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Pay attention, now

Posted by op48no1 on January 13, 2011 at 20:21:20

In Reply to: Looking to build an LSES power supply posted by xaudiomanx on January 13, 2011 at 05:56:19:

I can't agree with anyone who claims that a "low-storage" (really medium storage) or "flywheel" (not the same thing as low-storage) supply can't possibly sound good on technical grounds.

Nobody has produced a convincing model that accurately predicts individual subjective experience from purely technical considerations. The problem is that the physical and especially the neuropsychological machinery are just too complicated to nail down with simple models. What I see is people on both sides making gross generalizations from incomplete and simplistic assumptions.

On the audiophile side: the refusal to acknowledge the influence of subjective bias and to allow for differences of preferences. A strong tendency to describe purely subjective experiences as though they are universal, and to justify these experiences in poorly-understood and glaringly contradictory technical terms.

On the technical side: the very bad habit of assuming that basic first- and second-order component and circuit models are sufficient to fully characterize circuit behavior. Oversimplification of complex electronic concepts and the naive assumption that "accuracy" equates to "good sound."

Many circuits that by standard assessments "shouldn't" sound good at all turn out in real life to be extremely good performers, judged by listening tests. This is true whether you're talking about tweako audiophile circuits that seem to violate the rules of engineering or "conventional" circuits that follow none of the conventions of golden-ear component selection and design.

It just goes to show that you can never tell until you build it.

Now, to turn the argument around entirely, there is a great deal that engineers do know about the relationship between design and sound. In my opinion and experience, properly designed equipment usually sounds very good. This is not to say that it all sounds the same, but the differences get smaller and become more a matter of taste than absolute quality.

I don't claim to have the time or the experience to dictate what "sounds best." And I don't really care because I am thoroughly convinced just about any circuit, tube or transistor, can be made to sound good in the right system. I sincerely believe that if a certifiably "perfect" audio system could be built it would still not satisfy every listener. And that's because the idea of a "perfectly accurate" audio system is as absurd as the idea of a "perfectly accurate" painting. Absolute realism is an unattainable and, in the end, extremely limiting goal. The "Absolute Sound" was an interesting and useful concept thirty years ago, I think it's time to move on to a more flexible and accommodating view of what hi-fi really means in practice.

This is why I am constantly saying that the real goal of DIY audio experimentation should be to understand WHY certain circuits seem to sound better than others (in some circumstances). Until you answer the "why" question, you're just poking around in the dark trying to draw simple conclusions about hopelessly complicated systems.

The argument will not end until certain members of both sides accept the limits of their knowledge and adopt a much more sophisticated approach to experimentation and analysis.

End of soap box speech. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Asylum.

-Henry

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