Dean, not to get into a big debate here, but there are lots of things going on that test gear cannot measure. I agree with you, as I am an engineer, and I say "speak with data". But, I've listened to solid state amps that measured .001% distortion that drove me from the room and then listened to a single ended tube amp, no feedback, that had 1.5% distortion that had me dancing like a fool.
The ear is a funny thing, and engineering cannot explain it. Measurements of steady state tones tell us one thing, but how an amp reacts in a dynamic time domain is totally different. Amps clip a large percent of the time, and how the amp clips has a lot to do with sound. A graceful clip from a tube amp with no feedback sounds better than the hard clip of a transistor amp with huge amounts of feedback.
This is a debate that has been going on in audio for decades. Let's just say that everyone has an opinion, and whatever makes YOU happy is what counts. I agree that audio is ripe with rip offs, but having spent the last 5 years building my own gear, trying wire, resistors, capacitors, tubes, topologies, and measuring it all, I still don't understand it. I can try 3 different .22uF capacitors in a circuit, and they will ALL sound different. It may be subtle, but with good gear with a lot of resolving power, the differences are there. Each one will measure exactly the same on a scope or distortion meter, but sound entirely different. Each cap has differing inductance, geometry of the wind, dielectric materials, and Equivalent Series Resistance, or ESR. Dielectric effects are particulary audible, causing smearing of the signal due to charge/discharge characteristics. You'll never see this on a scope.
Now, getting on to magic rocks and other stuff. I do agree that this stuff is of dubious value. Many times a person will insist his $2000 cables sound better as he has to convice himself that he didn't just get ripped off.
It's really fun stuff it you look at it at face value. By home brewing and understanding the theory, I can see how much b.s. there is out there. There's also a lot of truth. Tubes DO sound different, as each manufacturer has a slighly different cathode oxide formulation, plate structure, processing procedure, etc. Again, your tube tester may say they are the same, but the signal gets treated slightly different, and it can be heard. For a scope or radio, it probably won't make a diff.
Best,
Chris
TekScopes@... wrote:
Methinks the tops of my boots are needing a few more inches to clear
the effluent which is building.
<Big snip>
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