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When have A/B comparisons led you astray?

I am curious how others have made A/B comparisons within their systems. What errors are encountered in this test? How do you avoid them?
I often think of my stereo system as a pair of ski goggles. Have you ever worn a pair of amber ski goggles all day and then been shocked at the colors presented to you when you take them off?
How does this phenomenon translate into the realm of sound?
mikewerner
mikewerner OP
119 posts
 
Have you never - even for just one song - mistaken it for the real thing?
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Wonderful? Moving? Enjoyable? yes. Real? Not so much.
mikewerner OP
119 posts
 
How about when you shut your eyes, can you imagine that you are in the venue?
Sometimes I can.
With digital it's like I'm there but pixillated.
With analog, sometimes it works but usually there is smudge.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,072 posts
 
"Audiophile indecision/fretting over minute differences is a terrible disease.'

Expensive too!
dgarretson
2,594 posts
 
My latest CDP modification includes an A/B switch that enables on-the-fly comparison of RBCD processed through a 13-year old DAC chip to RBCD processed through the latest 32-bit ESS9018 Sabre chip. The difference is meaningful but much subtler than any audiophile would expect. That A/B switch cuts through a lot of cognitive dissonance.
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