The term "High End" needs to die. Long live Hi-Fidelity!

@mahlman

I've had similar experiences with several $20k+ speakers myself.


At some point the juiced high end becomes a signature sound, and reviewers all agree that is high end and everyone agrees with them.

Buy what you like, but when "High End" = "severely colored" you can't convince me that should be the universal reference.

That’s a Strawman argument that human hearing differences are greater than differences in specifications.

A strawman argument is a little different. It is more like : "I like baseball" to which the strawman goes "but what about whales?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
I'd put this more in the category of "not universally accepted truth."

I argue that the reverse is true. First, you'd have to list out all the specifications you are talking about. Next, you would have to show that they and only they are responsible for what we hear. Lastly, the quality of desirability would have to be ascribed to each.


In addition, the amplifier/dynamic speaker interaction is complex. You'd have to not only gather these specifications for the amp and speaker, but for the total system.


Don't get me wrong, specifications and measurements are important, but science stagnates and becomes something else when we assume we've measured all relevant parameters. Over and over in the course of science, and especially medicine, this has proven to be hubris.

Technically, it's a conditional, which implies a choice.

I think if we are going to keep this hobby accessible, and meaning anything ...

E

Hi @teo_audio :

You bring up a number of general issues related to rhetoric and persuasion. Let me reply obliquely.


Yes, I'm a bit of a troll, but often I do so with purpose, and I think it's valuable. My purpose is, often, to make our choices explicit. To help us break free of the constraints of language and culture and make each direction a personal one done with open eyes.


I really can't convince anyone to use "high end" or "high fidelity." But I can expose all of us to the idea that these are different, and to be free of the peer pressure involved in our buying and listening habits.  Being your own iconoclast can be liberating as well as save you a lot of money in the pursuit of musical enjoyment.


Best,

E

It's use implied high prices, that's literally what the term meant.

@bdp24

Exactly.