Have You Ever Put Your Golden Ears to the Test??

Every time I make a change. Sometime during my mis-spent youth I suffered brain damage that affected my short term memory (you know like forgetting where you put your car keys). So every time I switch one cable for another or one component for another, by the time I get back to my couch I can't remember what it is I'm listening to.

Actually, I don't know anyone in my real life who would have any interest in doing the switching for me, nor am I sure I would be interested. I am perfectly happy deciding for myself that the new amp I bought sounds better than the old one. I trust myself to do this, because, for example, I have brought amps home to audition and determined on a sighted basis that if there was any difference, I couldnt tell or it was so subtle that I did not need to make the purchase. I have no interest in impressing anyone or any part of my ego invested in my hi fi equipment (I didn't design the stuff).

What I have said recently, and have heard privately from some real pros, some well known, is that properly designed inexpensive late model amps and cd players get the job done as well as expensive stuff, and no one has published a report of a rigorous blind test that shows otherwise. I wasnt really happy when one of my favorite reviewers told me that there isnt much of a difference between my expensive cd player (I paid a little more than 1/2 the retail) and a NAD. I dont even agree with him. But I wouldnt want to put any money on my belief.

The other thread to which you refer is hilarious. The author turns everything on its head. Scientists and professional engineers use double blind testing all the time, but he calls DBX "pseudo-science." The camps are usually divided into scientific objectivists (those who argue for DBX tests and say all cables and properly functioning amps sound the same) and subjective relativists (audiophiles who believe that everything sounds different), but the author of that thread calls people championing an objective scientific approach "subjective relativists." There is no way to begin to have an intelligent conversation on the subject

I am not one of them, but I respect the scientists and engineers I know who advocate DBX testing of audio components. I dont see how you could find fault with them. They're trying to save you money and redirect your attention to things that really matter - speakers and room interaction.

How could anyone clinging to an argument which is easily overturned by simple auditioning, be considered "scientific objectivist"? I would offer "dogmatic pragmatist" as a more accurate description. The term subjective relativist does apply to them because the testing used is subject to their subjective "statistical analysis" of their conclusions, which are, in fact, skewed by the attempt to make the analysis conform to their preconcieved notions.
I offer as a refutation, the vast bulk of the audiophile community, who have voted on this matter with their dollars to purchase equipment which does sound better than their previous gear. I cannot accept the (scientific objectivist) notion, that we are all in a state of mass-hypnosis, causing us to make expensive purchases for no gain. This is absurd to say the least. Should we not believe what we see because of "psycho-visual" implications, or disbelieve what we touch because of "psycho-tactile" ones? Why not? We are being asked to disbelieve our ears because of "psycho-acoustic" reasons. But some people are just more "informed" than you and me, don't you know?

paulwp, i'm highly suspicious of anyone trying to save me money when i don't hire them to do so - i really think their pushing their own agenda. while i respect engineers and scientists, as well as physicists, doctors, whatever, remember that science itself is a moving target, that it is constantly changing depending on the developement of new facts, laws of nature, theory, etc. a closed minded professional is much more dangerous that the most sujective idiot as people will take the professional seriously - what he sez can seem to make so much sense(!)especially if thats what you are predisposed to hear.
danheather & p_mmk, couldn't agree with you more re hyperbolic comments regarding equipment differences - when i see this i quickly turn the page - it just ell me that the write has something to sell (philosophically or actually).

I have been able to tell differences in equipment before. But, like most said, sometimes I can't. Some differences grab your attention and some just pass you by, I suppose.

Off topic but interesting: My friends and I were drinking beer a few weeks ago (not my favorite drink, but I am familiar with it) and we noticed that we had several different brands of which we thought we knew their characteristics. Some were imports, some were domestics, and some were microbrews; both cheap and expensive. We began pouring each other glasses and not revealing the brand. On many occasions we had no idea what we were drinking. And, oddly, some of us said that we liked the test beer and found out that it was a brand we previously stated we disliked.

I don't know...Maybe all that beer made it seem more interesting at the time.

Brad Day
Atlanta, GA

Doing a double blind test with statistics is quite difficult with audio gear. The double protion of the title is that the presenter also doesn't know which stimulus is being given to the subject (non-verbal clues are not allowed). However, it's much easier with water. After buying bottled water for years, my wife suggested that I subject myself to a double blind test with three different types of bottled water and a fourth choice, tap water. I was confident that I could tell the difference between each of the four choices and that I would have no dificulty identifying my favorite. The results were statistically significant (overwhelmingly so) with my clear choice in the experiment being the tap water (not my 'favorite'). -- Now, having said that, I don't mean to suggest that I or anyone else would have similar results for high end audio. I personally believe that the system I have today, that I very much enjoy, is a direct result of successive improvements made by subjective comparison of alternatives. I only mention it to indicate that the results one gets from such tests can be surprizing and that you too can give it a try with other subjective choices that are easier to conduct as a double blind test.