New 55,000 Euro tonearm

lewm

To comment on the observable design and construction of a tonearm without necessarily speculating on its putative sonic character is no sin ...

I don't think anyone here is debating that. What we're discussing are those who render what they consider absolute, definitive assessments based solely on specs or a photo or two. And that's just absurd.

dover

We have many posters here on audiogon who are experts on products they have never heard. They usually resort to scientific arguments - but of course they forget that scientific research and discovery should include both theory and practise (testing). I call it the new science, in the old days they would have called it speculation ...

Oh yes, there are a few users here who fit your description, @dover. Oddly, those users seem to seek recognition as experts or gurus and they can become quite combative if questioned.

One thing I learned long ago on my high end journey: You can’t be certain how something sounds - for better or worse - by merely reading a spec sheet or looking at a photo. Our hobby isn’t that simple.