Why is Double Blind Testing Controversial?

To address Sean's and other's points about pulling random folks in off the street for DBTs, you are quite correct. You can't just grab someone off the street, put the music on and test away. In truly valid tests - and these are in the minority, I suspect - there is a training component. During this time, if I recall correctly, some screening is also done.

The best candidates for DBTs may be well-trained 10-year-olds!

Wellfed, in no way did I mean to imply that audiophiles are particularly susceptable to deception, either external or internal. It really does seem to be the case that humans - all of us - are wired for sensory "over detection"; nothing bad or good about it, that's just the way we are.

Don't underestimate the other attributes of audio components - things like build quality, reliability, corporate reputation, ergonomics, visual presentation/industrial design, price, etc. are all perfectly valid areas upon which to base and build preferences. Nothing bad about that, either. I strongly suspect that my Nordost ICs don't sound any better (or worse) than the overwhelming majority of alternatives (and haven't heard any differences, either), but enjoy the fact that they are technically one of best out there.

Tinged spectacles. Are we getting carried away with this? What's next white canes and seeing eye dogs. At least the dogs might be able to confirm extreme frequency responses as well as finding the stuff that really stinks.

did I hit a nerve ? Or did I miss sarcasm in Redkiwi's response ? It was a joke guys .. let's laugh at ourselves occasionally. HiFi is a very unimportant topic in a world full of war, famine and death, and certainly not worth getting worked up about.

This is exactly why this topic is off limits at Audio Asylum. I think Audiogon should follow their excellent lead.