Truth, Lies and Fraud in the Audiophile World

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This also answers the question as to why "budding" audiophiles are always on an upgrade mission seeking "that sound" which always seems elusive.
Why? Because there is actually no "that sound" :eek:hyeah:
 
The article and the person would have more "audiophile' credibility if he didn't tout iTunes ripping as the best thing since sliced bread. Even with error correction iTunes rips fail AccurateRip (the only source to verify ripped audio CDs are 100% accurate and error free).

OT - dBpoweramp, Exact Audio Copy for Windows, and XLD for MAC are the only recommended tools for "accurate" CD ripping. The rest will fail AccurateRip and anyone claiming to hear such files and then claiming that they sound as good as anything played on $100,000 equipment... well you just know where they are coming from.

I love the Pi, I even recommend folks use it over Auralic, Aurender, and others of similar ilk, but claiming every $35-$50 DAC with the Pi is the same as any other DAC is hyperbole for the anti-audiophiliac.
 
we have had these discussions before ..havent we ? :lol:

a few migratory birds / .gurus... come... and do the shimmy.... and go.. ;)

Life goes on...

regards
 
I want to say something about the image on the linked page for those who don't know. The image is titled "Music Quality". But the title is misleading. The height of the bar corresponds to data usage (file size on disk), not the "music quality".

[IMG2]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*kVdjtk5Co538MU6WJhoz6w.jpeg[/IMG2]
 
I am not commenting on the validity of the chart, the height of the bar does not indicate the size of the file, but it indicates bit rate expressed in kilo bits per second (Kbps). Usually in audio files, higher bit rate is associated with higher resolution and hence higher quality.

Cheers.
 
regeHA said:
The article and the person would have more "audiophile' credibility if he didn't tout iTunes ripping as the best thing since sliced bread. Even with error correction iTunes rips fail AccurateRip (the only source to verify ripped audio CDs are 100% accurate and error free).

OT - dBpoweramp, Exact Audio Copy for Windows, and XLD for MAC are the only recommended tools for "accurate" CD ripping. The rest will fail AccurateRip and anyone claiming to hear such files and then claiming that they sound as good as anything played on $100,000 equipment... well you just know where they are coming from.

I love the Pi, I even recommend folks use it over Auralic, Aurender, and others of similar ilk, but claiming every $35-$50 DAC with the Pi is the same as any other DAC is hyperbole for the anti-audiophiliac.
Click to expand...

I never said I was an Audiophile in the article, and do not aspire to have any audiophile credibility. Since writing the article I discovered XLD and will re-rip a number of my favorite CD's to see if they are the same as my iTune-ripped CDs.

I did not say that a $35 - $50 DAC with the PI is the same as any other DAC. I just don't believe anything I read in "audiophile" magazines and blogs. I now use a Schiit Modi 2 Multi-bit in addition to two IQAudio DACs on various Pi's I have.

And finally, since I wrote that Medium article I am more convinced than ever that the Audiophile press is nothing more than a marketing machine for high end audio manufacturers, with a couple of exceptions.
 
@skikirkwood Well written piece, thanks for writing it. Any active audiophile with a decade plus listening experience can relate to your article quite easily. Thanks for replying back, which is in the very essence of this forum.

skikirkwood said:
I just don't believe anything I read in "audiophile" magazines and blogs.
Click to expand...
Well Yes, Almost all internet reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt. Some times buckets of it.

skikirkwood said:
I wrote that Medium article I am more convinced than ever that the Audiophile press is nothing more than a marketing machine for high end audio manufacturers
Click to expand...
Again unless the Hifi reviewers write more about positive aspects of the product they will not be benefited, they may not even get the next product review samples from the manufacturer.
Since we readers don't pay for the reviews, reviewers are left at the mercy of publishers/Manfacturers with obvious commercial interests. I don't know who but I quote "in digital world /internet if you are not paying for something, you need to understand that you are the product! It's your data, your gullibility that is being bought and sold"

I always look for objective data in reviews or user reviews or (relatively) independent opinions on hifi forums before buying something blindly (without an audition). Some hifi device reviewers prefer to state the drawbacks in a subtle manner like "X device needs careful matching of components", "Not a good idea to upgrade if you have Previous Version", "Competition is tough", "Needs good quality source files /recordings" etc...
I take such statements as red flags and avoid buying the device without audition, sometimes you need to read between the lines.
 
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it's the psychology of mind that affects all and everything, our mind being the one that ultimately create the sounds out of the vibration. It's so powerful, it can make pleasure out of anything or even nothing, it's all just hormones and juices.
 
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