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Have You Ever Put Your Golden Ears to the Test??

First let me say that I'm not one of the naysayers that Twl refers to in his thread about "Sonic Relativism", so please no attacks. I have no agenda.

I'm just curious if any of you have (or would be willing to) put your ears to the test in the way of a blind comparison. If so, what were the results? It can be quite rewarding to know that you can discern differences between things such as cables, DACs, etc.

I was at a good friend's house this weekend and we decided to do some blind comparisons of CD vs. SACD. We had three discs of various types of music (Friday Night in San Francisco, Keb' Mo and Harry Connick Jr.). I sat in the sweet spot and my friend switched discs playing one cut from each disc CD/SACD at random.

I could discern the CD from the SACD every time, but I have to say that the differences were more subtle than I expected. Of course, I'm no scientist so my methods may be open for scrutiny. I'm just curious how many of you try similar tests?

I always find it interesting when people say that they "heard" a cd player (or other component) and it was really great or really crappy or not very exciting. This almost always refers to having heard it at a dealer. How do they know they didn't "hear" the other components? What's the point of reference? The only way to really listen to components or accessories is within the confines of a "reference" system. For most of us that simply means our own system. And even then, the only way to confirm that we're hearing what we "think" we're hearing is to do some sort of blind test.

So...How many of you have put your ears to the test? If you haven't...Would you? If not...Why not?
danheather
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
For me, listening hard to tell differences creates its own problems. My tinnitus starts raging, and I find that the harder I listen, the less my ears can discern. Over a long term, I can (I think) tell the difference between component A and component B. And, of course, sometimes the differences are dramatic enough to be immediately discernable. But the better the system gets, the more subtle are the improvements. And really appreciating them takes time, for me at least.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I agree with Newbee about having a familiar reference. If you do a test at a friend's house or a dealer, you are only hearing how a component reacts in that environment and with those components. Since you are not familiar with that environment, what you hear could mean anything. For example: if the unfamiliar room has a very lively boomy quality, you may select a lean cable or component that won't work in a more typical environment, etc.

I am always looking for a lower cost item that performs like the big buck items, so I am not prejudiced towards the expensive item.

It goes right back to there is no right or wrong conclusion. Every system is different. Not to mention how good or different everyone's given hearing ability is. My ultimate reference is the concert hall.

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
As far as wine, I still chuckle about the first time the California wines won a big international competition (blind tasting). All the French judges tried to go back and change their votes! (Hmmm....just like figure skating!!)
inpepinnovations1e75
395 posts
 
Neebee, I don't need a scientific basis to tell me that there is no difference in sound with the same wire, yet people thinking that a switch had occurred continued to hear a difference! If only a switchless change test could be devised (3x blind?)!
It is interesting that people who claim that science can't explain everything, turn to "science" to explain the differences in sound in cables and other devices.

Salut
newbee
4,756 posts
 
inpepinnovations, i agree that people do tend to look to science for answers to questions they cannot understand, (or a god for that matter). i also agree that some people will hear a difference where no difference exists, i.e. your same wire example. the same can be said for a lot of folks who may think of themselves as objectivists, that is "all cables, amps, whatever, sound the same", and all they have as their basis for this is their experience. they simply have not been able to hear a difference therefor their ego demands them to believe that no difference can exist. since the majority of all audio components are made differently why would anyone want to argue that they must sound the same? yet they do, all the time. then they want to do a double blind test to prove their theory but they end up basing the results on things different than the absolute information provided, that is for example my state of mind at the test, my ability to focus, my familarity with the components themselves, ad infinitum. audio reproduction and hearing are both extremely complex issues that i think are not likely to be resolved by any pratical blind test that i have heard of yet. just my 2 cents worth, but for me it really doesn't matter much what other people can't hear, it only matters what we can hear - and in that context why would anyone with any social grace want to destroy someone else's fantasies about the existence of differences in the sound of components, or god for that matter.
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