Why John Atkinson Believes Measurements Matter
Back in 2013, I took the train to Stamford to give a presentation to the Connecticut Audio Society to help celebrate their 30th anniversary. On March 6 I returned to the CAS, but this time via Zoom. I talked about a subject close to my heart: measurements and their connections with accuracy and/or musical enjoyment. The video is now posted to the CAS YouTube channel (linked below)—it runs for 2+ hours but I think Stereophile readers will find what I had to say stimulating, perhaps even sometimes controversial.
My presentation takes up the first 21 minutes and is followed by a Q&A with the CAS members. (Great questions, guys!) At 1:18:00 I give a tour of my listening room, where two of my cats decide to make a cameo appearance.
My thanks to Samir Shah of the CAS for the invitation and to Chris Hart of CAS for moderating the event and preparing the video. Enjoy!
Many of the things I talk about in this video are covered in greater depth in articles that are posted to this website:
On why Stereophile started incorporating measurements in its reviews: Must We Test? Yes We Must (page 3) and God Lives in the Details.
On the one loudspeaker measurement that no-one does but might be significant when differentiating reproduced sound from live sound: The Recording Angel. Also mentioned in my 2011 Richard Heyser memorial lecture to the Audio Engineering Society in Case Study 2 Loudspeakers.
On blind vs sighted listening: Subjective Fact or Objective Fantasy.
On reviewers and reviewing: Measuring Sound Quality and Who Watches the Watchers?.
On my joining Hi-Fi News in 1976, my move to Stereophile in 1986, and my handing over the editorial reins to Jim Austin in 2019: From London to Santa Fe and The Next Generation.
On my careers in scientific research, teaching, and as a musician, before I joined Hi-Fi News & Record Review: Where Did the Negative Frequencies Go?.
On the subject of the ever-increasing prices of high-end audio products, which I mention in the video: Conspicuous Consumption, The Price Event Horizon, and The Upward Price Spiral.
And on J. Gordon Holt founding Stereophile on the concept that products should be judged by listening to them: 40 Years of Stereophile.
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