post #76 of 76
8/24/09 at 3:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by smoth View Post
Current scientific instruments can measure sound waves and electrical signals with far more precision than even the most trained listener, yet, we continue on this often ridiculous quest to achieve higher quality audio. This has lead me to speculate that even though audio technology is very well understood from a scientific/mathematical point of view, that we may never get to the point that video displays have achieved. I have yet to see any debate on the quality of the images produced as the instruments can read colors and refresh rates so many orders of magnitude beyond any practical viewing purpose and people believe them. Most videophiles would not even trust themselves to calibrate their own display trusting that work to a colorimeter. Although the same ability exists in the audio world, the amount of subjective reasoning seems to cloud any attempt for scientific fact to drive the market and the definition of high quality audio.

Any thoughts?
Molecular gastronomy purports to solve all of cooking's problems with science, yet it's made precious little impact on how normal people (or even conventional chefs) approach cooking. That's partially because cooking's as much psychological as it is chemical and physical...maybe salting green vegetables after cooking is just as good as adding salt to the water, but the notion of "not needing to be salted" improves the food without any actual chemical changes. In the end, you'll get a better meal from tasting while you cook than by scientifically proving your food should be good.

Yes, we can measure all sorts of electrical signals, but how our ears and minds interpret the sound waves those ultimately produce is ultimately fickle and unscientific. The intelligent and discerning listener (or viewer, or eater, or whatever) decides what he likes based on his taste alone, not what people tell him "should" be good, be those people scientists or audiophiles in an online forum.
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