I described earlier today? Well, shut my mouth and call me cornpone! Stay tuned to this channel, gentle readers. 🤗
Vendors unfortunately do do this, play with levels at trade shows. I caught a vendor of conditioner products doing this recently in Toronto. He thought I was just amazed at the difference ... Nope, I was measuring the levels.
I met Mark at CAF earlier this month. He had a small booth and was selling his book and a number of what looked to be DVDs. He also had seminars and presentations which I did not have time to attend. I am not very clear what he does for a living. Can’t be the book alone

atdavid
Vendors unfortunately do do this, play with levels at trade shows. I caught a vendor of conditioner products doing this recently in Toronto. He thought I was just amazed at the difference ... Nope, I was measuring the levels.

>>>>Uh, were you wearing your propeller hat? Did you demand controlled blind testing? Did you accuse them of doing do do? 🤗
I said the levels were not matched in their demo samples and walked out. Software is not susceptible to expectation bias ...