A Beginners Guide to Audio Bulletin Boards (Forum Sites)

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A useful source of information for those starting out in audio electronics is the Audio Bulletin Board or Forum.  There are a number of these on the Web where you can exchange views with and seek help from other people with similar interests and possibly greater experience.  However, before venturing forth into a forum, it helps to know the customary procedures and protocol.

The following notes will give you a basic understanding of what to expect and how to behave when visiting these sites.

• When you register with a forum or submit a posting (message), use a silly name; it helps to preserve your anonymity and adds an air of gravitas to your postings.
  
  
• Ignore all spelling, punctuation and grammar; not only is it time-consuming to get these right, but somebody might actually understand what you are trying to say.
  
  
• Use as many abbreviations and acronyms as possible; if there isn't a standard abbreviation, make one up (but please don't define it when it is first used).
  
  
• When you start a new thread (topic), give it an ambiguous title; that way, more people will access your thread to see what it is about.
  
  
• When adding to an existing thread, try not to respond to the original question; it is preferable to go off at a tangent and expound upon your latest obsession.
  
  
• Try to keep adding to postings in an existing thread, even if it means repeating that which has been said before; this will ensure that the thread has chance of becoming one of the longest on the Forum and will receive the appropriate accolade.
  
  
• Do not treat any comments on your postings as being constructive; respond vehemently, as if you have suffered a great personal affront.
  
  
• Never, ever admit you are wrong or apologise if you are proved to be wrong.
  
  
• Don't be hidebound by facts and accuracy; these are of little importance to the overall debate.
  
  
• The views of certain correspondents carry more weight than others; this is usually in direct proportion to the number and length of their postings (it has nothing whatsoever to do with their competence, knowledge or ability).
  
  
• Feel free to comment on the quality of an amplifier even if you have never built or heard it; your views and observations are still relevant.
  
  
• Simulations are a good basis for comparing the quality of different circuit topologies; you don't need to build or listen to anything to determine the relative merits.
  
  
• An amplifier should only be judged subjectively; objective measurements don't mean anything and are a complete waste of time.
  
  
• An amplifier should only be judged by objective measurement; you do not need to listen to it to determine its abilities.
  
  
• All amplifier designs originating from the USA are better than any 'foreign' alternatives.
  
  
• All amplifiers built in the USA are superior to any 'foreign' alternatives.
  
  
• MOSFETs are always better than BJTs (because Nelson Pass uses them); BJT designs are archaic and of historic interest only.
  
  
• Nelson Pass designed amps are always best; Nelson Pass is always right!
  
  
• Try to ensure that you always have the last word in any debate, even if you have no more constructive comments to add.

Though I have referred to amplifiers in the above notes, the comments equally relate to all other items in the audio chain.

On a more serious note:  I started out by suggesting that an Audio Bulletin Board or Forum is a "useful" source of information for the beginner. This is not necessarily the case.

There is a lot of incorrect information being expounded in these fora (forums) by people who do not know what they are talking about (though I am sure that they genuinely believe what they are saying).  All information obtained from these questionable sources should be treated with caution and thoroughly checked against an authoritative source before being used in a project.  Either that, or restrict your reading and research to reliable sources such as the ESP Audio Pages.

"I had two serious intentions, one to warn the uninitiated against believing everything they read on the Web and the other to try to shame the correspondents into better behaviour (probably a waste of time as this is likely to prove impossible).  It is a pity that all fora seem to degenerate to the same abysmal level.  A good one could be both interesting and informative and of great benefit to the DIY community."

There is a vast amount of 'disinformation' offered by the chronic bulletin board addicts - in some cases this is simply because the respondent(s) don't know enough to know when not to say anything, and in other cases it is because they have their own (usually hidden) agenda.  For example, one can find posts from "high end" cable dealers who will blithely say that anyone who can't tell the difference between 'cords' (or 'chords' (sic)) has tin ears, but do they say anywhere in their posts that they make a living from reeling in the suckers?  Noooooo.

The list of charlatans is endless and depressing, and the poor audiophiles lap it up as if it were nectar from the Gods.

Every so often I visit some of the 'boards, these days mainly to see what they are saying about my site and its contents.  There was the great 'flame out' of '99, and I think that came close to the record for the longest thread - all over mains leads!  During the entire thread, barely a civil word was uttered, as the respondents became more and more determined to have it go their way.  This (of course) never happened, and eventually everyone gave up in disgust.

Heaven help anyone who disagrees with one of the self appointed BB experts, for surely will the wrath of the (anonymous) snake oil dealer descend upon s/he who dares to offer a word of dissent.  If you even try to be sensible or factual, you are dead meat, mate, since everyone there knows that to detect by ear is divine, but to measure is heresy  - punishable by death, defenestration and/or disembowelment (but not necessarily in that order) if they had their way.

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