Audio electronics can introduce flaws that subjective reviewers misread as virtues

Evidence

It is usually safe to assume that electronics are “transparent” audio devices, but there are exceptions and special circumstances that warrant our attention to avoid unwanted influences in the results of listening tests. These influences range from subtle changes in the spectrum of sounds to momentary distortions that can be alarming. These are electrical engineering issues, but they routinely get elevated to different planes of thought by subjective reviewers, even to the point of considering certain problems to be advantages. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1142

Categorization

• CANDY: The idea that reviewers can spin genuine engineering defects as sonic advantages is a fun conversational nugget for audio nerds.
• SHARE: Worth sending to anyone into hi-fi gear, who’ll recognize the ‘reviewer rationalizes a distortion’ phenomenon instantly.