Amir and Blind Testing


Let me start by saying I like watching Amir from ASR, so please let’s not get harsh or the thread will be deleted. Many times, Amir has noted that when we’re inserting a new component in our system, our brains go into (to paraphrase) “analytical mode” and we start hearing imaginary improvements. He has reiterated this many times, saying that when he switched to an expensive cable he heard improvements, but when he switched back to the cheap one, he also heard improvements because the brain switches from “music enjoyment mode” to “analytical mode.” Following this logic, which I agree with, wouldn’t blind testing, or any A/B testing be compromised because our brains are always in analytical mode and therefore feeding us inaccurate data? Seems to me you need to relax for a few hours at least and listen to a variety of music before your brain can accurately assess whether something is an actual improvement.  Perhaps A/B testing is a strawman argument, because the human brain is not a spectrum analyzer.  We are too affected by our biases to come up with any valid data.  Maybe. 

chayro

Amir does us all a great service with his site and all the testing. I rarely find fault with any of his useful illustrations. Go Amir!

The problem with Amir is what comes after the measurements. I want to know what he found but when he begins the inevitable explanation of how anything beyond 20-20K and below -60dB can't possibly be heard--I start wetting my pants.

I know that's MY problem but it's a cause/effect that limits watching him.

Why do you start wetting your pants? There are some people, mostly young girls, who hear >20khz but I doubt anyone on this forum can. 

Regarding the PS "review." Science is based on replication and peer review.  If the  output used didn't measure correctly, why wouldn't a site with "science" in their name not test another outlet to verify results?  It's lazy.  Or reach out to the company and ask them about the different outlets.  I don't use Powerplants, so I can't comment on whether the manual is lacking information or not. Maybe the support forums clarify best use practices?  These are sophisticated products, and not necessarily plug and play.  

I reached out to the designer of my power conditioner to inquire about a few things, and I'm end end user, not a "reviewer."  

If someone wants to be seen as a legit source of unbiased information, they need to do the work to gain that level of respect, and a fake science site that (I believe) is also an audio dealer, is not that.

A perceived acoustic QUALITY is not REDUCIBLE to ONLY a specific range of frequency perception...There is more than that to explain this quality...

Timbre is not even describable in only a spectral envelope ...There is 5 factors in the most elementary description of timbre...

Imaging, soundstage, listener envelopment has nothing to do with BAT ears superhuman abilities , it is possible to perceive them for any average human healthy ears of any age who learn how to listen and how to implement the acoustic conditions for their perception...

It sems some "measuring tools fetichist" dont know even basic psycho-acoustic...

Then if someone perceive something not reducible to a measured quantity they speak about "bat super human " ability to mock the perceived change in the perception of an instrument timbre for example...

take a simple experiment: put a big chunk of quartz on your amplifier and after that put a big chunk of shungite.... And take a blind test to assess the change in S.Q. .... It will be easy to pass it... Try it at home...It is only a test to demonstrate an acoustical effect that the ears measure more easily than any other tool....It is a test more easy to do than a scientific blind test.... Science progress dont wait for blindtest...The industry need blind test not science...Audio can use blindtest for sure and already use them with succees but reducing all perception real experience to be real only after a public blind test is ridiculous...

Objectivist Tool fetichist or subjectivist gear fetichist ignore acoustic and psycho-acoustic complex relation ...And ignore some simple experiments save blind test they want others to pass...

Tone is not timbre....

Frequency is not timbre...

And decibel scale dont say all there is to say about hearing ability and timbre....

Human ears can sense the qualities linked to a resonant sound source, and we listen to capture these qualities ... We can "measure" if a fruit is ripe or not by tapping on it.... Blind people SEE with sound... And their ear are average like mine is....

The fashion up to date now is "blinders" of their own making it seems among tool fetichist and gear fetichist....They argue about their blinders ....

I feel alone without blinders or at least without the same blinders.... 😁😊

 

emailists,

 

It appears you have not gone through that second review.

Amirm DID originally do tests on the other Zone A outputs, but only used the last outputs for the amp on the very rational inference that since they were labelled "high current" those would be best for powerful amplifiers.   The owners manual tells the user the voltage output is the SAME ACROSS ALL ZONES so there is nothing to suggest any problem with using the zone D outputs.

It's entirely PS Audio's fault for this lack of information for the user.

Paul McGowan didn't help with information by claiming the D zone didn't regenerate power, so Amirm shouldn't have used it.  Amirm's own measurements showed Paul was wrong, that it DID regenerate power.  Paul later admitted to the mistake.

So the source of accurate information here has been Amirm's measurements, not the user manual nor the company spokesperson!

No user, or prospective customer, would likely know any of this without Amirm having measured the unit. 

Further, as I understand it, PS Audio never reached out to Amirm to try to "correct" anything in the review.  Rather, Amirm was alerted to some dialogue in the PS Audio forum criticizing his review.  So he took it upon himself to take another look addressing the criticisms and the additional claims made by McGowan in the thread.   THAT is actually being a conscientious reviewer!   But of course you apparently don't want to give him any credit possible.

Plus Amirm showed that even the other zones regenerating power did nothing to help with amplifier power/dynamics or anything that would support the company's claims for how it will elevate the sound quality of your system.