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. 

chayro

Mahgister, you appear unable to both form a coherent paragraph, nor stay on topic. Throwing out names like Helmholtz nor TYPING IN CAPS does not make your point any more succinct or accurate nor confer any expertise on you. You made a blanket statement that the users of Audio Science do not care about room acoustics. That is patently false. There is no walking that back. You made a false statement. It would be best to just admit it.

I hired an expert who participated on the Audio Science site. He came highly recommended and his references included professional studios, many business who set up studios, and high end residences. I had a great chat there with another gentleman who is a distinguished Bell Labs scientist. I have even ran into an old colleague from my TI days, I was working on a wafer process that was critical to a product he was lead on.  Oh, I also chatted with someone from Gik there too (the acoustic panel guys). So your claim about acoustics experts not participating there is also false. I did get directed to Gearslutz (now Gearspace) for a deeper dive into some acoustics discussions. The acoustics discussions are definitely deeper there, but of course more focused on studios and mixing spaces. The concepts are similar though.

I am not sure why you are comparing your room to headphones. They don't sound the same. That is an apples and orange comparison and does not mean anything.

Mahgister, you appear unable to both form a coherent paragraph, nor stay on topic. Throwing out names like Helmholtz nor TYPING IN CAPS does not make your point any more succinct or accurate nor confer any expertise on you. You made a blanket statement that the users of Audio Science do not care about room acoustics. That is patently false. There is no walking that back. You made a false statement. It would be best to just admit it.

You extracted my sentence of his context...

Nobody in his right mind can clain that there is no one interested by acoustic here or in ASR... this will be false... this is evident for ANYONE...

Second: I spoke about some people in ASR claimingv that measuring a piece of gear say all there is too say about his Sound quality...

I said we must listen any produtct in good acoustic condition...not only read some chosen electrical measures to assess his quality...The final quality of any audio system is DETERMINED by his relation to a ROOM acoustically controlled...

is it clearer?

Dont pick fleas in my back, try to understand context...

I am not sure why you are comparing your room to headphones. They don’t sound the same. That is an apples and orange comparison and does not mean anything.

 

First anybody in his right mind know that we cannot compare headphones with speakers...They are different BUT.......They cannot be compared en GENERAL, they can be compared by an owner in his room...

Second i prefer my speakers now to all my headphones why?

Because i can replicate the INTIMACY we feel with headphones with my room/speakers ...And all other acoustic cues are on par or better with my speakers..

With the same system it was not the case a few years ago without any acoustic control of my room... i prefered headphones at this time in the same uncontrolled room...

is it clearer?

 

The acoustics discussions are definitely deeper there, but of course more focused on studios and mixing spaces. The concepts are similar though.

i dont doubt a second that the acoustic discourse is better on ASR than here...i know that there is more "specialist" there than here...

 

This does not means that measuring a piece of gear ONLY and only measuring it is the final word about his quality...If Amir say i take measure and this dac is good this other bad...This is not enough  information about the sound quality of anything... Improving Acoustic conditions in my experience beat most  upgrade... This is my point...

The final word is a listening in the room with a good acoustic...

A reviewer speaking of any product in a non treated and non controlled room for me cannot give the final word... be it here, in an audio magazine or in ASR...

 

 

 

Mahgister, you appear unable to both form a coherent paragraph, nor stay on topic. Throwing out names like Helmholtz nor TYPING IN CAPS does not make your point any more succinct or accurate nor confer any expertise on you.

By the way i never insulted you, i even welcome you, remember?

 

 

Then instead of insults try to discuss..

I never pretend to any SCIENCE... I pretend to have experimented in my room and to my surprize discovered many acoustic basic facts that change my listening experience...

Then i spoke about what i know: SOME acoustic and psycho acoustic basic fact help more than upgrading our piece of gear generally ... Especially costly one for MOST people and especially if what we already own is relatively good to begin with... I dont speak about people or for people who can afford anything at any cost here...

Second: speakers cannot sound the same in different SMALL room...

Third: it is easy to deduce from that that reviewing piece of gear by only measuring some electrical characteristic is not enough..

No need of a doctorate in digital engineering for that..

i hope all is clearer ...

 

 

By the way i dont throw the name of Helmholtz to be smart , i used some different devices with his name on them...

I used capital letters to insist on a word... This is not like your sentence about me which is an insult, but just a way to be best understood...

And also i said already many times here i dont doubt that Amir of ASR is honest... Some of his disciples less honest...They develop the idea that we can assess quality of a product without listening in the proper acoustic condition, and they use some electrical measures to mock anybody who like a product after listening to it only...These few disciples called anyone who listen without knowing the numbers meanings a "deluded audiophile" is this ring a bell ? 😁😊

My opinion is less simplistic  than the opinion of most audiophile or the opinion of  some ASR disciples : we must takes any measures seriously yes for sure, but we must listen ALSO the product in a very well controlled acoustic room.. This is the way to speak about ANY audio product for me..

Is it clear enough?

By the way english is not my first language, i only read english dont speak it well..

But i think that my 2 last post are COHERENT...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcoming me does not change the fact you made a false statement, that I did not take out of context.  That would near impossible given what you said, and you both will not admit to the actual words you wrote nor their meaning. I don’t perceive any ability to have a coherent honest conversation with you.