Where do you stand?
 

We are all part of a unique pastime that seeks to create a credible audible illusion. This illusion may transport us to a physical place and time or allow us to recall a treasured memory. It may even elicit a physical bodily response. It may create a completely new experience without reference or precedent. This illusion exists in a three-dimensional space with height, width and depth. Some say it’s all about suspending disbelief. Its uncanny, really.

We spend tidy sums in the quest to create these illusions, and the path to success is not always clear or straightforward.

We are told to ‘believe our ears’ yet there is ample evidence that our ears are easily fooled. We have found through personal experience that objective measurements are a false prophet. So we believe that we are hearing things that can’t be measured, or perhaps that we are measuring the wrong things.

We buy the best speakers, amplifiers, and source components we can afford, often swapping out gear to find the best synergies. We often treat the room and experiment with positioning the components. We then add enhancement components to further optimize the illusion. Wow. The whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’m wondering how you decide what enhancement components will increase the quality of the illusion you seek to create. Please answer the poll, but more importantly, tell me a little about what brought you to the conclusion. There are no right or wrong answers here. Thanks!

1. I only trust my own ears, and have to try out gear in my home, in my system, before I’ll buy.

2. I trust my dealer and industry experts and will buy something if they endorse it.

3. I will buy enhancement components without objective audio measurements to back them up. EX: audio tuning fuses, ethernet components, carbon fiber wallplates.

4. I will by enhancement components if they have objective audio measurements to back up their claims. EX: https://isoacoustics.com/isoacoustic...of-canada-nrc/

5. I buy components that measure the best. Audio reproduction is a solved problem.

My vote is in.

I can't pick just one. If I could pick more than one, I'd pick:
-----I only trust my own ears, and have to try out gear in my home, in my system, before I’ll buy.
and
-----I will by enhancement components if they have objective audio measurements to back up their claims.

Neither alone is sufficient.

Also, it depends on the particular component category. For some, audio reproduction is a solved problem or, even, not relevant.;)

That’s the problem with polls - I’d like to choose more than one as well. My buying habits pretty much echo your choices.

I'm afraid like Kal, there's no way to pick just one of these, and I'm not sure any reasonable and thoughtful audiophile can. I buy based on my ears, in-home trials, and the recommendation of people/dealers/reviewers I trust, whether the measurements support or not - so 1, 2, 3, and 4 please. The only one that doesn't work for me is the last one.

I think the way I tried to approach this is which one of the options has the most weight. So for me, it’s #1. I have to hear it with my own ears, preferably in my system.

I’ve never bought an enhancement component that didn’t have an objective performance measurement to it. I’ve tried many, see #1, but they ALL went back because I couldn’t hear any difference in my system. I’d list them here but a bunch of people would be butt-hurt if I did.

I have bought enhancement components that had a demonstrated objective performance improvement. But I did so after listening to them at a show.

I have bought components based on performance. The Massdrop THX 789 headphone amp comes to mind. What a disappointment.

So after all that, it’s # 1 for me.

OK, makes sense. So #1 is top of the list for me also. I'd be surprised if anyone in this site picks the last option, unless they took a wrong turn on their way to Audio Science Review and landed here by mistake[emoji41].

I had to go with the first. No one else knows what I want to hear. The only piece of gear that wasn’t first auditioned in my set-up was my speakers. All potential purchases are A/B’d in my room before I commit.

I agree with number 1 and 2. Home demos are very important unless you have high certainty of a piece of gear (such as an upgrade from a trusted manufacturer or a dealer you know well).

Measurements are important but often incomplete (example: many distortion measurements are made at only at max volume - 0 attenuation - this can mask a poor volume control element). I have fallen for that myself. I look at basic, established, measurements as the ante to get in the game - like compulsories in figure skating.

As with others I really can't choose just one, though it's easy to agree with #1. However, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I have bought things solely on recommendation (not necessarily from a dealer) and been glad I did. Of course those weren't kilobuck items.