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Do we really care whether others "believe" in tweaking audio gear?

Posted by glennw (A) on March 15, 2005 at 09:26:00

The only reason I care about defending certain tweaks - such as in my response to Richard BassNut Greene about tweaking electronics - is so that others who might realize a nice sonic benefit from those tweaks aren't discouraged from trying them.

When it comes to POOGE'ing, my belief system isn't affected by skeptics. I *know* that rebuilding my speaker crossovers with quality parts has made a very enjoyable difference in their sound. I know that putting sorbothane feet under my turntable has made it virtually impervious to the periodic 30mph full stop maneuvers that my English Setter occasionally makes when playing ball in the house. Building my own power cables, replacing opamps and caps and diodes in CD players, etc. has all been both fun and sonically beneficial. (OK, except when I would make the occasional cold solder joint and take a component out of circuit...)

So do I care whether Ethan Winer or Sam Tellig or anyone else agrees that these sorts of things can make a big difference in the sound, whether or not such a difference is scientifically measurable?

No - EXCEPT to the extent that these folks may be discouraging other audiophiles from trying things that might work for them. It's good to be skeptical, but it's bad to speak from a position of perceived authority and pontificate that (for example) biwiring speakers doesn't make any difference, given that many people feel that it does.

Regarding the extremists, it's easy (and sometimes entertaining) to make fun of them. However, if someone wants to pay $6000 for an interconnect, and they earned that $6000 lawfully and responsibly, and paid taxes on it, and their family isn't neglected in some way because of the expense, you know, it's a free country. If that person hears the difference, and feels it's worth it, and would rather channel those dollars to the cable manufacturer instead of going to a lot of concerts and helping support talented musicians, or even sending a poor kid to community college for a year - that's his right. At least the money is going into the economy, and not (say) to some Colombian drug lord.

For my part, when I post about something I've done that sounds great to me, my motivation isn't to convert the skeptic. It's to suggest to someone else who may have similar gear and similar tastes that here's something he may want to try.

So, here's a proposed 4-point audiophile philosophy:

1) Skepticism, measurements, tweaking, and listening are all good and are not mutually exclusive. They all add to knowledge over time. Debate, if polite and constructive and informed and leavened with a little humility, is a good thing, because nobody has all the answers.

2) Dogma is generally bad, whether it comes from the audiophile placing tiny adhesive dots in the corner of his windowpanes and insisting that everyone do likewise, or the skeptic pooh-poohing the exact same activity and insisting that nobody do likewise.

3) Believe what you hear, not what anyone says you should hear. Enjoy what sounds good to you, because life is short and you should not live it for others. Try new approaches if and when you feel like it.

4) Good music is what it's all about, so get out from time to time and support good live musicians by attending their performances.

Now I have to shut up and go hunting for some Vishay SMD resistors for the output stage of my SACD player. I'm curious to find out whether I'll be able to hear the difference. ;-)

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Sonic Craft

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