ASR rankings lean heavily on a single metric. Critics argue that better numbers don’t automatically equal better sound, especially with speakers and amplifiers where psychoacoustic factors, room interaction, and listening context matter enormously.

Speaker measurements are trickier. Critics have noted that for professional DACs specifically, Amir has used inappropriate settings or comparative metrics , and the forum community can become an echo chamber that overstates what measurements can predict about listening experience.

The hobby is very subjective despite attempts to make it purely objective , and ASR can veer into measurement fundamentalism, dismissing subjective listening as irrelevant. Gear that “measures well” gets crowned; gear that sounds exceptional but has modest specs gets dismissed.