On Mar 8, 1:36 am, (Philip Homburg) wrote:
In article .com,

Karl Winkler wrote:
In the photo
newsgroups, equipment is discussed endlessly while the .technique
groups see very little activity. Clearly, it's easier to discuss the
merits of equipment rather than to focus on what really makes the
difference: the recording or photography techniques, etc.

First of all, most buyers of hi-fi equipment are limited to just
reproduction of what somebody else has recorded. Just about the only
creative input is which track to play next.

However, they could discuss the way the gear is set up, i.e. speaker
placement, acoustical treatments, etc. But instead, they talk mostly
about the gear from the standpoint of religious fanaticism. Just like
with politics. I think it's interesting that religion, politics and
brands are often discussed with the same level of fervor.

However, my guess is that for the technically inclined people it is much
easier to talk about features of equipment than to talk about, for example,
photography techniques.

Yes, because photography techniques require work and real learning,
along with getting off one's duff and *doing something*, while
features of equipment requires rote memorization.

And even if the participants know the concepts to discuss a piece of music
or a photograph, there is such a wide range in tastes, that a discussion
may not go anywhere.

True. However, it seems to me that more might be learned if people
talked about attempts they've made, the trouble they found in trying
it that way, the results they got, and what they learned. Certainly,
there are those who do this. But there are far more that talk about
FPS, MP, VR, etc. and perhaps more importantly, why one brand's
versions of these things are better than another. As if these things
existed in a vacuum.

So in the end, it is quite possible that equipment oriented forums will
see the most activity.

Yes, definitely.

Same goes for many of the musician forums. People talk about
instruments, amplifiers, effects, types of wood, types of strings,
types of rosin, types of varnish, etc. And then the discussions about
how to PLAY the instruments are anemic by comparison. Again, there are
those who do discuss the techniques, but not nearly in the same
numbers.

My point was that all these things are related and perhaps in the Hi
Fi circles, we see the most fanatical. But this type of general
behavior is widespread and seems to cover just about any area where
art and technology meet.

-Karl