Yeah well one thing is stating that measurements don’t tell the whole story, another thing is stating they provide no useful information at all. I support the first statement. Think about frequency response or channel imbalance.
I am not here to say PSA gear is not good. In fact I enjoy my phono converter very much. I also don’t care much about what reviewers think, including ASR reviewers. However measurements are measurements. If they are correct, the background of the measurer doesn’t matter. If they are incorrect, it’s easy to dismiss them with a correct measurement. That’s why I thought that a comment from PSA was in order.
PSA commented, explained and interpreted it. Probably you missed it. If I tell you “Well Mr. Smith, I looked at your MRI/US/XRay and I have some bad news for you”, would you want to know my credential before you taking anything I said seriously? I am a qualified MD with impressive CV, most likely you would seek a second opinion. On the other hand, if I am not a MD, if I am some sort of a clown playing a doctor, you would ignore everything I said and move on. Well, I choose to ignore everything that this guy said. Simple, isn’t it…
Then why are there differences to what PS Audio specifies and what is measured there.
It is relevant to have published numbers right.
Ask Volkswagen North America.
And let me tell you something about measurements, sir. I have never believed that cables would make a big difference until a friend gave me a pair of Wireworld XLR interconnects. Wow! I didn’t need A/B test to hear it. Unless you are deaf, you would hear the difference. It doesnt matter if its worse or better, it is different. I connected DSJ to the preamp. Then another friend gave me a pair of nordost XLR to connect the preamt to the amp. This time I knew what to expect. I wasn’t disappointed. This hard to explain and let alone measure “'phenomena” reminded me of the quantum mechanics. Many people, including me, are still puzzled as to why a particle (photon, electron, proton etc.) will behave as particle if observed, and demonstrated a wavelike behaviour when not observed. Without going into details, you can google it, it was proven that if a particle that going thru 2 slits towards the screen IS observed that particle will go thru only ONE of the two slits - particle like behaviour. However, if the particle is NOT observed that particle would appear that went thru BOTH slits (wavelike behaviour) at the same time! Any attempt for us to know the path that a particle travelled will make it behaved differently. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, does it, young man. Oh, yes! However, this is proven in repeatable tests and it is a scientific fact. Physicists even go further claiming that a quasar that emits photons some 10 billion years away (or ago) will behave the same. If the emitting light is obstructed by a galaxy half of the photons will go around that galaxy on one side, the other half on the other side. When they hit the earth depending on whether we try to know (measure) the path of the photons they will behave like particles or waves, although they were emitted even before the earth is formed (5.5 billions years ago). Even the great Einstein did not understand it but accept it (with a grain of salt). It is a fact and only an ignorant fool would claim otherwise. So, measurements are tricky stuff, and what we don’t know,. we simply do not. If, whatever the his name was, tries to measure and explain this, he will certainly come to a wrong conclusion. Clear as mud as they say, right sir?
Gosh, I hope not. We welcome you to our family and hope we can support what you want to do, if not by products at least by camaraderie and working together. I do hope you stay. My whole point is that specs do not tell us much about how something sounds.
A channel imbalance in THD isn’t going to matter sonically as long as the total per channel doesn’t exceed our specs.
When we spec a unit we set a tolerance level for what’s going to pass or fail in the area where it matters. Let’s imagine that the pass or fail for THD has to be below 0.05%. This means that as long as the unit doesn’t exceed 0.05% then it passes.
That the two channels have different THD levels isn’t important, sonically, as long as the total per channel doesn’t exceed what we have set to be important.
Now, for things that you will hear, like channel volume deviation, there our specs are quite different. Now we’re looking for deviation between channels ion addition to a specific gain. I don’t recall what our spec are, but where it matters, of
course we measure and make sure its passes.
Thanks @Paul . This is the sort of answer I was getting frustrated at not getting. Not because I think PSA owes me some sort of apology or something but because I’m trying to understand what matters and what doesn’t. My questions on this matter are for educational (mine) purposes. It’s much easier to see a perceived weakness and disregard it if you know why it should be disregarded.
You knew precisely what you were doing. 
And it has led to what overall is a great vigorous discussion.
I find interesting essentially no one is actually taking the absolute position that the other side accuses them of taking. That is, overall, we do not see either group stating specs have no purpose whatsoever and only listening matters, or only specs matter and there is no reason at all to listen.
Instead the real debate is over the extent to which specs matter. Do we ignore them? Or are they all that matters? Or where in the middle is the proper balance?
I agree with your summary.
But whether specs matter or not, the correct specs should be advertised by PS Audio. We saw Paul getting positively excited about 0.04% THD at1 kHz, while PS Audio‘s advertised THD 0.025%.
A manufacturer like PS Audio can not sell with too optimistic specs, have somebody pay for that product and than support a whole community to call that customer a fool just because he/she bought it based on specs. That is ridiculous.
That is ridiculous
The only specs that are of concern to me - will the product fit the shelf!
Your comments are getting more hilarious by the day. Keep them coming but don’t forget to take a chill pill once in a while. Life is too short.
You are a poor man’s Brodric; devoid of his intellect, charm and personality!
I have spent thousands of Euro on my system for many years now and recently replaced my well regarded dac with the PS Audio Directstream Dac. The improvement in SQ was a revelation.
Measure that !
Well said. Bitter is what I would describe him, which is hard to fathom because after all, audio is just an hobby.
So often these things seem to come down to money, and quantifying how much something is worth in some sort of absolute and linear terms.
Well said. I don’t understand his constant challenges to others. Bitter and counterproductive. If he needs a cause I would recommend the environment.
Summary #3
The Last One is the charm.
Paul, Amir has read your responses and has an offer to make:
“I will come to your place at my expense. Bring one of those low distortion DACs you say sound like “dog poo.” If you can determine that against this product in a blind test, I will give $10,000 to your charity of choice.”
Seems like a no cost, no risk opportunity for something positive to come out of this?
I volunteer being the choice of charity. Thanks in advance Paul ( and Amir ) 
Promise to buy more PS Audio products…so yes ,it´s win win situation 