Amir and Blind Testing

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?

The data is the signal. The brain is what does the analysing of this signal, not the feeding.

Some form of blindfolding is necessary by definition, and a near instantaneous switching mechanism needs to be used. In a perfect test environment you wouldn’t be aware of when it has been switched back and forth.

Together with dB level matching - that might sometimes be the tricky bit (that’s an understatement), and the nuances that have been noted may well be because this step isn’t followed correctly.

That’s a good start.

Part of the problem with the blind-test brigade is that I have been in a position to be vulnerable to expectation/confirmation bias many times ((over ~40 years in the game), yet there have been more than a few that failed to produce the "expected" result.

I don’t doubt that such biases are frequently responsible for the positive reactions of audiophiles who are assessing newly acquired gear, and I am certainly not immune. But if it were so simple, and the biases so predictable and strong, then why have I, and countless others, no doubt, been disappointed with components when the opposite would be expected?

On a tangential note, regarding blind testing, I do not believe that listening to short passages is necessarily fair, or best-practice. I have been able to distinguish between components when allowed to listen to full songs with which I am very familiar, but not when confined to snippets. And I know that others have had similar experiences.

But if it were so simple, and the bias so strong, then why have I, and countless others, no doubt, been disappointed with components when the opposite would be expected?

If what has been promoted was marketing and snake oil and the earth didn’t move for you? It is common, yes, if people are honest.

Alternatively, you may have preferences, and the reviewer/influencer or whoever it was that lead you to have this preconceived expectation, had other preferences. And again, that is common.

I’d like to think these observations are reasonably self-evident, but perhaps not.

If what has been promoted was marketing and snake oil and the earth didn’t move for you? It is common, yes, if people are honest.

Alternatively, you may have preferences, and the reviewer or whoever it was that lead you to have this preconceived expectation, had other preferences.   And again, that is common.

Neither of those hypotheticals would explain why a cable might not meet expectations, as, according to many, they shouldn't make any difference at all!

Neither of those hypotheticals would explain why a cable might not meet expectations, as, according to many, they shouldn’t make any difference at all!

My two possibilities are clearly not the only reasons, I just threw in a couple suggestions.

What do you suggest could be a reason that a cable may not meet expectations in the context of this thread?  Is this a common experience?

Incidentally, the level matching thing I wrote about earlier may not be such an issue with cables, although someone with specific experience may correct me.