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Re: I'm sure this will be hard for you to understand

Because I want to reply to so many people simultaneously I will try the one reply.
I agree both with Charles Hansen and unclestu52.
This is also a reply to both 'bjh' and John Curl because both replies are interlinked.
Reply to John Curl,
Thank you for your response to my "Suggestions" posting.
I do not 'post' regularly on the Audio Asylum site but I thought I had seen a glimmer of a change in Jim Austin's approach after his piece on the research done by the Max Planck Institute. But when, in one reply, Jim trotted out JGH's 'Belt Affair' article - as people are want to do whenever they come up against unusual 'tweaks', inexplicable 'tweaks', weird changes to the sound that no one can explain, I decided on a further response.
As I have said many times before. I can see at what stage many people are by the sentences they use, because when you get to a certain stage, you can no longer continue to use the old sentences of the previous stage. I thought I had seen such a tiny change in Jim's approach, that he might be moving slightly away from the outlook "It must be suggestion, or the placebo effect, or imagination, or mood changes, or effective marketing." but it seems that I was mistaken.
In a reply recently to my "Re: Words of wisdom from the past" on Propeller Head Plaza,
'bjh' quoted something from our latest Newsletter.
To quote bjh:-
"Yet when I peruse your New Year 2006 Newsletter there is a brief report from one Steve Paines reporting his dismay over the "discrimination from the industry which May and Peter receive all the time".
This is related to an incident that occurred in the Hi-Fi News sponsored room at the Sept. 2005 London Hi-Fi Show September 2005. He reports that in a question session the query "What do you think of Peter Belt and his foils ?" was put and that "... At this point there was a roar of laughter from the audience (except me). ...". End of quote.

What people do not know (from reading Steve Paines letter in our Newsletter) is that at the September 2005 Hi Fi Show referred to, Ken Kessler and Steve Harris (outgoing Editor of Hi Fi News) had been demonstrating the effect of the Intelligent Chip !!! (referred to as a 'plastic square thing' by Steve Paines in his letter).

Now, I never saw Jim Austin feel the need to do any second 'follow-up' article to his original "Chips for Chumps" article after this had happened.
I never saw Jim write a response that he knew the reason why Ken Kessler heard the effect of the IC was because of 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' !!
I never saw Jim write a response saying that he knew the reason why Steve Harris heard the effect of the IC was because of 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' !!
After Sam Tellig wrote that he had heard an improvement in the sound after painting the edge of a CD with the colour Green, I never saw Jim respond with an article saying that he knew the reason why Sam heard the effect was because of 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' !!
After John Atkinson wrote that he had heard an improvement in the sound after painting the edge of a CD with the colour Green, I never saw Jim respond with an article saying that he knew the reason why John heard the effect was because of 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' !!

Surely, no reaction or no article from Jim cannot be because Jim believes that Ken Kessler, Steve Harris, Sam Tellig and John Atkinson are intelligent enough to recognise that what they experienced was NOT because of 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' - or can it ??? But that people other than those four are not so intelligent and can so easily be fooled !! So, if that is Jim's belief, is that why Jim feels that he HAS TO respond with an article saying that HE KNOWS that the effect described "takes place between their ears" and can be explained by 'suggestion', placebo effect', 'imagination', 'mood changes', or 'effective marketing' ???
I have no problem if that is the reason, Jim is perfectly entitled to his views. I only wish I could have seen some consistency. All I have seen is one rule for the four mentioned and another rule for everyone else.
Regards,
May Belt.


Reply to bjh.

Response to your reply "Thank you. Quite a qualification I must say!" Propeller Head Plaza 05/31/06

My 'qualification' as you put it was merely putting dates to what I had previously said i.e. in "Re: Words of wisdom from the past?"
The gist of the article was correct. In my sentence "Do you really think practically half the audio industry in the UK would risk......" - instead of 'would risk' I should have said 'would have risked' (putting it more in the past). Because the UK audio industry, after around 1992, stopped being prepared "to risk"!!
To use an expression "They know which side their bread is buttered on."

I know how much more Steve Harris is aware of regarding Peter Belt's work and I know it is far more - I repeat far more than the simplistic answer Steve Harris gave to the group of people in the demonstration room !! Steve's simple answer to the question ""What do you think of Peter Belt and his foils ?" was that Peter's work had received attention in the early 90s because of the CD player....... that anything which could improve the sound of CDs would be welcome...... that through Peter's products, enthusiasts had the opportunity to tweak their CD players."
And yet Steve Harris is aware of far more, far more than that !!! But, for anyone to SAY more than that exposes them to attack and ridicule. It takes some courage to speak out and leave oneself open to ridicule !! THAT is why Steve Paines was dismayed at this display of lack of courage !!

My second statement was also correct.
"Do you really think the people would risk being attacked and ridiculed reporting ANY tweak they can hear create an improvement if they did not firmly believe that they think people should know ?" The reaction to some reviewers who wrote about their experiences gaining an improvement in the sound by such as applying the green pen to the edge of CDs confirms what I said.
For example :-
Barry Fox in the "New Scientist" stated that he was disgusted that he had even been asked to give a response to such a ridiculous thing !!
Ross Walker (of Quad) threw a wobbly, saying in Hi Fi World March 1992 issue "As far as the green pen is concerned, it can be shown that it has absolutely no effect whatever upon the performance of any player. Proof that most of our reviewers have over fertile imaginations."

Now, where have I read accusations of "imagination" before ?????
Regards
May Belt.


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