[spruce music]

But a human brain is a flawed lens that can understand its own flaws—its systematic errors, its biases—and apply second-order corrections to them.  This, in practice, makes the flawed lens far more powerful.  Not perfect, but far more powerful.
 

http://lesswrong.com/lw/jm/the_lens_that_sees_its_flaws/
 
We seem to periodically have an influx of those from the rest of the forum who seem intent on posting their feelings and listening impressions here.  Who seem intent on disagreeing without evidence beyond their own inner experience.  Who seem intent on not getting what this forum is about.  Then feign hurt feelings as if the regulars on this sub-forum have been discourteous or mean to them. 
 
If they would read and digest the above linked essay, they could understand how and why things are done differently in this sub-forum.  Maybe they wouldn't agree, but understanding it with less ambiguity might be possible.   They then might understand why the regulars here would agree with the essay's concluding sentence which is quoted above.  If so it would eliminate many false criticisms that belabor this sub-forum so often.
 
Not perfect, but far more powerful...........

 

[castleofargh]

 

[chaos215bar2]

Indeed.
 
I have to say, I had hoped to get more from this forum (Head-FI as a whole, not the Sound Science subform). There's certainly lots of good information out there, but when it seems that even the most extraordinary claims must be taken at face value simply because their source believes them to be true — and above all else cannot be debated — it's difficult to have a productive, rational discussion of a product's real, audible strengths and weaknesses.
 
It's a strange world reading about the incredible qualities this product or that brings to the listening experience (or — sometimes more interestingly — doesn't) without seemingly even the slightest interest in data to back up why that might realistically be the case. And it's really interesting the way throwing money at the problem seems, almost without fail, to inexorably improve the end result.

 

[VNandor]

Half of head-fi's sub forums wouldn't exist if providing evidence was mandatory. Imagine what would happen to cables/dacs/amps section if mentioning dbts was not prohibited... It would be full with completely pointless arguing. I like Head-fi for what it is. If I want to have a rational discussion without dealing with the "I hear it so it must be true"-guys, I come to this sub forum (sadly, it's not always working) or avoid Head-fi alltogether.

 

[NeoG]

Honestly I'm just here to tell people they are hallucinating vividly. I don't even like headphones.

 

[catspaw]

This site is sponsored by HP companies after all...
Subjective opinions are important when you are running a restaurant, but even then 1 sample is not important or relevant.
So yes, if 95% of the people that bought a HP are happy with it it might be worth looking into it, but there is always the chance you will fall in that remaining 5%.
 
Measurements however dont suffer form this problem and thus are more reliable.
Now, no one likes to be told that their opinions dont matter (try that with your wife if you are feeling particularly suicidal), but the fact is that Sound Science gives that impression to a lot of people. 
 
Unfortunately Science doesn't care about feelings.

 

[winders]

  This site is sponsored by HP companies after all...
Subjective opinions are important when you are running a restaurant, but even then 1 sample is not important or relevant.
So yes, if 95% of the people that bought a HP are happy with it it might be worth looking into it, but there is always the chance you will fall in that remaining 5%.
 
Measurements however dont suffer form this problem and thus are more reliable.
Now, no one likes to be told that their opinions dont matter (try that with your wife if you are feeling particularly suicidal), but the fact is that Sound Science gives that impression to a lot of people. 
 
Unfortunately Science doesn't care about feelings.

Enjoying music...which I hope is the goal....doesn't really require caring all that much about the science. If 95% of the people love a particular pair of headphones, how well they measure id irrelevant.  Why? Because the goal of the headphones is to sound good to the listener, not measure well.

 

[castleofargh]

  Enjoying music...which I hope is the goal....doesn't really require caring all that much about the science. If 95% of the people love a particular pair of headphones, how well they measure id irrelevant.  Why? Because the goal of the headphones is to sound good to the listener, not measure well.

 that's a little like looking at food and only ever asking "do I like the taste?". of course we can and those who really just care about being passive consumers never setting foot in the kitchen don't have to know more. but a great many will wish to know more, out of curiosity, to try and create something themselves(DIY), or simply to find more effective means to identify what they liked/disliked in the stuff they tried so that they can pick better next time.
 
and the beauty of it is that it's all extra. we don't have to sacrifice enjoyment for knowledge and curiosity.