To Blind Test, or Not To Blind Test, That Is The Question


 

Circa 1988 I held an issue of Sterophile in my extra-large mittens for the first time.  I have subscribed from that day till nowIn the beginning I was particularly impressed with the thoughts and words of one J. Gordon Holt (1930- 2009).  If I recall correctly J. Gordon was positively death on the idea of blind testing.  Many of J. Gordon’s thought soon became mine also.  But now after considering the ideas of Amir, via his website and U Tube channel, both called Audio Science Review, I have reconsidered my position.  Amir’s logic seems irrefutable.

 

Fred has a significant Hifi.  While in Ace Hardware he spots a power cable that seems identical to the one that is attached to his Mark Levinson amp.  Fred reasons that that power cord is limiting his whole system.  He unleashes a well-planned research effort and fixates on a cable that sells for 900 sovereigns.  A local brick and mortar guy offers him a 2 week return policy, and “poof” it’s home and hocked up.  Fred lets the cable “cook” for 48 hours and then begins “the test.”  He warms up everything, and them dawns a sleep mask.  A loved one, or friend plays a piece of music, of Fred’s choosing, 10 times randomly switching the cables such that each cable is played a total of 5 times.  After each playing the assistant takes note of which cable was used and what Fred’s reaction was.  If Fred discerns correctly 8 or 9 times and clearly prefers the new cable, it is established that the new cable has proven itself and is well worth the price.  But if Fred is able to discern the difference between the cables correctly only 5 times, that is meaningless, because he could have done that by guessing.  If Fred wants to increase his confidence in his decision, he could repeat the process, with a different piece of music in few days later.

 

So, using your ears, in your listing space, with your system, and playing your music, you are unable to document an improvement in perceived sound quality, created by a new gizmo, why would you want it?

 

That’s what I think, what do you think?

 

alwynlarryv

Showing 2 responses by mceljo

I've not done much with blind testing partly because my interest (including time or budget) isn't at a level where I feel the need to seek upgrades that are not easily discernible.

I did a lot of A/B testing (not blind) with a set of Nordost Sort Kones under my SACD player in years past and thought that there may be some improvement, but never to a point that I considered that I've know if they were in or out in any type of blind test.  My system is more resolving now, but none of my equipment or current cabinet was a good fit for the Sort Kones, so I finally sold them.

I've dabbled with some affordable cable upgrades (most expensive was about $250ish) and felt that the improvement was immediate and obvious when I heard a difference.  I heard a clear improvement with two interconnect upgrades, but can really only say that there was an improvement from power cords on one of three components.  I consider that the upgraded power cords should be better than what they replaced even though I didn't hear a difference, so I kept them on the outside chance that they might benefit from burn-in.

I've found that differences are often small when compared A/B, but with some extended listening there's a different level of enjoyment.  My first "hifi" gear was an Integra receiver that I still have, so can compare to my current Pathos amplifier.  In an A/B there's a clear difference, but the receiver does not sound bad to my ears, but if I use it for background listening can start to grate on my nerves over time.

 

@jasonbourne52 - There's not much point in using your system (no matter how good it is) for an A/B since you believe that it won't make a difference.  It would make more sense for an A/B to be done on a system where the owner believes that there's a clear difference.  This would give you an opportunity to hear (or not to hear) the difference.

You're very adamant that cables can't make a difference, I'm genuinely curious what systems you've done some comparisons on to form that opinion.