Does anyone out there NOT hear a difference in CD

Mrtennis, you're beginning to sound like James Randi. ;)

You win the obfuscation prize.

hi doug:

forget about a blind test. the basic issues the terms high end and mid fi are used for marketing purposes. they are arbitray and subject to disagreement.

as to price and performance. you are entitled to your opinion but there is no hard evidence that spending more on components produces "better" sound, whatever better means.

even if you consider accuracy as the basis for judgment. accuracy is hard to measure.

the recording can not be a reference, rather the live pdrformance must be, and as shadorne said, a microphone feed as the signal is compared to the sound of instruments. for most people, such a test is impractical.

Mrtennis, you said, "the terms high end and mid fi are used for marketing purposes. they are arbitray [sic] and subject to disagreement."

Yes, and the terms "sports car" and "sedan" are used for marketing purposes as well, however they have fairly clear meanings. As do the terms "Mid Fi" and "high end". It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. I don't see too many audiophiles disputing that Rotel is Mid Fi and Halcro is Hi Fi. I also don't see too many suggesting that Rotel sounds as good as Halcro! So, mabe there is something to the idea that Halcro costs more because it sounds better?

Why don't you show me some non-subjective evidence for your position that spending more money doesn't produce better sound? :) You're spewing just as much rehetoric; where's your data?

So, if the lower end gear really can sound just as good typically as the higher end stuff, why are there categories of quality in nearly every "Best Gear" report ever published by audiophile publications? And why is the price skewed upward as the quality increases? No correlation? That's rediculous - nonsense!

You think the manufacturers are scamming us? If you think so, you are one very cynical man. I have run into manufacturers at low and high price points whom I felt were giving away their technology/products to the community very cheaply (even in five figure products). Others, again across the price spectrum, have been more suspect in terms of the cost/quality ratio. This is a far more realistic view of the audio landscape.

One thing that has worked for me when evaluating a new/different component in my system is not to look for an immediate difference or improvement when you first fire up the new component. Rather, just spend time listening to it for awhile with familiar music, like over a period of days, and then switch back to the old piece of gear. For my ears, it's easier to pick out differences and make a good comparison in this way and it will let your ears/brain zero in on differences in the old component vs. the new.

All too often I have hooked up a new component (like cd player) and at first it's difficult to hear any difference. But it can be very apparent after spending more time listening to it and then switching back to the old component. -jz

With practice it gets easier to hear differences right away, BUT there's nothing like going back to the original to make things crystal clear, assuming there is a difference.

Dave