Why do Audiophiles feel the need...


Why do so many audiophiles feel the need to post opinions on gear they've never owned or had such limited experience with that their opinion is valueless to the OP? Not only here, but on other audio forums, at least 50% of the posts (and I think I'm being generous) start with: I've never heard the XYZ but...

When I was participating in an auto detailing forum, teaching myself the finer points of achieving an exquisite auto finish, if someone would ask about brand X polish, I would never see a post stating: "I've never used it, but..."

My opinion is that many people spend so much time dreaming about this stuff that they've convinced themselves they know what it actually sounds like. I know it's only a hobby, but I think a poster who asks about a specific piece of gear is better served by opinions of those with experience with that gear. Maybe it's just me. Sorry if I offended anyone.
chayro

Showing 4 responses by mrtennis

an opinion is neither true nor false. if someone owns a component it is still impossible to know what it sounds like. don't take my word for it. it can be proven, mathematically.

how useful is an opinion about a component one has owned ?

probably of some value. yet, there is a risk in taking opinions and acting on them,e.g., purchasing a component.

i think the most value from anecdotal reports is when there is a comparison between "a" and "b" .

for example, comparing the "sound" of two preamps gives a relative relationship between the affects of placing two components into a stereo sytem, without saying what each component sounds like.

i am going through the process of selecting a preamp. i am a little hesitant about asking for opinion about each of the preamps i am considering which are:

cj et2, audionote kits l2, art audio and gill audio preamps , cary audio slp 98 and audiovalve eklipse.

i am going to try to audition as many as i can rather than asking for opinion.

however, any comparisons between the affects of comparisons may help. perhaps if there were a consensus say, comparing the cary with an art preamp as to tonal balance, it might eliminate one of the products. unfortunately system dependence is a consideration.

the relevance of this to the thread is: owning the product does not necessarily make for more useful information, because an opinion has some probability of being true and false, and the probability is unknown.
i made an error in one of my posts. i mean to say: how useful is an opinion about a component from the owner of the component ? sorry for the error.
can anyone tell me how it is possible to know (definitively) the sound of a component?

opinions are conjectures. most of what is said on any subject is an opinion because it is very difficult to attain knowledge.
look at this issue another way.

i would say it is not sufficient to own a component and provide an opinion.

here is my dilemma:

suppose one configures a stereo system. after , say, one year, can one describe the sound of the amplifier ?

one listens to the stereo system which contains the amplifier.

how does one ascertain the contribution of the amp to the sound of the stereo system ?

at best, if one introduces another amplifier, one can compare the difference in the sound of the stereo system when listening through each amp. such an explanation does not tell you definitively the sound of the original amp.

what i am saying is that one can compare the sound of two components in the context of a stereo system, without knowing what a particular component sounds like.