"Violinists blast holes in violin experiment"

Thx Rodman99999.
Nice to know someone is paying attention...my comments about the Chef's class apparently went unnoticed...
To the original point...when I ran my own audio store...I worked for years to be able to do blind tests...
I would always do an A/B/A

New cables would arrive...I'd listen to the A...then the B....then the A...making notes on each...Don't try to fool me with repeats...let me hear it in that order.
BUT...it's not for everyone...early on, I felt staged...as if I was being tested...funny.
In later years...it came more naturally...but I can fully see the stress that this kind of experience creates.

Jim Thiel...one of a kind...sorely missed...not only brilliant...a gentle soul.

Larry

Halcro,

Interesting point.
I'd say that you're probably right...but only because it would seem to support conventional wisdom and not fly in the face of it.

We've been told for years that the Strads were the Violin to own...anything that supported that theology would not be questioned...you're most likely 100% right.

Great catch.

Larry

Larry, based on your experience doing A/B/A blind tests and no surprises, do you think that your expectations might have influenced what you heard?

Larry,

Don't be so sure about blind tasting. I attended blind wine tastings every Tuesday night (+/- 30 per year) for about three years with industry professionals (excluding myself, just an enthusiast who was friendly with the owner of the restaurant that hosted these events).

Bottom line: skills vary. Two individuals were astonishingly accurate. The tastings were themed around similar wine types; for example high end Napa Cabernets on one night or modestly priced Chardonnay from the Macon on another. Wines were placed in numbered bags by the restaurant staff and poured by same. No way to cheat - as far I could figure, anyway.

Both of the above mentioned tasters could identify their own product from a batch of 20-25 similar wines with near 100% accuracy (when they had an eligible product of their own in the running). They were also highly accurate in identifying vintages, properties and producers - though rarely all three at once. Both could also consistently identify the one "ringer" that was always introduced. Both of them picked out which 2 wines were identical on both occasions that a single wine ended up being contributed twice. Incidentally, that is a hard trick. When one of them told me which 2 he thought were identical, I went back to re- taste. I objected to his conclusion on the grounds that one was more tannic. He responded that the more tannic bottle was colder.

Like most people who attended these events (experienced tasters, all), I would have great nights on which I was impressed with my own skill and embarrassing nights on which I provided fodder for years of abuse at the hands of other attendees. Skilled tasters can be consistently discerning when operating "in the dark". Less skilled tasters - like yours truly - maybe not so consistent.

Marty

Tomcy6,

"Larry, based on your experience doing A/B/A blind tests and no surprises, do you think that your expectations might have influenced what you heard?"

OK, I'm thick some times, so maybe I'm misunderstanding, if so forgive me.
By doing the test the way we did...A/B/A , and NOT knowing what A or B was...I can't imagine that I had ANY expectations.
I knew we had a control and a variable.
Let's say new preamp...A, might be an existing one in the store...B might be the new one, but I didn't have any idea which was which...so 'expectations' could not have been part of my thinking.

Emperically...how does A sound...importantly, after that evaluation, how does B compare? How is it better? Worse?

Larry