Jürgen Ackermann's tube vs solid state thesis - anyone read it?

[whazzup]

This was apparently used to promote iFi audio's iTube (not anymore):

The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts conducted an extensive scientific study(1) where participants reported a ~60% decrease of tension, nervousness and a 120% increased sense of well-being with a HiFi system including tubes, when compared to a solid-state system.

(1) Jürgen Ackermann - PhD Thesis at the Frankfurt Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (Music and Performing Arts University)

It was referenced in Stereophile and a couple other places:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/god-nuances-page-4
https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iTubeTechpaper1_Tubes.pdf


I couldn't find the research, has anyone actually read it?

 

[BDWoody]

This was apparently used to promote iFi audio's iTube (not anymore):


It was referenced in Stereophile and a couple other places:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/god-nuances-page-4
https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iTubeTechpaper1_Tubes.pdf


I couldn't find the research, has anyone actually read it?

I could only find this in a quick search, which describes in some detail how this was done...

Gotta get through the first few pages before he gets to this study...

https://www.stereophile.com/content/god-nuances-page-3

 

[Xulonn]

I skimmed the Stereophile article, and it doesn't mention anything about any measurement of the frequency response or dynamic range at the listening position. I also did not see a description of the tube amp in the article, the author of the study was said to prefer home-brew DIY flea-powered 2A3 SET amps driving K-Horns he had modified, a system that some may like, but very unlikely to be an "accurate" system.

Even though this was part of a Ph.D. thesis 20 years ago, and supposedly science-based, unless there are precise and accurate measurements of the sound (physics), the only psychology-based conclusion that could be made with any sense of scientific accuracy is that a "particular" tube amplifier in a stereo sound system elicited a different response than a "particular" SS amplifier. I saw no basis for justifying a conclusion that "tube amplifiers [in general] elicit different responses than solid state amplifiers."

I suspect that using a tube amp that was engineered to be "accurate" would not produce the same results. It appears to be a limited comparison with limited value.

Also, although I have not seen scientific evidence to support such a conclusion, I have read that some "poweful" SS amps do not sound as good as SET amps driving 100dB+ sensitive speakers like the KHorns at the fractional-wattage levels that might be used in such tests.

The project has too many variables that are not documented for me to draw any general conclusions.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Well let us start with how was the FR with tube vs SS at the speakers.

Secondly this was not tube vs SS, it was LP/tube vs CD/SS. Were the CD's commercial CD's? One obvious possibility is CD's being much more compressed with a higher average loudness.

 

[Xulonn]

Well let us start with how was the FR with tube vs SS at the speakers.

Secondly this was not tube vs SS, it was LP/tube vs CD/SS. Were the CD's commercial CD's? One obvious possibility is CD's being much more compressed with a higher average loudness.

Thanks Blumlein. Missed that - skimming can lead to embarassing errors...

 

[Blumlein 88]

Thanks Blumlein. Missed that - skimming can lead to embarassing errors...

I was skimming too. The stereophile article is so full of BS I couldn't stomach reading it all.

 

[whazzup]

Heh, just amusing to see this elusive cited research that cannot be found anywhere and no one seems to have read it before.

 

[Ear-Wax]

"The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts conducted an extensive scientific study(1) where participants reported a ~60% decrease of tension, nervousness and a 120% increased sense of well-being with a HiFi system including tubes, when compared to a solid-state system."

I came to the same conclusion very recently...

 

[Freeway]

Whether tube, SS, CD, LP . . .

 

[Frgirard]

"The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts conducted an extensive scientific study(1) where participants reported a ~60% decrease of tension, nervousness and a 120% increased sense of well-being with a HiFi system including tubes, when compared to a solid-state system."

I came to the same conclusion very recently...

"The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts conducted an extensive scientific study"

who has invented the word scientific ? in audio is like the salt in the junk food.

 

[Wes]

Did you read the Methods section to evaluate whether the study was scientific or not?

 

[LTig]

I tried the online search of both the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and the German National Library (DNB). The DNB should contain all German PHD thesis - in fact as far as I know anyone who publishes anything in paper must supply one exemplar to the DNB. However I could not find any PHD thesis paper by Jürgen Ackermann or any paper by one Jürgen Ackermann related to psychologie (there are other people sporting the same name actve in other fields). As a cross check I searched for papers by someone I know and found them, going back to 1978, including his PHD thesis from 1988 taken at the Karlsruhe University. I'm getting a little suspicous ...

EDIT: Reading this on page 4 of the Stereophile article:

Giving the complete results of Jürgen Ackermann's experiment would be way beyond the scope of an article such as this one; besides, Ackermann has not yet completed his statistical analysis. But there are already some results that seem interesting enough to warrant a preliminary report.​

Maybe the PHD thesis was rejected? Searching for jürgen ackermann psychologe shows that he still lives at the same address as shown in the Stereophile article, and he is listed as Dipl.Psych, not as Dr. Dipl. Psych which I would expect for someone with a PHD.

 

[whazzup]

Had forgotten that I shared this. No idea the validity of this paper, hoping someone better equipped can weigh in.

 

[Frgirard]

Did you read the Methods section to evaluate whether the study was scientific or not?

ABX

https://www.monoandstereo.com/2013/12/itube-tech-notes-part-1-magic-of-tubes.html

Results of the University of Frankfurt StudyIn summary:
The Tube system improved the participants’emotional status (i. e. enjoyment of themusic) by a whopping 187% over the Solid‐State system.
The Tube system improved the participants’ mental status (i.e. less tense, more relaxed) by 102% over the Solid‐State system.
Strikingly, 30% of participants felt worse after listening to the Solid‐State system, yet not one felt worse after listening to the Tube system!

when i read the text below i laught. I have the same result with my bluetooth speaker.

I'm "amazed" that an audiophile quack sell euphoric boxes :

iFi Audio iTUBE Musical Enhancer Tube Preamp
https://www.amazon.fr/iFi-Audio-iTUBE-Exhausteur-musicalité/dp/B00EPX0V66

 

[Katji]

It's rubbish and an example of pseudo-science.

Psychological terms, emotional responses not defined. "Particpants reported..."
Plus testing and measurement of neurology stuff has advanced significantly.
Controls regarding neurological state - like use of psychotropic medications.

PhD Thesis at the Frankfurt Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (Music and Performing Arts University)

I[...]
Maybe the PHD thesis was rejected? Searching for jürgen ackermann psychologe shows that he still lives at the same address as shown in the Stereophile article, and he is listed as Dipl.Psych, not as Dr. Dipl. Psych which I would expect for someone with a PHD.

I would hope that the Faculty of Music would refer the thesis to qualified psychology professor.