Propeller Head Plaza

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

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I can't help but wonder....

Posted by Monstrous Mike on April 21, 2003 at 19:46:57:
Of course, much of what you say makes perfect logical as well as scientific sense.
A trained listener should be able to detect more subtle differences than the casual listener. And other control methods you mention will surely improve the accuracy of DBTs.
But the part I really wonder about is this. We have anecdotal reports on a regular basis of audiophiles bringing home this cable or that and reporting a significant and instant improvement in sound. These are casual listeners performing very unscientific sighted testing reporting very noticable differences. Sometimes, they even report a spouse or friend who walks into the room and asks what is new because the sound is better.
Given your view on how DBTs could be better conducted, I would think that a sonic cable difference such as I have described above would be readily noticed in even a fairly casual DBT conducted by average audiophiles who have a good attention span and an ear for detail.
It seems to me that DBT testing has been squeezed down to a point where it may even be impossible to conduct one resulting in a signifcant outcome while Internet reports of casual home sighted auditions are not even given a second thought.
Actually, sometimes they are given a second thought and this usually results in some sort of vitriol.
It seems to me the mantra "trust your ears" doesn't apply to DBTs like it does to home listening.