Beware the measurements

For readers of this blog, it will come as no surprise my thoughts and attitudes on measurements of audio equipment. Yes, measurements are important, but only when in concert with listening—and then too only if you look deep into those measurements to find out how/why what you measure sounds the way it does. If you're interested in diving deeper into this subject there's perhaps no better way than to sit down with an experienced designer and have them take the time to explain how and why measurements simply do not tell you the whole story. Take for example global feedback in an amplifier circuit. If we have an amp circuit with relatively high levels of distortion, we can simply wrap the output back to the circuit's input and voila! lower distortion. The feedback is a fix-it mechanism correcting for the failings of an amplifier's design. But at what cost? Nothing in engineering is free. Loads of negative feedback offer low distortion figures but at the same time, harden and constrain the sound. Knowing this is invaluable to a designer who can then ask the question, "what if we don't have distortion in the first place?" If you're interested in diving deep with a designer, here's your chance. Our own Darren Myers, one of the brightest and best engineers in the industry, spent a good hour and a half with John Darko in a great podcast titled, Beware the Measurements. Have a listen and enjoy.