Articles You Feel Should be Shared


I’ll kick off with a recent posting by the remarkably clear-sighted and even handed Archimago.

Once again cutting through layers of mostly deliberate confusion, obfuscation and denial.

Production, Reproduction and Perception - the 3 pillars upon which everything in our audiophile world stands, is my new mantra.

So simple it’s surprising that no one else pointed it out earlier.

Be sure to also check out his follow up blog from Wednesday, 11 March 2020.

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2020/03/musings-audio-music-audiophile-big.html?m=1
cd318
As your friendly local testing guru, can I say for the umpteenth time any test, even a controlled test, has no significance because of the situation in audio system that so many things can go wrong with the test and usually do? You think you’re in complete control but you’re not. This is especially true for a test with negative results. Which is ironic perhaps because that’s usually what pseudo scientists tell you will happen. Would a determined pseudo skeptic lie about the results of a test? Well, duh! Maybe. That’s why tests for big projects, e.g., Government projects, are performed by independent, experienced testers, you know, someone without an ax to grind.
djones51,

I wonder if you saw the follow up by the same poster?

Prog Rock Man  not surprisingly faced the some backlash from various  affronted parties, so in answer he started another post on Head-Fi.

This time he wanted to demonstrate that there were cases in audio where blind listening tests did reveal a clear preference (ie one well above 50% accuracy or random guessing) for one piece of equipment over another.

These mostly featured loudspeakers.


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Are blind tests bogus? Examples of blind tests with positive results. 


Prog Rock Man   Sep 20 2010


1 - A blind test of speakers, passed by the subject. Interestingly, the subject failed to identify different crossovers, one more expensive than the other.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/axiom-blind-listening-test


8 - PSB speaker blind test, the top of the range speaker won

http://www.psbspeakers.com/audio-topics/Birthplace-of-Good-Sound


9 - ABX Comparator. A series of blind tests of different kit and cables.

Starting with the cables, differences were found with video cables over very long runs of 100 feet in comparison to a 6 foot one.


12. "Some amplifiers do sound different" report c1984

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ts-did-show-amplifiers-to-sound-different.23/

Two amps, an apparently well run test and the cheaper amp wins!

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There you go, another article that might be well worth checking out before contemplating any possible potential system upgrade.

It doesn't take long and could save you some money and the heartache of disappointment.

Once again thanks to Prog Rock Man and our audiophile friends over at Head-Fi.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/are-blind-tests-bogus-examples-of-blind-tests-with-positive-results....
I wouldn’t use the word bogus. I would use the word inconclusive or perhaps meaningless. Performing many tests on the same system by different testers and performing many tests on different systems by different testers would be a much more scientific approach. What are you afraid of?
In that last article from Audio Science Review djones51 just posted I don’t think I’ve seen so much misinformation and disinformation since Gandhi was a Boy Scout. ✌️Good name though, Audio Science Review. As if it was scientific. 🤗