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3 Ingredients to a Healthy Audio Community

Through my own personal audio journey, I have learned to value and hopefully embody 3 qualities: humility, respect, and a sense of community. I hope to inspire dialogue about how our lovable audio community can be more like a (functional) family, and less like NBA players talking trash (no offense intended to basketball lovers).

I've learned the hard way that most, if not all, of my preconceived notions about audio have been wrong. For instance, let's talk about cables. I used to think that they had no bearing on sound quality. But, when I actually tried cables that used scientifically researched and proven technology, I had to admit that they do in fact make a huge difference. What I needed was to approach new technology with more humility, realizing that my opinions may be wrong and that other's thoughts and experiences are just as valid as my own. In fact, others' who have actually tried something that I have not have a much more valid perspective than I do, since they have first-hand experience and I do not.

There's a word for this attitude -- respect, that's right. I definitely need more of it, especially online where I don't actually know anyone else and they don't know me. I struggle with this one. If I feel someone is wrong, I want to hop right in and call them out. But, I don't know that person. I don't know if they are new to audio, or an experienced engineer. I don't know their qualifications or experiences. And, I don't know what they're going through in their life. So, who the hell am I to say that they are wrong and/or that I am right?

If I can nail the above two character qualities, I can help contribute to our community of music and audio lovers and not just leech off of it. If we all work to exhibit more humility and respect, we can forget about who's right or wrong, and just focus on helping each other enjoy what we have, and hope to have. For ultimately, this hobby is not about correctness but about emotionally engaging with and enjoying music, both individually and collectively.
daveman2
dletch2
455 posts
 
humility, respect, and a sense of community


Is it humility to not accept that you, like everyone else on the planet is biased?


Is it respectful to not accept your inherent biases and use the results of that lack of acceptance to disrespect others?


Is the community served when you refuse to accept your bias, yet proselytize your personal views that have never been tested without bias?


Humility does not mean accepting everyone's views as valid, when those views are clearly colored by personal bias they refuse to accept. I respect your right to an opinion or view, I don't have to respect the one you have. The community is not served when people viciously promote personal views, not tested for bias, as absolute truth.


What many people here want is C, C, C. Conformity, conformity, conformity.  When they don't get it, they insult you, your system, or your hearing, usually knowing nothing about any of them.


Humility, respect, and community are nice words. Cults are all about respect and community too, and members are expected to have humility, at least where it concerns the self appointed gods. 
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
318 posts
 
Thank you @daveman2. Nicely said...
Happy listening.
teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
I’ll say it again, as it is true and also quite funny:

Every time a serious and political centric thread breaks out on the ’gon, there is actually peace. Everyone is mostly polite and overall--- agreement tends to break out.

Whereas with audio threads.... it’s war, war, war... on all channels all the time..
It may be due to politics being literally more verifiable and real, more definable, more of a data set to work with, more known and established, etc...... vs... what we deal with in in audio, re human hearing vs the hardware's engineering specification and understandings of such, as a related pair.
dletch2
455 posts
 
If we just dealt with human hearing, there would be far fewer issue. But we don't deal with human hearing, we deal with total human perception because far too many refuse to just deal with human hearing.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
6,046 posts
 
There is no human hearing without human perception, @dletch2 

There is no fact without interpretation. We have to figure out which interpretation works for us. Otherwise, one is beyond interpretation and just in touch with raw given? Doesn't happen. Everything that exists, exists AS something.
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