nonoise
I think this is now the 3rd time I've posted a link to this topic over the past 2 years concerning ASR
I'm glad you did because I missed the others.
A lot of ASR fans may consider it tough and cruel but honestly it's compulsory reading.
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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I didn’t say, but same here, 2ch stereo HT. I’m comforted to know that it has no measurable effect. (On a 6 foot long table from a school chemistry classroom. Its tall and the correct depth - I don’t like this kneeling/squatting business to push buttons, do cables etc. Blah) @chayro I guess I was talking solid state amps. I don’t know if tube amps ever pretended to have minuscule distortion measurements that the Japanese gear you mention were achieving. I wonder if the very low distortion amps would stand up to scrutiny on Amir’s bench with all the extra parameters we now know are important to sound quality.. |
ASR is pretty used to empty responses like that one. It basically says "I don’t actually have any good, civil arguments or evidence in response to ASR’s reviews...but since I still don’t like their conclusions...here’s a disparaging meme so I can feel like I got one over on them."
Embarrassing enough once. But..3 times?
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milpai,
That's missing the point. In the case of, say, the Nordost USB cable or PS Audio P12 review, Amirm's measurments indicated no change to the signal that would be audible at all. Measuring someone's "emotional response" tells you nothing about what's actually happening in reality, in terms of the gear. I don't give a damn if you have an "emotional response" to a Nordost USB cable because that's you (and likely your imagination). I want to know if it ACTUALLY does something for the signal so I know what I'm spending my money on.
Some approach high end audio like they do a religion. Not everyone wants to do that; many of us want actual knowledge as to how the equipment works so we are making informed decisions with our money.
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The inherent flaw of any sort of blindfolded A/B testing is when there's unfamiliarity of the test subjects with the items being tested. For example - a blind taste test of Coke vs Pepsi is adversely affected if the test takers aren't cola drinkers. Without a recognizable frame of reference, "best" or "better" is merely a guessing game. |
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