Blind test listening results by professional audio engineers in the Los Angeles area

[Erici]

I like that quote in your byline: “Beliefs are hypotheses to be tested, not treasures to be guarded." - Philip Tetlock
I think it's human nature to turn our beliefs into facts (somewhat automatically) and then defend our facts by ignoring any contrary evidence.

 

[restorer-john]

And that's why blind testing gets the bad rep it has. Some clown tricking his friends attempting to be smarter by not introducing a circuit element he said he had introduced. People were trying to hear what wasn't there. What a waste of time. He lied to them and I'll bet nobody will be interested in his 'tests' ever again.

I'd have given the guy a piece of my mind and walked out- got better things to do in life.

 

[BinkieHuckerback]

Please explain this comment.

Levity

 

[MoreWatts]

Levity

How?

 

[Axo1989]

Interesting test results from the Hollywood Sapphire Group of audio engineers. How good are the golden ears?

Audio Listening Test That Fooled the Hollywood Sapphire Group

Some of the most highly trained audiophiles in the industry were asked to do a blind “A-B” listening comparison test of two audio circuits. Were they able to hear a difference, or were they fooled?

www.audioholics.com

Ok, followed the link to a charming (or charmless) narrative-affirming anecdote, illustrated by surprisingly bad cartoons. Filed it with the rest. Interested in the test results though, another link? Or just news at 11. That said, I'll be disappointed if the red LED doesn't correlate with "warmer".

 

[Axo1989]

And that's why blind testing gets the bad rep it has. Some clown tricking his friends attempting to be smarter by not introducing a circuit element he said he had introduced. People were trying to hear what wasn't there. What a waste of time. He lied to them and I'll bet nobody will be interested in his 'tests' ever again.

I'd have given the guy a piece of my mind and walked out- got better things to do in life.

By now, people should see that one coming. I don't really know why people think the story is interesting.

 

[voodooless]

And that's why blind testing gets the bad rep it has. Some clown tricking his friends attempting to be smarter by not introducing a circuit element he said he had introduced.

Finally, for once it’s somebody else doing the tricking. Quite refreshing, especially because he’ll tel you that he did it.

People were trying to hear what wasn't there.

Well, isn’t that what usually happens? What if they tested a $1000 power cord vs a $2 one? Your premise still holds

He lied to them and I'll bet nobody will be interested in his 'tests' ever again.

Like I already said: 95% of people will ignore the results. Not because they were lied to, but because they don’t like the consequences.

 

[BinkieHuckerback]

How?

'Humour, merriment, or a lack of seriousness, especially when inappropriate'. Pour yourself a drink.

 

[MoreWatts]

'Humour, merriment, or a lack of seriousness, especially when inappropriate'. Pour yourself a drink.

None of this explains the purpose of your original comment. Apparently, you have already finished a few drinks. I'm sure I'll be accused of being woke next...

 

[restorer-john]

Like I already said: 95% of people will ignore the results. Not because they were lied to, but because they don’t like the consequences.

Hopefully they call an extraordinary general meeting of their 'exclusive' club and throw out that member for wasting their collective time. All those blokes could have been shooting the sh#t at the bar and drinking, instead of participating in that clown-show of a test.

 

[voodooless]

All those blokes could have been shooting the sh#t at the bar and drinking, instead of participating in that clown-show of a test.

One does need to exclude the other At least it gives them another excuse.

 

[BinkieHuckerback]

None of this explains the purpose of your original comment. Apparently, you have already finished a few drinks. I'm sure I'll be accused of being woke next...

It was a joke. I am happy to be called 'woke'. I don't get why it upset you so much. Los Angeles - one of those places that appears to be full of itself, whether it is or not is not the point, it's a perception. It was my (obviously misguided) attempt at humour.

 

[Bugal1998]

I think the most interesting comments are being ignored here, possibly because they don't fit our narrative.

"a few Sapphire members admitted they couldn’t really hear much or any difference at all."

Apparently not everyone fell to expectation bias, and it may not--in fact--be as universal as we like to believe. Extremely common and a pitfall for the majority, sure, but not universal.

Even before discovering ASR, I was never able to hear the supposed benefits of premium cables, cable risers, power cords, speaker wires, interconnects, DACS, amps, isolators, hi-res audio, etc. This despite condescending salesmen implying I was a substandard audiophile or unworthy of such gear due to my inability to hear the "improvements".

That doesn't mean I would never fall victim to expectation bias, but not everyone falls everytime.

Edit: Forgot the link to an article showing the experts in the room were possibly more likely than the general population to be fooled

Why Being An Expert Is Dangerous And How To Fix It

The more expert we are, the more susceptible we are to blind spots. Learning to challenge our assumptions is a critical skill for career success.

www.forbes.com

 

[olieb]

That doesn't mean I would never fall victim to expectation bias, but not everyone falls everytime.

Sure, but I guess there is one group that will fall victim most of the time: Those who "know" that they are immune.

 

[Bugal1998]

Sure, but I guess there is one group that will fall victim most of the time: Those who "know" that they are immune.

We'll said!

 

[Axo1989]

Finally, for once it’s somebody else doing the tricking. Quite refreshing, especially because he’ll tel you that he did it.

Well, isn’t that what usually happens? What if they tested a $1000 power cord vs a $2 one? Your premise still holds

Like I already said: 95% of people will ignore the results. Not because they were lied to, but because they don’t like the consequences.

I expect I've missed some early/formative audiophile-turned-sceptic experiences that make this one resonate.

 

[Axo1989]

I think the most interesting comments are being ignored here, possibly because they don't fit our narrative.

"a few Sapphire members admitted they couldn’t really hear much or any difference at all." ...

Well, that's why I asked for a link to the test results (which was what the OP promised, but was probably just being sloppy with language).

 

[Bugal1998]

Well, that's why I asked for a link to the test results (which was what the OP promised, but was probably just being sloppy with language).

Yeah, could be a more interesting/informative discussion with some real numbers to contemplate.

 

[Erici]

Well, that's why I asked for a link to the test results (which was what the OP promised, but was probably just being sloppy with language).

Unfortunately that's all the author provided. You're welcome to ask him for more if you'd like.

 

[Axo1989]

Unfortunately that's all the author provided. You're welcome to ask him for more if you'd like.

Yes, I gathered. Not meaning to be super-critical of your OP language, just that I would have called it an article/report/storey rather than test results myself.