2. headphones
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So how much do you think the placebo effect impacts our listening preferences?

My hypothesis is that for ~%97 of us, the more a headphone costs the more we will enjoy the headphone.

My secondary hypothesis is that the more I told consumers a headset cost, the more they would enjoy the phones. i.e. a $30 headphone < $300 headphone < $3,000 headphones <<< $30,000 headphones.

I’m willing to bet that if I put the kph 30i drivers in the focal utopia’s chassis and told participants in this fake study that the phones cost $4k.... Everyone except for the 3%ers would never guess something was up. The remaining 97% would have no clue and report that it was the best set they ever heard.

Then if I gave them the kph30i and explained it was $30. 97% of people would crap on them after hearing the same driver in a different chassis.

My ultimate hypothesis is that build quality and price are the two most important factors in determining if people will enjoy a set of headphones. This how I rationalize the HD8XX getting crap on when only 3 people have heard it and publicly provided their opinion lol. "It’s a cheaper 800s, of course it’s going to sound worse!"

mikedangelo
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,609 posts
 
In my view, emotions are to blame for much - maybe most, maybe all - consumer decision making in ways that are largely subconscious.

The placebo effect is emotion driven.

It is inevitable that decisions get made about the purchase of any and maybe all products that are driven by factors intrinsic to psychological projection of personal needs and desires as opposed to any objective assessment of the characteristics of the product itself. The task of the consumer is to keep that process to a minimum, the task of the advertiser is to inflate the process, and the placebo effect is one of his or her tools.


well said, and spot on imo
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 
...any objective assessment of the characteristics of the product itself.
But here's the problem.  You can have a mental checklist of things you want the component to do, and how well it does each one of them.  But the response to music is at least 50% emotional, which means that a large subjective element is going to come into the evaluation.

The trick is to keep separate the emotions inspired in you by the music played by the component, and other emotions you might have about the company, the advertising, the attitude of the dealer, and a host of other factors.

danvignau's avatar
danvignau
935 posts
 
Anyone who does not believe in the placebo effect is fooling himself.  For me, much of the perceived effects of changes in systems from more expensive equipment can be attributed to this.  

The investigators had 82 men and women rate the pain caused by electric shocks applied to their wrist, before and after taking a pill. Half the participants had read that the pill, described as a newly approved prescription pain reliever, was regularly priced at $2.50 per dose. The other half read that it had been discounted to 10 cents. In fact, both were dummy pills.

Guess what happened. 


mahgister's avatar
mahgister
12,553 posts
 
Good example...

Thanks danvignau...

The placebo effect is constitutive part of any perception at some level, positively and negatively...

But using it to discard audio experience is no more ridiculous than  negating it and pretending to be objective in the absolute meaning of the word...

Placebo effect is too serious matter for audiophile or pseudo "objectivist"  alike...

For the value added by pricing to the S.Q. impression, it is a too common place evidence to be contested...But also depreciating small variation of quality by invoking always placebo effect is of no help here..

Only a personal strings of continuous listening experiments free us of the complete grip of  this necessary constituent part of any perception...

It is only my experience ....
nick1244
3 posts
 
I think its affects a little bit. Bythway, this discussion thread is great.
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