Comparing systems through phone recordings

Yeah, it works. But the consensus around here is this will be a waste of time.
So let me say right up front I am NOT telling anyone to start auditioning components via YouTube! Yet sometimes something is better than nothing. Which for most of us nothing is what we got.
There's whole series of Youtubers just playing records, reviewing gear, pretty much everything you can think of. One guy has a bunch with a Koetsu Black Goldline and Herron phono stage. Different records, tables, arms, but same cart and stage. What is it we do when comparing? Change just one thing? So that's what this is. That's all that it is. One more opportunity to listen and compare.
Listening to just one gives almost no idea. Listening to several where the one constant is the cart, after a while the inherent character comes out. That's what I did. And guess what? When I bought the Herron and the Koetsu they did indeed sound pretty much as expected from listening to them on Youtube.
Now nothing will ever stop the nitpickers and arguers but just so they know I am not saying my stereo sounds exactly like my laptop. What I am saying is your laptop does not need to sound exactly like your stereo in order to be able to get some benefit from this. Its a comparison. Listen. Compare.

Sound is sound. Listening is listening. What you are doing, at the very least, is learning to listen and evaluate. Something we all could afford to be better at.

A friend on here and I have exchanged recordings made on our phones it's not perfect but can certainly give you an idea of the other persons system. I use the voice record pro app on my Iphone it makes good recordings and lossless too.

Thanks millercarbon. We're thinking in the same direction. Sound comparison is possible even if diifficult. And a way of learning more.The method used over here is just to record a standard digital track. To hear the basics of the amp - speaker - room integration. Later, maybe, analog recordings.

thanks jond - i agree.

To clarify we just do this for fun or to get each others opinion I would never audition anything this way or from a Youtube vid either. It's cool to listen to a recording from his system played back on mine however.