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In defense of ABX testing

We Audiophiles need to get ourselves out of the stoneage, reject mythology, and say goodbye to superstition. Especially the reviewers, who do us a disservice by endlessly writing articles claiming the latest tweak or gadget revolutionized the sound of their system. Likewise, any reviewer who claims that ABX testing is not applicable to high end audio needs to find a new career path. Like anything, there is a right way and many wrong ways. Hail Science!

Here's an interesting thread on the hydrogenaudio website:

http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=108062

This caught my eye in particular:

"The problem with sighted evaluations is very visible in consumer high end audio, where all sorts of very poorly trained listeners claim that they have heard differences that, in technical terms are impossibly small or non existent.

The corresponding problem is that blind tests deal with this problem of false positives very effectively, but can easily produce false negatives."
psag
psag OP
518 posts
 
Actually they are not my words. They're from a post on the hydrogenaudio website. I'll try to post the link again:

http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=108062.

Anyway, ABX testing has been around forever, and it works. Its used extensively in the recording industry.

Anyone who is willing to invest the time and effort can learn it and use it to compare audio components, digital files, whatever. I've used it mainly to evaluate cables. I was able to replace costly Audioquest cables with a much more cost-effective brand.
psag OP
518 posts
 
One more try:
http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=108062
If this doesn't work, the thread is titled: Problems with Blind ABX testing - advice needed.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
""The problem with sighted evaluations is very visible in consumer high end audio, where all sorts of very poorly trained listeners claim that they have heard differences that, in technical terms are impossibly small or non existent.

The corresponding problem is that blind tests deal with this problem of false positives very effectively, but can easily produce false negatives.""

I have the above quote as being from the thread you mentioned.

"Likewise, any reviewer who claims that ABX testing is not applicable to high end audio needs to find a new career path. Like anything, there is a right way and many wrong ways. Hail Science!"

That one appears to be yours. If not, tell me where it is because I didn't see it.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
There is no such thing as a test that can be be generalized. Someone else may get entirely different results. Then which test is correct? And who decides?
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
ABX testing is stone-age personified, and Hydrogen Audio is where all the stone-agers gather. I guess I should add "IMO."
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