Streamer opinion.. Pease comment on validity.

“I've noted many times that most audiophiles have no use for such tests.”

+1, @cleeds 

Blind tests are for naysayers and skeptics. Trust your listening skills and you will know what sounds better in your system, regardless of the cost. 

Since my name was mentioned I will say that I did NOT test the servers blindly. I did some quick A/B comparisons on some familiar tracks. But in the end it was long term listening for pleasure that best bore out the differences. Same as it should be when testing any two components. One you will enjoy listening to more than the other.

Oz

Lalitk

Blind tests are for naysayers and skeptics. Trust your listening skills and you will know what sounds better in your system, regardless of the cost.

I agree with the statement above that you can and should trust your ears to determine what sounds best.

But respectfully, I don"t get why you would think that blind tests are for naysayers and skeptics.  Why wouldn't blind testing be another way to determine what sounds best?

From my viewpoint it would make common sense that a person comparing two different stereo units, without knowing which was which, and picking that which they liked the sound of the best is a valid test.

No need to provide the discussion that there is no such thing as a true blind test that another member here has written a thousand times.

Well said Ozzy.  Whether it's a blind test or a fast A/B sighted test, while you may hear differences, that doesn't mean that you'll be able to instantly pick the one that is "better".  I've heard (and bought) a few things that upon first listen I thought sounded better than something I had, but after extended listening noticed other less favorable characteristics about the sound.  Often it was that very thing that caught my ear which upon further listening proved to be exaggerated in a way that made it hard to listen to for an extended time. 

I'm going through a bit of that right now with my new streamer.  Upon first listen it seems that things sound "better" upsampling to DSD, but then I start to hear an edge to the music that I didn't notice without upsampling.

jetter

...  it would make common sense that a person comparing two different stereo units, without knowing which was which, and picking that which they liked the sound of the best is a valid test ...

Is that how you choose your audio components?