It will not surprise the audience to hear that I agree a lot with what Ethan has to say.
I feel our hobby is too often overrun by magic and voodoo that preys on the fact that the human psycho-acoustic processing system has a lot of susceptibility to external influence on the ‘psycho’ side of things
On the other hand, one can go too far to the measurements only side of things. I know on occasion I stray there.
For instance, I’d agree, Ethan’s system is nothing to write home about, but I do bet that in his room, it probably sounds better than the many of high-buck systems I see pictured in Stereophile end user living rooms. Again, my analogy of Ferraris on a muddy dirt tracks applies.
So it is all about finding that balance between quality gear, and an appropriate room setup.
Jeff, my invitation to come listen to my setup is always open. I think it might change your views on what a metrics and music driven setup can do.
After growing up listening to Steinway grand piano, played by a Julliard grad (and his friends on violin and Cello), my frame of reference for musically correct balance is pretty good. This system gets the closest I’ve ever heard to that reference.
It took a LOT of learning, trial and error, measurement and gear upgrades to get here. And I know I could still do better, as my measurements do show additional room for improvement.
