So I was reading one of the tube forums recently and I saw an amp builder who, when talking about his latest build, said “To my ears sounds nice but I am not an expert”. Now I read or hear variations on this theme all the time. And frankly, it upsets me greatly.

Now I understand the sentiment. People new to the DIY world or who just haven’t built many projects are a little unsure about their own opinions. And I know where this comes from. There are some on-line forums that are populated by a handful of vicious bletherskates who are very quick to tell builders how wrong they are or point out what they think are problems with other’s projects. Usually this is on the basis that they consider themselves to be “experts”. Often based on some unverifiable claims of “godlike electronic prowess”. And there are many books out there written by the same types of people.

So here is my message: No one is a better expert on what sounds good to you than you.

I don’t care what the “experts” say. I don’t care what the test equipment says. I don’t care what the power level, distortion, or clarity are like. I don’t care if the low end rolls of at 10Hz, 20Hz, 40Hz, or 100Hz. I don’t care what the bandwidth is or how “flat” it is. If you decide you really like it, then that is the most important opinion. Never let some faceless internet phantom convince you that you don’t or shouldn’t like something you do. These are subjective judgements and you are the final arbiter.

I’m not saying don’t ask questions or ask for help. This is how we learn and some forums can be great places to find information or to get help. But never discount your own opinion. And be aware that your opinions will change with time, but that doesn’t make them wrong. It just means that you are learning and growing; something every human being must do to survive and thrive.

I publish a lot of designs on this site and I offer people opinions on what I think of them. But I would never tell someone that any design is better than their own. If you think that PIO caps sound better than the film capacitors I use, then you are right. If you think my love of passive cathode bias is misplaced and constant current source biasing is better, then you are right. If you take one of my designs and turn it into something you like better, that’s great. Truly!

Because you are building amps for you; not me.

And I’ll let you in a secret, my hearing has been sliding for years. I have no hearing above 15kHz and I have a widening Carhart’s Notch at 2KHz that I know affects what I hear. And my brain has been listening to high 2nd harmonic distortion in amplifiers for 50 years; and my brain likes it. Your brain is different. Your hearing is different. Your tastes are different. You are different.

So please, please, never denigrate your own opinion of what you like because of what someone else says or might say. If you have questions, ask them. If you have opinions feel free to share them. But please have faith in your own senses and what you like. Life is far too short to go through it worrying about what other people think.

I’ll get off my soap box now.