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Blind Listening Tests?

I would like help locating any articles or studies on the subject of blind listening tests as it relates to high end audio equipment. I realize this is akin to blasphemy for many who are into this hobby, however, the more times I read of people claiming to hear audible differences between certain components and system set-ups, the more skeptical I become.(e.g. equipment racks ,interconnects,etc.)The fact that virtually every major audio publication is so adamently against the idea only adds to my skepticism.

Before I invoke the wrath of this site's faithful, let me clarify that I am not doubting the sincerity of those who claim to hear sonic differences between certain components. However, believing that an audible difference exists when one knows that he is listening to a piece of equipment that is generally well regarded or made by a well respected manufacturer is entirely different from being able to detect the difference in a blind listening scenario. Given the undisputed connection between the mind and our perceptions, why is there so much sentiment against such tests? Couldn't the results of such testing be simply another piece of information that we could factor in to our purchasing decisions. It seems to me that those who are so sure of ther critical listening ability (i.e. all stereophile reviewers) should not hesitate to prove their skills.

I look forward to any help in directing me to more information on the subject.Thanks, Don.
dtittle
479058's avatar
479058
105 posts
 
Detlof: Dont' know about studies of the hearing-impaired. I can think of a number of plausible explanations, but I'd be speculating (as opposed to listening) blindly. For example, could they not hear those frequencies at all, or was it just at a lower level? (In other words, how steep was their low-pass filter?!) Could be they heard enough to detect something, but that's just a wild guess.

As for your mathematical model, it would run counter to experimental evidence. I know of one test of cables where listeners could distinguish between two cables using pink noise, but not using a piece of choral music. That probably won't surprise too many audiophiles.
garfish
1,840 posts
 
JD; incredible post. Nice beat, easy to dance to, I'd give it a 9.9 and I voted accordingly-- heh heh heh. :>) Your post makes much more sense to me than not having enough confidence to trust in your own senses. Is it psychological? You bet. Are you funny? You bet. Is humor psychological? You bet. Can humor be measured? Only psychologically. Maybe you could re-capture some of your rats and test this. Cheers. Craig
garfish
1,840 posts
 
JD........one more thought-- Maybe you could enlist the help of the "three blind mice"......put it all to music, and you could have a classic blind test of whatever you want.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Oops, just got my self I nice set of minus points. 4in all.
JD you were right, if you try to be funny on Audiogon, you get into trouble. You live and learn. What I dislike is the anonimiy in it all. They can crawl out of the woodwork and then snuggle back in. Aw well. There is freedom of speach ain't it and even the greatest knucklehead is entitled to his opinion. So I will not retaliate in kind. On the contrary, I aplogise if I hurt anybody's feelings or sense of propriety , but then she/he should speak up.
Jostler, thanks for your reply. I think the people tested were really deaf at these frequences. That had been established beforehand. Did not know about the pink noise experiment. Intuitively it makes sense at first sight, but would you not think, that more complex things like soundstage spread in all its possible dimensions would need more complex information than pink noise, which by the way is not without complexity in itself. ? (Still think this is a great thread, even if the minuses should keep on coming!)
479058's avatar
479058
105 posts
 
Detlof: Absolutely, for something like soundstage/imaging you need a complex stereo signal. (What would stereo pink noise soound like??) But I'm from the school that says soundstage is primarily a function of the source material and speaker/room interaction. The sorts of things you would do blind tests on aren't much of a factor (unless there's a channel imbalance somewhere). When people claim that a cable gives them a wider soundstage, I get skeptical.
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