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Discussion in 'Tales from the Bully Pulpit' started by purr1n, Oct 21, 2016.

  1. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    Appears to be some Slovak Nazi general. I agree this is extremely inappropriate. Message reported.

    http://alchetron.com/Jozef-Turanec-1293088-W
     
  2. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Ban for being a known anti-semite, holocaust denier, conspiracy theorist, having a nazi general as your avatar, thinking the T1 is endgame, having dumbass ideas about registration and general asshattery.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    WTH... we actually had a T1 loving closet Nazi here all this time?
     
  4. shipsupt

    shipsupt Admin

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    Ok newbs... there is a lesson to learn here. T1 is not end game... period. That kind of crazy thinking will not be tolerated. :)
     
  5. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    *speaking of germany and headphones:

    Until WWII put an end to production, German hi-fi stalwarts Bayerdynamic invented the world’s first dynamic headphones for home listening. Launched in 1937, the DT-48 remained in production (in one form or another) until 2012.

    http://www.stuff.tv/features/headphones-complete-history

    Although the first stereo headphones were invented by a Fundamentalist Mormon and engineer Nathaniel Baldwin in 1910.

    * Just trying to keep the forum's S/N up somehow?
     
  6. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Worse, a potential DT48-fanatic with a certain agenda. So in that case to add some signal...

     
  7. barboggo

    barboggo Acquaintance

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    As someone who just joined SBAF a couple of weeks ago, this thread on it's own has been a fascinating look at the kind of culture SBAF is looking to be. Seems like it's a place that REALLY actively focuses on maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio in terms of useful discourse.

    The things that have helped me the most in acclimating to the specific posting style of these forums are the first post of the New Members - Introduce Yourself thread and the Seven Simple Guidelines thread. The self-policing that goes on around here with forum members making sure that noobs don't do thing like "wax lyrical" on their favorite products is good, and definitely sends the message across clearly and succinctly, but at times it can feel a little hostile especially when the guidelines on what to do are so opened ended.

    An example from the new members thread:

    IMPORTANT: Take some time to lurk and learn the culture here before posting
    .

    How much time should new members spend lurking before posting? What are some things to avoid that go against the intended culture? What IS the culture? Some sort of defining, thesis statement on the goals of SBAF (and particularly its culture in relation to that of HF, Reddit, and other communities) would really help us noobs out.

    Another thing I think would help a lot is perhaps a list of what NOT to post and basically a list of common pitfalls for SBAF noobs who are used to more mainstream/casual forum environments. I joined this place specifically because I saw that the quality of content was very high and there was very little "fat" in most threads. But even some general tips for new members on how to maintain that quality with their own posts and what sorts of topics to avoid would be really helpful.

    Here's another detail that might add to the discussion. I may only be speaking for myself, but it does sound like SBAF assumes a certain level of expertise and familiarity with the technical aspects of headphones and with the various hi-fi products on the market that many new members may not have. Much of the "new member onboarding" material feels like it's very geared toward experienced HFers, people that:
    1. Already have a ton of past headphone experience and knowledge to bring to the discussion.
    2. Already have a strong grasp of audiophile terminology and how to describe sound precisely.
    3. Are able to grasp the posting culture/style very quickly and begin generating useful discourse off the bat.
    But for guys like me, who are not only new to SBAF but also new to audio in general, and who have chosen to rely on SBAF over other more mainstream, low signal-to-noise ratio forums, it does pose a bit of an issue when it comes to having questions that might be seem really basic to the average Super Best Audio Friend and things that are likely covered ad infinitum on other sites.

    I haven't even really bothered with immersing myself in HF or Reddit or any other big communities because there's simply SO much information to filter through, and it's hard to tell what's useful and what's not. SBAF seems like a much more reliable and consistent source for quality, but SBAF has that "higher barrier to entry" and doesn't cover nearly as much of the basics as the other sites do, so I do often find myself heading over to those other sites just to learn about small stuff like the definition of roll-off, or sibilance, or "recessed". Perhaps total audio noobs like me aren't the target demographic for SBAF, but either way I do feel like a more in-depth primer for the real basic stuff (or at least links on what you're expected to know before opening your mouth) would significantly reduce the amount of noise that gets posted here.

    There's my two cents. This is an awesome place and I want to help make sure that new members (including myself) don't do anything inadvertently to detract from that.
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2016
  8. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    Thanks for sharing your perspective, @barboggo. I can appreciate the need for some Audio 101, so here's a thread for you and others to ask about the basics: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-audio-101-thread.3214/ - I'll answer questions when I can, and hopefully other guys can do the same.

    About the "hang back and get a sense of things before diving in" sign at the door (paraphrasing), I think it is just meant to be a sign, not a long notice on sanctioned and unsanctioned behaviors. There are times when things are better left unsaid, and I'm of the opinion this is one of those times. There is no behavioral protocol or manual in place when you approach a group of people IRL, and this place is no different. Yeah, it is true we're concerned about maintaining high S:N. That might seem intimidating until you realize signal is self-evident. Which means that it doesn't matter who you are, how many likes you have, or how long you've been here, etc. when you post. If your post is useful, it's just useful.

    Okay, but all that might be vague too. So: What kind of posts typically have high signal? Usually, it's posts that further discussions, inform people in some way, pose a good* question, answer questions, compile scattered information, post guides, etc. That kind of thing, to me, are high signal posts. The spirit is to help people and to learn ourselves. We have fun and dick around too, as I'm sure you've noticed.

    Just in case you're under the false impression that there's some kind of need to post, that's not true. Maybe there are some holes or answered questions in what I've just said, but hopefully that's okay. *Yes, there are bad questions too, and usually the answers to those can be found on Google, Wikipedia, or the various threads we've set up to funnel together common questions.
     
  9. swamp

    swamp Acquaintance

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    I feel like all of those things are easily answered by lurking more. Don't have "a ton of past headphone experience and knowledge to bring to the discussion"? Cool, follow threads you're interested in, learn from other people, listen to headphones with an analytical ear, and join a meet if possible. Don't "have a strong grasp of audiophile terminology"? Lots of great resources on this. Aren't able to "grasp the posting culture/style very quickly and begin generating useful discourse off the bat"? No prob, read more. You'll understand after a bit of lurking.

    This is the only way to keep a high signal to noise ratio. Think about this - what are the sites where it's difficult to sort through the good/useful posts from the bad? HF and /r/headphones. Why? Because most of the posters are not that experienced. There's tons of noise. I don't have a lot of knowledge and experience, so I don't post a lot. But I read and read and soak up all that knowledge so I can progress through my audio journey.

    There isn't a higher barrier to entry to SBAF. All of this amazing knowledge and experiences and impressions and measurements are available for anyone to read. There is a high barrier to posting because that's the way to keep SBAF in your words "a reliable and consistent source for quality".
     
  10. barboggo

    barboggo Acquaintance

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    Thanks for pointing me to that thread, I think that's exactly what I was looking for. Also the general tips on what constitutes high signal posts are really helpful.

    This is also a super helpful way to think about it that I hadn't considered. Thanks!
     

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