What's your view on blind testing?


Double blind testing (DBT) has been a hot topic among engineers and audiophiles for God knows how long. The 'scientific' group believes that a properly conducted blind test will reveal negligible differences amongst audio components (amps, cables, dacs, etc.) while the other group believes that there are noticeable audible differences across manufacturer's in various price points. I know there are quite a few EEs on the board here and I'd like to get your perspective. Thanks for any insight.
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Showing 1 response by djcxxx

Double blind testing is a complex process because neither the test subjects nor the testers are privy to the identity of the materials being tested. The goal is to eliminate bias on both sides of the experiment. Even if long term audio DBT could be done with sufficient statistical power (lots of subjects, lots of trial sessions, lots of recorded material, ideally only one type of test component), self reporting questionnaires are notoriously unreliable. DBT methodology is sound when it can be reliably applied, but I seriously doubt that's the case with reviewing and rating audio equipment.