I was looking at the forums on Super Audio Best Friends and was struck by the argument that @amirm does almost no listening, thus the review lacks subjective analysis. The analogy was put forward that it’s like testing a car but never driving it (and yes, I know that’s a terrible analogy because I haven’t seen a measurement for how your butt feels after 3 hours in a seat, or a test that points out the cup holder is too close to the shifter, etc.)
But could there be some truth to the argument? Has anyone heard a DAC that measures > 110 dB SINAD that was bad? And I’m not talking about some fan boy who hates Topping and says they sound terrible, but an overall consensus from consumers and/or reviewers that this well measured component sounds bad.
When I saw ASR’s review of the Benchmark AHB2 I looked up the Stereophile review to see if they knocked it because it costs $ thousands less than other recommended equipment, but our man @Kal Rubinson came through with a glowing review. The one component that needs something other than pure testing are headphones for comfort and durability, but I’m interested in well measured equipment that sounds bad.
But could there be some truth to the argument? Has anyone heard a DAC that measures > 110 dB SINAD that was bad? And I’m not talking about some fan boy who hates Topping and says they sound terrible, but an overall consensus from consumers and/or reviewers that this well measured component sounds bad.
When I saw ASR’s review of the Benchmark AHB2 I looked up the Stereophile review to see if they knocked it because it costs $ thousands less than other recommended equipment, but our man @Kal Rubinson came through with a glowing review. The one component that needs something other than pure testing are headphones for comfort and durability, but I’m interested in well measured equipment that sounds bad.