#human-technology interaction

From this point of view, what some audiophiles call “the absolute sound” is not absolute in the sense of being universal, but is rather a value formed through the process of acquiring cultural capital; a process that, for audiophiles develops through exposure to music and to high-end audio systems for music reproduction at home. On this matter, J. Gordon Holt commented on the first issue on the magazine “Stereophile Reports on Equipment” that:

“…the hard fact is that perfection, like the end on the rainbow where the pot of golds is stashed, is always a hilltop away. And as you advance, it recedes, because every subtle improvement in the fidelity of sound is reciprocated by an enhancement of the perfectionist’s ability to hear ever more subtle imperfections”. [This key point shows how artefacts’ features and users’ skills co-create each other].

High-end audio systems are small-scale constructions in which the user is as much part of a feedback loop as the technical components, and in which aesthetics concerns about sound quality and desires for interactivity motivate user action and interaction with these components. High-end audio systems were often comprised of four main parts, each of which could be considered a small system itself:

1.     Source components, such as record players;

2.     A preamplifier, which provided source selection, volume and tone controls;

3.     A power amplifier, which amplified the signal to a level that could drive the final component;

4.     Loudspeakers;

The characteristics or devices that audibly disrupt the aesthetics qualities of music, and thus music’s emotional power, prompt audiophiles to manipulate system components or their arrangement in the room to reduce or eliminate that audibility. In consequence, the feeling that CDs were negatively affecting the sound of high-end audio systems led to more direct interaction between audiophiles and CD playback, and to the emergence of technologies that enabled system-building practices that were more compatible with the audiophiles’ cultural capital. [This key point illustrates how users can actively improve the performance of existing objects by making them work together in a complementary way].

Prior to the CD and CD playback release, some audiophiles feared that the sampling standard employed to develop CDs and CD playbacks would be too low to provide sufficient fidelity. Once the advent of these technologies such fears were corroborated. An early adopter wrote on The Absolute Sound Magazine:

“After listening to a CD and LP copy of the same performance of Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” I realised that while the vinyl was sweet and airy, the CD was harsh and constricted. There was no musicality, just sound”.

In addition to the affectations exerted over music, other audiophiles pointed out the negative effects the CD technologies had over sound systems performance as a whole. Specifically, audiophiles claimed that CD technologies obscured differences between system components that would otherwise be audible with analog sources. [This key point illustrates how not considering the devices with which an incoming product will interact, can generate a negative impression on users].

Through direct manipulation and exploration of CD playbacks internal components, audiophiles discovered that while some feature of them were standard throughout several brands, there were non-standardized components that appeared to be contributing to diminish the fidelity of music reproduction. In other words, the sound engraved in CDs may be a lot better than CD players have been so far designed to extract. Such realisation, lead to critics and analysis that helped manufacturers to upgrade CD playbacks to a point that progressively became acceptable for the audiophile community. Curiously, the technical improvements that allowed this, were not implemented on the digital or “high-tech” part of the CD players, but rather in their analog electronics and mechanic components. [This key point illustrates that when developing a product that combines several technologies (in this case analog and digital), no prioritisation should be given to any of these technologies, but rather they should be coupled together in a balanced way. Additionally this key point illustrates how the meaning of product develops in relation to the artefacts with which it interacts. In this case, CDs were initially perceived as “poor quality” devices because when played on CD players they jointly provided a lame experience (according to audiophiles). Only later, it was realised that CDs were no the problem].

Because of the above, Oudshoorn and Pinch state that users and technology are in fact “two sides of the same problem”, rather than “separate objects”. Users can have a profound influence on the development of a variety of technologies and technological systems and bring on the table priorities that vary according to their community and cultural backgrounds.

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