Null Hypothesis

[E-Stat]

...certainly not your snobbery

I think you misjudge me. Remember the thread where you dubbed me Mr. Elitist? A poster asked as to what cable he should use and I replied with a question about the system in which they were to be used. If someone were to ask whether or not they should use premium fuel in their car, then the most appropriate response would be to ask them what car they drive. There is nothing snobbish, elitist, or judgemental in either question. Some engines, mostly higher performance ones, are designed to use premium and in some cases can be damaged by detonation if they use anything less. I will readily acknowledge (are you listening Monster Mike?) that there are a number of oil companies that try to deceive the public into thinking that using premium fuel is somehow always better and will improve the performance of all cars. Poppycock. False claims. That's true snake oil. The fact that snake oil pitches and claims exists does not, however, change the performance quotient for those engines that do benefit from the use of premium fuel.

Real snobbery or elitism is an attitude that some thing, some preference, some desire is simply beneath someone else's superior judgement. How could you even tolerate listening to anything less than my Megavoice speakers? The mere thought! Are you serious or just ignorant? Sucks to be you. Like, for example, Skeptic's view on classical music. That is snobbery. What is not snobbery is the observation that classical music can be (given the recording, of course) a more demanding test of an audio system.

Snobbery is not me. I enjoy listening to ALL of my music systems. I use that term loosely as I include my Sony Diskman, Sony Boombox, and computer audio systems along with the vintage mid-fi garage system and the "big one" down in the basement in that list. I probably spend more time listening to the home computer with ripped MP3s (gasp!) than any of the others. (It does have a rather cool set of Monsoon planar speakers, though) A true snob would have nothing of that. Why, how could I possibly listen to anything less than my tube driven electrostatics? Why even bother having any inferior alternatives? Oh, the very thought of such!

Speaking of premium unleaded, I have yet to see any "expensive cables are no better" test where they are using a car that uses premium fuel as the basis for the test. Forgive my mixed metaphors here. Mtry says he knows of no such citation. If you were to test EVERY SINGLE car that uses regular leaded with premium fuel then you would likely determine that there is simply no performance gain and use of premium is simply wasting money. That is a perfectly valid assertion within the test sample. If, however, you extrapolated your results and assumed that would be the case for ALL cars, then your assertion would not be supported by the facts. That is where I believe we are in the cable debate. There is no snobbery in framing the results of any test in context of that which is tested.

Just to make you happy, I will boast for a moment. Or at least report on my incredible dumb luck. I have known John W. Cooledge and Harry Pearson for over twenty five years. As audio reviewers, they get access to a wider range of exotic equipment than do most folks. I have heard about six different $30,000 amplifiers, tube and solid state alike, at Seacliff. Each one sounds different, offers a different set of compromises, and FWIW, my preference is different from that of my friend. Skeptic would be pleased to know that it was they who really got me into classical music when I was 18. After all, the good doctor Cooledge has been a baritone in the ASO Chorus for about thirty years and been on the symphony's board for a long time. The music collections of each range in the multi-thousands. Anyway, I have been exposed to hearing some of the most truly spectacular (and astronomically priced) systems available. HP's current $300k review system is simply beyond belief. It resolves detail that I never heard on my not-too-shabby system. And that is not limited to the best Mercury, Everest, Telarc, Wilson, Chesky, Reference Recordings, et. al. of classical content. I'm talking Madonna and DJ Rap. I was simply amazed that there is a rhythmic line in DJ Rap's (she) "Bad Girl" cut that I never really heard before that is rendered so clearly and so separately from the rest of the instrumentation. The stage width is staggeringly wide. Does that knowledge diminish the enjoyment I get with my "mere" systems when I come home? Not in the least. I simply marvel at what is possible. And look forward to my next visit... which may be around Easter - JWC got a new SUV and we're planning a trip to Seacliff.

rw

[FLZapped]

I think you misjudge me. Remember the thread where you dubbed me Mr. Elitist?

rw

Yes, I most certainly do remember. Snobbery, elitist, I'll use them interchangeably, if you need clarification: and maybe another term along the way.

And yes, it is most certainly you. It shows in the attitude of your posts.:

Exposure to far more what ? Cheap cable? Mid-fi gear?

Plain as day.


-Bruce

[E-Stat]

And yes, it is most certainly you. It shows in the attitude of your posts.

Since your post failed to state the nature of your braggidocio, I could only speculate. I guess I should have included a smiley face.

We're still wondering. To what do have you more exposure than "any audiophile"?

rw