Can you tell original file from tube amp record? - test

[turk 182]

is thing working? sorry i'm two scotches in (would that also be a test condition?)

 

[Mooly]

That's great You can paste the text into the forum using the 'Code' tags and then its easily viewable.

Maybe an ABX test of sober vs nicely floating could be interesting

foo_abx 2.0.5 report
foobar2000 v1.4.1
2018-11-28 10:06:07

File A: apricot.wav
SHA1: 366faaef08134ef83262c95ee8a5ccbdeedb7395
File B: avocado.wav
SHA1: b404fd5526030ace6f56bead6dd1f780cab0a533

Output:
DS : Primary Sound Driver, 16-bit
Crossfading: NO

10:06:07 : Test started.
10:10:15 : 00/01
10:11:05 : 00/02
10:12:15 : 01/03
10:13:35 : 02/04
10:17:33 : 03/05
10:19:28 : 04/06
10:21:39 : 05/07
10:23:55 : 06/08
10:25:39 : 07/09
10:26:24 : 07/10
10:27:22 : 07/11
10:27:59 : 07/12
10:28:56 : 08/13
10:30:21 : 09/14
10:31:26 : 10/15
10:33:03 : 10/16
10:33:03 : Test finished.

 ---------- 
Total: 10/16
Probability that you were guessing: 22.7%

 -- signature -- 
fa2dc3771d9f1801859a45fdb5a81775fa87f01b

 

[turk 182]

any other details i should supply like what i used to listen with...etc?

i'm canadian nicely floating is easier now...back to my scotch...altered perceptions...

 

[TNT]

Please do describe used equipment!

//

 

[turk 182]

yep it's used equipment alright, nothing but run of the mill JBL Pro computer speakers direct from whatever the soundcard is in my computer...(shh.... that's why studio engineers have their favorite crap speakers you know those auratone thingy's ...oops scotch talking...) after 30 years of doing live sound and recording i should be deaf...and oh i have a notch centered around 2.2k in my left ear...notch i mean scotch...

 

[PMA]

Wow Karl, you are doing well!

 

[Mooly]

Well, you know how it is it takes a lot of practice to be this good but the thing is, your files just don't seem to work quite as well in Foobar as the ones I used.

 

[PMA]

You mean you had more distinctive ones? Or am I missing something?

 

[Mooly]

Yes, more distinctive, more of a difference (did you look at the titles )

Yours are never that easy

 

[martyh]

So what would a statistician say about the results so far. Has anyone demonstrated that they can reliably hear a difference?

 

[indra1]

Have to admit, Broskie's medicine is potent stuff, with flu or not, headphones or speakers, no can differentiate reliably.
Apricot is a smidgen sparkly and avocado is a bit warmer, my son prefer avocado but I can live happily with any, no preference, difference too subtle for a grampa's ears.

 

[PMA]

Thanks for the new impressions, the files will be disclosed on 4/5 December.

 

[PMA]

Based on my 2 latest tests (the test with the tube link stage and this one with the hybrid power amp) I have decided to install this hybrid tube-SS amplifier as my main amplifier in my audio chain, for some time, like 1-2 months and get some long term listening impressions. The distortion seems to be just at the edge of audibility, it means it does not disturb. Power stage is a class A power buffer with local linearizing feedback, which results in distortion below 0.001% when in class A. Input impedance of the power buffer is 1Mohm (good for tubes), output impedance is 0.23 ohm, which makes acceptable DF. Output power is >40W/4ohm, >20W/8ohm. Class A operation is up to 18W/8ohm and up to 9W/4ohm. My speakers impedance is >= 6ohm. I think I will be able to live with it for some time. There is nothing disturbing or annoying in sound of this amplifier.

 

[turk 182]

yep in small amounts and chosen to be consonant rather then dissonant distortion can be used as a production tool.
but it becomes an ethical conundrum when we allow it in the design of a device, no?

 

[scottjoplin]

What do you mean by consonant and dissonant distortion, bearing in mind most of the music we listen to is not harmonic?

 

[turk 182]

even order odd order.

what do you mean "not harmonic"?

sorry Pavel...

 

[PMA]

There may be a valid objection that a H2 intermodulation product (like f2 - f1 difference tone) is not harmonic. This is true, but probably falls below masking threshold in this amplifier. Higher order products are too low to be considered audible.

 

[scottjoplin]

@turk182 The equal temperament scale is used for most of the music we listen to in the west, it is not a harmonic scale, except for every octave. Harmonic distortions are not dissonant in a musical sense

 

[Jakob2]

TNT, are we understanding this the same way? 8 correct out of 15 is not better than chance, and would mean that you can't hear a difference.

Jan

Sorry for commenting that late, but although it is a common misconception it simply does not mean "that you can´t hear a difference" .
It just means that the result is compatible to the assumption that was used to analyze the test statistic (test statistic means accumulated number of correct results) and the assumption of the null hypothesis is p = 0.5 (i.e. random guessing) .

That might seem to be academic but in fact is a very important distinction.....

 

[PMA]

What else would you recommend as a probability of one guess of two possibilities other than p = 0.5