I don't participate much here because as an objectivist I am clearly in the minority. Early in my audiophile hobby I participated in two blind amplifier tests, from Hafler and Adcom to Levinson, McIntosh and Conrad Johnson. I'm sure you can guess the outcome. That led me to read more blind tests and about why a component should or shouldn't make an audible difference. That knowledge let me kill off many more myths. Since then I pay no attention to people's opinion ... unless it regularly matches my own. My outlook is that if you didn't hear it blind, you didn't hear it. I don't care what you think you heard. That's not to say you shouldn't be happy with your confirmation-biased system. Because happiness is the ultimate goal of our lives ... or should be. But it's going to have no effect on what I think or buy.
Now when I purchase a system my first filter is speaker measurements, and then I break out REW to tune the room or the system (EQ). I don't care about amps, wires, DACs or anything above 320kbps (another blind test conclusion).
Michael, I'm sure you know this is a phenomenon in likely every hobby. I've run into and debunked golf and bowling myths. But my current main hobby is guitar and the myths are just as bad, although blind tests are not quite as ostracized ... yet, but you can tell that's starting to take hold in the tube amp and "tonewood" communities. One of the funniest blind results was regarding tonewood when the same electronics were transferred from one guitar to the other ... that other guitar being made of Lucite. I'm sure you can guess the results of that test too. Another test I found interesting was a $2,000 Mesa amp against a tiny $170 amp voiced specifically to mimic the Mesa. They sounded slightly different, but the $170 amp sounded BETTER!
Now when I purchase a system my first filter is speaker measurements, and then I break out REW to tune the room or the system (EQ). I don't care about amps, wires, DACs or anything above 320kbps (another blind test conclusion).
Michael, I'm sure you know this is a phenomenon in likely every hobby. I've run into and debunked golf and bowling myths. But my current main hobby is guitar and the myths are just as bad, although blind tests are not quite as ostracized ... yet, but you can tell that's starting to take hold in the tube amp and "tonewood" communities. One of the funniest blind results was regarding tonewood when the same electronics were transferred from one guitar to the other ... that other guitar being made of Lucite. I'm sure you can guess the results of that test too. Another test I found interesting was a $2,000 Mesa amp against a tiny $170 amp voiced specifically to mimic the Mesa. They sounded slightly different, but the $170 amp sounded BETTER!