Counter-Placebo Effect?

[Newman]

To summarize it, even if the road from our ears to our brains was perfect, even if we received all of the information unfiltered, we would still get things wrong because our brains are not designed to arbitrate truth.
Our brains are prediction engines designed to let us act quickly and win arguments. Bias is fundamental to how they work. This understanding better explains how Placebos work making it easier to understand why they are not a separate thing, but a part of cognition as a whole.

Exactly. Thank you for your contributions thus far to this thread.

I have in the past referred to the brain as a Meaning Making Machine, but that may be simply because I like the MMM moniker. Look, I’m biased!

 

[tmuikku]

As long as nothing about the sound is bugging me I prefer to forget about the equipment and enjoy the music. Which is supposed to be the whole point of the exercise. Although I do admit to being slightly curious as to whether I could tell them apart blind I don't consider that it's worth the bother of arranging the test. If the differences had been significant then I probably would.

Yes! problem free system is my target as well, where nothing in the system has enough sound of it's own that it would compete for my attention with the music I want to listen to.

It's fun philosophical stuff, and puts the equipment to side role in a way, not letting them control life / music hobby. I think it's quite easy to get myself into a mood where nothing matters, any system sounds fine and doesn't take attention unless it's painful. On the other hand it's also possible to get into very analytical mood and dig deep into the sound, trying to figure out where the attention is, mostly because it's fun to do it. This would also help improve the system, weed out problems where the attention is likely wandering.

 

[tobyjug]

There's a good book on marketing psychology.Hooked by Patrick Fagen.A lot will sound familiar to Subjective Audiophiles.