Here the two of us differ. My enjoyment of listening to music is correlated to the quality of the audio gear.
I select components for my own use – not for others.
My way of selecting components is the best and the most accurate way – for my own use.
Since appreciation of audio gear is given also to personal taste and preferences – and since the way a certain component sounds in a given setup is dependent also on the other components of the setup – I don't think it's possible for one person to choose for others any component in sound system.
Because of I enjoy it more this way.
Joshua_G said:
Probably so. I'm also good at sensory research and experimental design. So I'll ask again: you have claimed validity of your blind testing regime. Can you please explain how validity was determined? And an explanation of how the blind testing is set up and controlled would be appreciated.
SY said:
Let's take the example of interconnects.
Two interconnects are being connected in parallel from the same source to two different inputs in the pre-amplifier.
A friend of mine switches every now and than, at my request, the inputs of the pre.
My eyes are closed all along, so I don't know which cable is connected to what input and I don't know which input is active at any given time.
I listen to a piece of music I love and I'm well familiar with, including that specific recording. I tell my friend my impression of the audio quality and he notes it.
After some time I ask my friend to switch inputs and put the music back to the beginning. Again I tell my friend my impression of the audio quality and he notes it.
We do so few times.
After few such switches, when I'm convinced there are certain qualities to one cable and different qualities to the other one I open my eyes and ask my friend which one of the cables I assigned what qualities. Than I choose.
Ummm, you need some help designing controlled tests. If you're seriously interested in doing so, please email me and I can detail a valid procedure for you. Otherwise, if you're happy doing entertaining activities with no real technical merit (and there's nothing wrong with that, I like playing music despite being a rather sucky musician), more power to you.
In case you really think so, then you are totally unexperienced with high-end, and I do not know why you post in a high-end thread.
Only people who did not have a chance to compare different systems do think so. Then, fast-food audio is a right choice, you can get it if you omit several hamburgers.
Joshua_G said:
Well, being the naive person I am, I was hoping to explain the basics of perception, and at least some part of the decades old confusion behind enjoying music and discerning the sound of different components and cables. Since you continue to mix them up and show no sign of understanding that there is a difference at all, I feel I have failed miserably at that part.
But at least you are moving so not all is lost. From 'I'm not interested in perception' you moved to 'I test without looking at brands' and 'I keep my mental state invariant' to 'my friend does the switching' so we are definitely making progress here. Still a long way from repeatable, objective testing but hey, Rome wasn't build in a single day either
Jan Didden
janneman said:
But at least you are moving so not all is lost. From 'I'm not interested in perception' you moved to 'I test without looking at brands' and 'I keep my mental state invariant' to 'my friend does the switching' so we are definitely making progress here. Still a long way from repeatable, objective testing but hey, Rome wasn't build in a single day either
The progress is in your eyes only.
I neutralized the factors that may bias assessments before reading you.
The fact that I'm not interested in the study of human perception doesn't mean I'm unaware of factors influencing it and it doesn’t mean I don't do my choosing while neutralizing possible interfering factors.
PMA said:
I've been there. Trust me, it's not a big country.
Joshua, I have emailed you a good starting procedure. You'll have to do your own literature searching. I've given you enough (journal, author, subject) that 5 minutes with a reference librarian will get you exact cites which will provide some very interesting and educational reading. I don't know where you are, but I've been to the library at Technion in Haifa and it was damn impressive.
SY said:
Like I wrote you in the reply to your email, the way I do the comparison, the audible differences are so obvious and so clear cut that for my own use, I see no need to change the way I do it. Should I need conduct a study that will need to be accepted by others as well, your suggestion will come in handy. However, all my tests and choosing are done for my own use only. It is my money which is at stakes – and I'm perfectly convinced in the validity of the results I get.
There is one more point which I think is important to bear in mind.
When choosing a component to the audio setup – it isn't only the technical differences that count – it is also the degree to which music is enjoyed with each component.
And I live about 40 minutes drive from the Technion in Haifa – so, you were right.
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