Why no pictures????

[E-Stat]

I don't know if this was one of Eric's requirements, but I disagree with this completely. I value and miss both Geoffcin's and your input on a number of topics. One of the reasons you were appointed as a mod was your level of experience and ability to relay that knowledge with an even hand. The board is a lesser place without that input and I for one would greatly welcome more interaction from the mods.

No, I was not told to "tone down" by anyone - that was my perception of what I should do as moderator. Perhaps I overcompensated. Thank you very much for your comments.

Not to nit pick, but while your example was good for alliterative purposes, cars are a bad example simply because performance is an objective, not subjective measuring stick. A car (or minivan) goes 0-60 in X seconds, does the quarter in X seconds at X mph, laps the Nordschliefe in X min, X seconds....A person that has track time in a Montana is just as likely to give you good feedback as a person with a Modena.

My point is that for someone whose ultimate point of reference is cornering at .68 Gs (with severe understeer), they really cannot appreciate what it is like at .95 Gs. Or what it is like to countersteer a transition from oversteer with the rear end hanging loose. That experience is completely absent. If your point of reference is a system with modest capabilities, then it is impossible to imagine what it like to hear a system with higher resolution. How do you know what you don't know? Further, it takes time to develop one's skill at discerning what those differences are (or driving at a much more spirited pace for that matter).

I was certainly not able to fully absorb all the information presented the first time I heard a truly world class system. Or each time I hear the constantly changing systems of my reviewer friends (and mentors for the past 30 odd years). It takes practice. Lots. Which for me is a lot of fun. Listening has always been an active sport. I tend to be a hyper individual and it is a way to keep my mind busy. It is the enjoyment of discovering something new in the completely familiar.

Audio is almost purely subjective (how else to explain SVI?!?).

I will respectfully disagree. Yes, preferences certainly play a role. The discernment of differences, however, should not. Regarding SVI, our young enthusiast needs some guidance. While I was never, um exactly quite like him, I benefited from several older and wiser audio and music enthusiasts when I was much younger. Exposed me to a completely different world of music and audio gear.

Thanks again for the feedback.

rw