HydrogenAudio

Hydrogenaudio Forum => Listening Tests => Topic started by: ajinfla on 2016-07-14 13:44:11

Title: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: ajinfla on 2016-07-14 13:44:11
Stumbled across this gem looking for something else:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-sp9-preamplifier-blind-listening-1187#pQQu2DPQoF1d4P9k.97 (http://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-sp9-preamplifier-blind-listening-1187#pQQu2DPQoF1d4P9k.97)
Enjoy!  ;)
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: KozmoNaut on 2016-07-14 14:13:03
My eyes are rolling so hard, it's actually causing me physical pain.
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: Arnold B. Krueger on 2016-07-14 14:41:39
My eyes are rolling so hard, it's actually causing me physical pain.

On an undeservedly serious note, any time you someone does a listening test and the results are clearly unreasonable, such as here: someone consistently guessed wrong, the scientific thing to do is find the reason why which has to be some error in test setup and design that was surely made,  correct it, and rerun the tests.  Repeat as necessary.
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: KozmoNaut on 2016-07-14 16:05:48
On an undeservedly serious note, any time you someone does a listening test and the results are clearly unreasonable, such as here: someone consistently guessed wrong, the scientific thing to do is find the reason why which has to be some error in test setup and design that was surely made,  correct it, and rerun the tests.  Repeat as necessary.

Or just start by running more iterations of the test. It's certainly very possible to guess 0% or 100% correct, especially if you only run 4 iterations with only 2 participants, even if the basic test methodology is perfectly sound.
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: StephenPG on 2016-07-14 16:50:43
It's stereophile, what did you expect?  :-)
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: includemeout on 2016-07-15 04:53:30
Quote
proving anything at all from blind testing is extremely hard—which is why Stereophile does not test equipment in this manner.
You don't say!  :D  :D
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: krabapple on 2016-07-15 17:40:21
HEARING the hi rez difference is easy (if you have the right ears, the right gear, the right recordings...Stereophile will show you how to get them)

PROVING it is really hard though.

See how it works?  

Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: ajinfla on 2016-07-15 22:46:51
See how it works? 
Yes. You just have to see for yourself. Sometimes, "long term", so you get a very clear picture of what you are "listening" to.

cheers,

AJ
Title: Re: Funny blind listening test and very good reason to avoid them
Post by: Arnold B. Krueger on 2016-07-18 13:46:26

(http://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-sp9-preamplifier-blind-listening-1187#jZMxRvbyHVdGiTrh.97)

Quote
proving anything at all from blind testing is extremely hard—which is why Stereophile does not test equipment in this manner.
You don't say!  :D  :D

It is a false claim. Proving the existence of audible different with blind tests is very easy if the differences are actually audible in accordance with scientific data about the thresholds of hearing. 

Now doing the equivalent of hearing unicorns whinny with blind tests has been proven to be very difficult, but you don't need a blind test to determine that finding unicorns is very difficult.