Audio Community Phrases or Sayings that Make You Cringe.....

I believe that 'snake oil' is synonymous with 'dubious claims', of which there are many in our particular hobby.
Sometimes people find themselves being so emotionally invested in their stuff, that they’ve actually convinced themselves of hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, like Santa Clause. They’ll get very defensive when questioned and insult you because they can. I’ve mostly learned that the hard way, and advise anyone who seeks the truth to stay far away from these kinds of people.
 
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I generally reserve the term 'snake oil' for the retail market, and dubious marketing claims. I mean, it's probably pretty easy to hear a difference between your $1000/ft 8ga speaker cables and the 18ga Radio Shack bare wire they compared them to in the lab so they could be truthful in their advertising.. But to say that I would notice the same difference compared to the $90/pr 10ga copper that I use, in my room, with my gear, is more than a bit presumptuous. All it has to do is add nothing, take away as little as possible, and conduct the power cleanly.

In my room, with my 120W amp, 8 ohm/90db@1w speakers, and 10 foot cables, I shouldn't notice any change in the sound quality.
 
I'm going to go with a second round of this one.
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A few more examples of soundstage:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Inside+a+Sound+Stage&FORM=RESTAB
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Certainly agree with all of the above "overused" audio phrases. Mine is a bit more "bass-ic". While bass is an important part of the musical spectrum, it is not the ONLY part of the musical spectrum. I believe the new generation of audiophiles has grown up thinking of "good bass" as the car within 50 feet of you at the stoplight rattling your windows. Bass does not sound like tin cans rattling in the trunk. Cheap headphones, cheap speakers, earbuds, all rant about "extended bass". I don't want extended bass. I want to hear what the musician played, and hear it as close to the original setting as possible.

OK, my apple watch just told me I need to breathe.....
 
Woe is the idiot who says it sounds sublime, how 'bout a subliminal punch in the head

I think most of us think of this as a system which sounds so good that you tend to relax and just enjoy the music rather than constantly analyse it. Frankly for me this is the goal of any sound system and comes from the right mix of components and listening space. I'd have a hard time spending time with a system which delivers anything less.

And to use the most overused phrase of all "synergies between components" which is something you have to experience to believe. It's a real thing for sure and is the reason that certain combinations of gear are popular.
 
The East Coast/West Coast thing never bothered me, it was a reasonably accurate descriptor for the time. As long as you knew which one was loud and upfront, and which was smoother and more laid back. Generally. And the while EC/WC 'sounds' were more geographic/market driven trends rather than any real industry guidelines, you could get both sounds from either coast, just as you can now.

And STILL, even after all this time, nobody knows which is better.
 
East Coast/West Coast was an accurate descriptor maybe in 1969. High(er) efficiency vs. low(er) efficiency was and is a better descriptor. However you look at it, neither is better. It's all a matter of taste.
 
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