The Ultimate Blind Speaker Test: €250 vs €20,000 — What Would Really Happen?

[HelloHell]

I had a dream — a strange one perhaps — but considering this is my hobby, it’s something I would genuinely love to make happen.

My dream would be to have enough money to “waste” on an experiment. That experiment would consist of inviting all the well-known reviewers in this field — from those who judge purely by ear to those who rely heavily on technical and scientific measurements of speakers.

The test would be blind. It would include speakers ranging from €250 all the way up to €20,000. Each speaker would be paired with the best amplifier suited to its specific characteristics. The cables would always be the same for every setup. The music used would be the kind of music people actually listen to every day — not special “audiophile test tracks.”

The entire experiment would be streamed live on YouTube.

This would pull so many rabbits out of the hat and end — or perhaps start — so many discussions.

 

[Everett T]

The amp would have to be same and level matched. Also, you couldn't put a 2 way against a 3 or 4 way speaker. These have been done before on different levels at GTGs over the years.

 

[eddantes]

It doesn't matter if you can tell... For "normal people" - once you realize how minute the differences are, then diminishing returns will point you to the right decision.

 

[Defi]

What characteristics do you think an amp should be providing? I don't know how people can be on this site for so many years and still have this mindset.

 

[mhardy6647]

What characteristics do you think an amp should be providing? I don't know how people can be on this site for so many years and still have this mindset.

Flat response, low distortion, and an agnostic attitude towards load impedance curves.
Low noise is probably a good idea too, in case one of the two loudspeakers to be compared is much more sensitive than the other.

EDIT: Immediately after posting this, I realized that most if not all amplifier operational classes are, in fact, biased: class A, B, AB, G, H, etc.
I don't know about class D (PWM) amplifiers, though, I must admit (with chagrin).

 

[EDMoser]

I always thought a blind listening test in a totally/near dark room would be interesting. Listeners could choose any five songs to test said system but would know absolutely nothing about the equipment being used. They would be asked to give their impressions of the sound and take a guess at the system cost. The equipment could vary from extremely high priced to very budget components with DSP correction applied.

Maybe this has already been done but I have not run across any such tests in my reading over the years.

 

[mhardy6647]

^^^ not a YT link, just a screen capture and not entirely relevant image from AR's demo room at Grand Central Station in NYC.
source: https://community.classicspeakerpag...stration-room-in-grand-central-station-photo/

Of possible interest (?) in the context of this topic: an intriguing and at least once-famous demo (series of demos?) conducted by Acoustic Research:
On the other hand, I guess they weren't blind at all.

image from

Live-vs.-Recorded Demonstrations

Live-vs.-Recorded Demonstrations

www.audiocircle.com

EDIT: and... umm...

Why Live-versus-Recorded Listening Tests Don't Work

Figure 1: Singer Frieda Hempel conducting a Tone Test at Edison Studios, NYC in 1918. Note that many of the listeners' ears are covered by t...

seanolive.blogspot.com

 

[TurtlePaul]

I always thought a blind listening test in a totally/near dark room would be interesting. Listeners could choose any five songs to test said system but would know absolutely nothing about the equipment being used. They would be asked to give their impressions of the sound and take a guess at the system cost. The equipment could vary from extremely high priced to very budget components with DSP correction applied.

Maybe this has already been done but I have not run across any such tests in my reading over the years.

The (legendary) Floyd Toole NRC and Harman tests use an acoustically transparent screen between listener and the device under test.

 

[Karmacoma]

I'm not really aware of Floyd Toole's experience conditions. How did he deal with the différence of localisation of the speakers on his tests, since they must have had a different distance between themselves and also from the boundaries of the room?

 

[TurtlePaul]

I'm not really aware of Floyd Toole's experience conditions. How did he deal with the différence of localisation of the speakers on his tests, since they must have had a different distance between themselves and also from the boundaries of the room?

A mechanical speaker switcher. At NRC it was a rotating design with three speakers. At Harman they have a sliding design with more speakers.

 

[Svend P]

A mechanical speaker switcher. At NRC it was a rotating design with three speakers. At Harman they have a sliding design with more speakers.

Like this

Blind Listening Test 2: Neumann KH 80 vs JBL 305p MkII vs Edifier R1280T vs RCF Arya Pro5

Shortly after completing the first blind listening test, @Inverse_Laplace and I started thinking about all the ways we’d like to improve the rigor and explore other questions. Written summary follows, but here is a video if you prefer that medium: Speakers (calculated preference score in...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The (legendary) Floyd Toole NRC and Harman tests use an acoustically transparent screen between listener and the device under test.

How did he deal with the différence of localisation of the speakers on his tests, since they must have had a different distance between themselves and also from the boundaries of the room?

A mechanical speaker switcher. At NRC it was a rotating design with three speakers. At Harman they have a sliding design with more speakers.

Yes. I have been there twice and those visits were enlightening an a bit stressful. They should sell tickets for it so that every interested listener can experience the attempt to make critical evaluations under controlled, blind conditions.