Do your ears deceive you?


If you think cables, interconnects or other wiring make a difference, yes they do. This is a long article so I won't post it here but will a link describing how blind testing results in correct guessing that is no more accurate than random chance. Enjoy.

 

Blind testing

roadcykler

Showing 3 responses by knotscott

It’s kinda funny....I’ve wanted every single set of cables I’ve ever installed in my system to sound like "The Ones", yet several sets hang on the wall of my basement shop, got passed on my boys, or got resold, because once all the excitement and expectation bias wore off, they just weren’t what I had hoped they’d be.  It can take quite a while to recognize all the subtle things going on.  

It’d sure be cheaper and less frustrating if I couldn’t hear the difference.

 

@ dill ... The only test that matters is the person doing the listening, in their own system with their own music. Theories and opinions by others are irrelevant.

Yep...pretty much sums up most audio discussions. winklaugh

IMHO, it’s important to try things even if you don’t immediately hear a difference.  Every situation is unique.   Many times it’s a small step in the right direction. It can take time to recognize, plus it can clear the path for the next little upgrade....they add up. It’d be a shame for someone to not try any upgrade because you read here that someone else didn’t hear a difference. Keep plugging...your system might improve. Doing nothing assures that it won’t.

 

Cable differences are more subtle than speaker and cartridge difference....usually a lot more subtle. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but they are more difficult to recognize.

One of the issues with blind testing is the duration of the sound sampling....it’s usually only a few minutes per, which seems readily apparent that it isn’t sufficient time to decipher minor differences. If the system doesn’t have very high resolution, and/or is a system you’re not extremely familiar with, that adds another element that makes it more difficult to decipher minor differences. Add the element of pressure to hear a difference, and it’s simply not a good situation to determine subtle sound differences. Just a few of the many reasons I don’t put much credence in blind testing. It’s far better to listen for days and weeks on your own high res system with music and a room you know well.

 

@divertiti - This is priceless!

In other news, blind people are convinced everyone else is just making stuff up and there’s surely no such thing as sight.