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Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

I'm trying to decide if you are annoying or very annoying

"No one has ever shown that DBTs are a valid measure of hearing differences in components"
RG
As I have written here many times before, a DBT is a test of a sighted audition claim.

It should be understood by now, except perhaps by you, that if no one hears an A-B difference in a sighted audition, then there would be no reason to continue with a DBT test.

There would be no claim to test.

Fortunately, audiophiles are very biased toward "hearing differences" so it would be surprising for an entire listening panel to audition a tweak and claim the tweak did nothing.

I've read about tests (published in an AES white paper) where just telling a listener a tweak is in use (actually nothing was changed) can lead to 2/3 of listeners deciding they preferred the sound without the tweak, or with the tweak, when in fact nothing had changed!

You may choose to remain in the world of audiophile magic with the "I know what I hear and couldn't be wrong" fantasy. But audiophiles, in general, are so biased toward reporting audible A-B differences, even when a component is compared with itself, that the potential for imagining audible differences during a subjective audition (without positive results from a blind test supporting the conclusion) is HUGE.

Probably 50% or higher, even with A-B volumes carefully matched.

People have many beliefs and fantasies outside of audio that have no supporting facts or data. It seems like human nature to ignore facts and data that contradict existing beliefs, or to attack the character of anyone who presents such contradictions. Except maybe on the planet Vulcan.




Richard BassNut Greene.....................................................................
The "Cliff Claven" of Audio
and the "The Floyd R. Turbo of Bingham Farms Michigan"


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