Blind Listening Tests?

I think the majority of audiophiles would definitely fail blind tests in an attempt to indentify certain cherished components, especially cables and tweaky accessories. Having said that, I nonetheless find blind testing a waste of time, which misses the more important point that listening to music is FUN. If you THINK something sounds better, THEN IT DOES SOUND BETTER. Who cares if we enjoy a little placebo effect now and then?!? It's a hobby, not a trial.

Don, I'm not sure anyone here doubts the merits of a blind test. I think what your referring to must be those threads that the subject is so easy to hear that anyone who would suggest a blind test must have no idea what there talking about. That said there are many tweaks and components that have subtle changes that some might exaggerate in there reviews. For almost every piece of equipment including cables, wires, conditioners, footers etc. that I've tried I will have a couple friends over to do my listening. I don't tell them what they are listening to or for, I will generally have only one person over at a time, and they sit in the sweat spot with a blindfold. I will have them bring over two or three disks that they themselves know well and use as reference. I will run the switching and they are to write there response , ie #1 base sound, #2 brighter, #3 less detail,... Some times I make no change, sometimes I'll put in an old power cord. I try to mix it up so I receive the best, most un-bias opinion I can. The total process takes about an hour and a half. When I'm asked to come over to their house I bring my blindfold and we do the same drill. It's a great way to share your system with friends and it really helps me to learn to listen. After about five minutes with the blind fold you really start focusing on your ears. I would guess most of us do something similar, and we have neglected to discuss this as a part of selecting equipment. Thus your post is very timely and should be considered for a good place for people to describe how they test equipment. So thank-you Don for the post, I look forward to hearing what others do. J.D.

There's a Canadian magazine, Ultra High Fidelity, that evaluates components by using a panel of reviewers and conducting blind tests vs. their reference system. They only change one component at a time to make sure the differences they are hearing are attributed to the item under review. They certainly hear differences; some sound better, some don't, and some components have a more subtle effect than others but there's always a difference. Perhaps try to track UHF down on the web? Jeff

HiFi Choice Magazine in Britain does a blind test with a panel, then a couple of the editors do a hands on trial, trying a few different combinations of components with the test subject. Then they compare notes with all the various tests and testers.

Great post, Don. I expecially agree with your thread that results of blind tests can be "another piece of information that we could factor in to our purchasing decisions." Dan