Spectral "Accuracy" Brand Positioning - People Falling for Good Marketing or Spectral Objectively More Accurate than Other "Neutral" Brands?

[caesar]

Spectral seems to own the "Accuracy" term in audiophile circles. Kind of like Volvo owns "safety", Kleenex owns "tissues", and Google owns "search" in the minds of their consumers.

Is Spectral any more accurate than, say, CH Precision or Boulder? Or any other brand that markets itself based on "great engineering"?

Is it just wishful thinking on behalf of Spectral fans? Have people fallen for good marketing?

 

[rubinken]

As we all hear differently, in different listening environments, I'm not sure that "accuracy" is meaningful. For me the important aspect of musical reproduction is emotional involvement. Doesn't answer your questions, but "accuracy" may not be the objective to attain.

 

[Folsom]

Not a word I would give to them.

 

[ddk]

Spectral seems to own the "Accuracy" term in audiophile circles. Kind of like Volvo owns "safety", Kleenex owns "tissues", and Google owns "search" in the minds of their consumers.

Is Spectral any more accurate than, say, CH Precision or Boulder? Or any other brand that markets itself based on "great engineering"?

Is it just wishful thinking on behalf of Spectral fans? Have people fallen for good marketing?

I recall it was speed not accuracy but don’t know if it was something they put out themselves or one of TAS reviewers who made it up in the 90’s and it stuck.

david

 

[caesar]

Gentlemen,
Here's Keith Johnson talking about accuracy as his ultimate goal: Fundamental Goal for Serious Music Reproduction: Accuracy

 

[kennyb123]

Spectral gets the importance of time domain performance. I'm more inclined to think of them as excelling at reproducing the sound of live music - and less so about just being accurate.

 

[PeterA]

If accuracy means faithfulness to the recording, that to me implies electronics that have very little or no sonic signature. If that is the case, I would not use this term to describe Spectral electronics.

I don’t really like the use of this term to describe audio gear. I prefer transparent, but that too is difficult to ascertain and achieve.

 

[ack]

As stated in that PDF, Spectral's goal is accuracy and faithfulness to the recording ("Accuracy to the Source"), with the attributes they describe, part of which includes timbral accuracy, soundstaging, transparency, and resolution; and their reference is Keith's own recordings and live experiences. Then, they describe their technical approach to it, with speed, class A, elimination of thermal tails, etc. but all within the "technical confinement" but "absolute transparency" however that is determined. This article was circulated a while ago in another thread.

Impossible to answer the original question of whether they are "more accurate" than others. But "marketing" it is not.