FWIW, the AES guidelines for speaker evaluation best practices are that listening should be blind and that trained listeners are preferred. The mark of a trained listener is their reliability, not validity. AES also mentions hearing impairment being a factor, which clearly opens up a whole other can of wormsView attachment 77111View attachment 77112
The contention in this thread is about the validity of trained listeners’ sighted impressions, a point that seems likely to remain debated.
Did you know that reliability is a synonym for validity? It is.
I am well aware of all of this. No one in this thread has discounted blind listening.