Blind or Just Deaf?

Chorus -- I can't remember the exact speakers that were in the comparo where I wound up buying my current Nola Boxers, but I believe they were the equivalent-sized B&Ws, or perhaps a pair of Rogers.  I've never had a megawatt stereo system or a large room to play them in, and I've loved Brit monitors ever since I got a pair of KEF Corellis, who knows when.  For the speaker comparison I also dragged in the pair of speakers I had the time, Celestion SL600's.   As for the amp comparo (which happened some time later), I brought in my Primaluna Prologue integrated to face off against a Lyngdorf room-correcting integrated.  I'd bought my Boxers at the place where I did the amp audition and they still had a pair, so I didn't have to bring them, as well.  I preferred the Primaluna.  For all its high-tech wizardry, the Lyngdorf didn't throw that much better of a soundstage, and the sound felt a hair hyped up and artificial.  Even the salesman agreed that the Primaluna sounded better.

So yeah, these may not have been strictly kosher double-blind situations but I had the money burning a hole in my pocket when I went to the stores, and I didn't have a hair of emotional prejudice. 

Well there are alot of people  who don't  believe it even they are proved  wrong .Why do they ? 

I don't insist on blind testing all my equipment, but I understand their use and sometimes employ blind testing when I feel like it.


Blind testing for me helped verify the sonic differences I thought I was hearing between some CD players and DACs seemed to be there.


On the other hand, blind testing some expensive AC cables helped remind me of the power of sighted bias.  I thought for sure my system had changed sound with the expensive AC cable.  But when I tested without knowing which cable was being used - expensive audiophile cable or the cheap stock cable - the "obvious" sonic differences vanished.   That saved me a good heap of money. :-)


Blind testing also helped me with an issue I had when I switched to a new server system for streaming my digital sound to my DAC.  When I switched, it seemed like the new server seemed a bit more bright and brittle, which alarmed me as I really wanted to use the new server.  But, knowing it was technically dubious that the sound would actually be any different and having experience with the power of sighted bias, I had a friend help me blind test between the old and new server.   Result: no sonic difference to detect.  And from then on I was happy with the new server and realize that, yeah, it sounds the same as always.


But if I were writing a purely subjective review of either the AC cable or the new server, like most subjective reviewers I would have told people they made clear sonic differences.


It's a really good learning tool, and it's up to any individual if they want to use it or not.


Some people prefer to believe they have Infallible Ears, and no one can tell them otherwise...so it's up to you if you want to follow their lead, or the more reasonable, modest proposition that you can actually mis-perceive things sometimes ;-)

Prof,

Good to know that some people still recognize that they
may not be infallible.