Amir and Blind Testing
Let me start by saying I like watching Amir from ASR, so please let’s not get harsh or the thread will be deleted. Many times, Amir has noted that when we’re inserting a new component in our system, our brains go into (to paraphrase) “analytical mode” and we start hearing imaginary improvements. He has reiterated this many times, saying that when he switched to an expensive cable he heard improvements, but when he switched back to the cheap one, he also heard improvements because the brain switches from “music enjoyment mode” to “analytical mode.” Following this logic, which I agree with, wouldn’t blind testing, or any A/B testing be compromised because our brains are always in analytical mode and therefore feeding us inaccurate data? Seems to me you need to relax for a few hours at least and listen to a variety of music before your brain can accurately assess whether something is an actual improvement. Perhaps A/B testing is a strawman argument, because the human brain is not a spectrum analyzer. We are too affected by our biases to come up with any valid data. Maybe.
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@daveinpa Nice choice! May I ask how long it took for the Pontus to arrive once ordered? Denafrips is a good example of a generally well respected name in the reviewer world. The Pontus has not been reviewed on ASR but I looked and saw the Ares was and surprise surprise it measured well! Hope you enjoy it for many years! |
@bruce19 it came pretty quick - maybe 5 days at most I think. The distributor (Vinshine) must be going for some sort of customer service world record because they are beyond helpful. Personally I don’t get what you could measure with a DAC that would matter sound wise. The topping DACs measure perfectly according to ASR and I don’t doubt the results. But I couldn’t tell the difference between my 200 dollar topping DAC and simply plugging my laptop audio out to preamp rca inputs. The Pontus was a big improvement however - as it should for 10x the price and some beautiful engineering. |
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Sometimes you just need to take it with a grain of salt when reading Amir's measurements and his assessment. It is the same for other reviewers' comments. I found, though, good measurement is not a sufficient condition of a well-received devices, but often a necessary condition. For example, Schiit Bifrost 2 receives many good to excellent reviews from reputable reviewers but it does not measure well in ASR. On the other hand, a majority of well-received devices have good measurements from ASR even the entry level ones (like DACs). |
