Amir and Blind Testing

@chayro , Those two issues, enjoying the music and analyzing what you are hearing are separate issues. I do not know about others but when I am analyzing what I am hearing I am not thinking about the music at all, my foot is not tapping. 

Unless I hear something I do not like when I am enjoying the music I am not in analysis mode. If I am trying to decide what I like better, say which copy of a specific album, I have usually gone about synchronizing the two and am switching back and forth listening to different aspects of the recordings. For personal reasons the most important factor is just being honest with yourself and expelling any bias that might enter the equation. 

It is hard to find someone who does not enjoy music but, fortunately for the world audiophiles are a much rarer breed. You can do both.

@cleeds , Hi cleeds. Nice to hear from you again.

When it comes to hearing memory your perceptions are every bit as faulty as mine. 

There is a large industry dedicated to the manufacture of excellent audio gear. Then there is an industry based on deception and pseudo science bent on using our weaknesses to make a profit. I suppose you find that ethical? 

As I said before, it is not my money and aside from speaking out on what should be obvious to everyone I really do not care. 

I have assembled what most people would consider to be an excellent system. I do not have any aftermarket power cords or fancy interconnects. I have not one piece of power management or purification gear. It is certainly not because I can't afford it. I just ordered a Lyra Atlas Lambda SL. Does the performance of my system suffer? I do not know, maybe? I prefer to spend my money of gear that is more likely to make an improvement based on my own understanding of the science involved. Everyone else is entitled to make their own choices. Using your hearing as the only gauge to make these choices is IMHO a mistake. 

@chayro , not at all because in AB testing you are comparing two subjects with the same frame of mind so whatever your frame of mind is cancelled out as long as no biases creep in which is the tough part and why double blinding the comparison is the best way to avoid bias. None of this is that serious. It is not like we are evaluating medical treatments. I do AB comparisons for myself and my own education and could give a squat over what other people think. 

The problem for many people is they trust their own perception. This just does not work well for hearing. The result of all this is an entire industry based on deception. As long as it is not my money why should I care?