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I don't any concrete evidence of proper volume matching in this blind ab test at all lol
BTW, Jay is providing them with extreme bias by telling the listeners that "we're keeping the same cable on the next track". Absolutely no proper controls at all
Actually, you shouldn't have to level-match cables. If there is a level difference (maybe a long-thin cable, or something) that's a valid-true difference between cables.
Actually, you shouldn't have to level-match cables. If there is a level difference (maybe a long-thin cable, or something) that's a valid-true difference between cables.
Yes. The cables have different gauges hence a very slight shift in volume difference (home depot speaker cable which were perceived as brighter vs Gryphon speaker cable which were perceived as warmer on the video)
yes, the fact that it says "I'll change the cables" already puts you on the "I have to find some differences by force" game...
anyway, what I find interesting, aside from the methods, is that many are starting to do blind AB tests more or less according to protocol, but still better than the good old tests that were more visual than sound...
So the way it was done they had effectively 4 trials and were wrong 4 times. 4 for 4, but the statistical power of 4 trials is not much. I skipped around, but it still was a waste of time.
anyway, what I find interesting, aside from the methods, is that many are starting to do blind AB tests more or less according to protocol, but still better than the good old tests that were more visual than sound...
If the cables have significant end-to-end resistance differences, some skilled listeners may hear small differences in some multi-driver loudspeakers.
(level matched)
If the cables have significant end-to-end resistance differences, some skilled listeners may hear small differences in some multi-driver loudspeakers.
(level matched)
I didn't watch the video, though have done similar things in the past, and differences were audible in DBTs. Mainly volume though frequency response also varied a little. The differences were found comparing very thick cables (Fulton Gold) to modest (16 AWG) zip cable driving some speakers with significant impedance variation (B&W 801 and Quads, both early models ca. 1980 or so). Just doubling up (paralleling) the zip cord reduced the differences to almost nil. I really doubt adequate gauge cables costing $50 or $100k would sound differently but I have never had a pair of $100k cables to try (and am very unlikely to in the future).
At 11:55, one of the listeners specifically queries Jay whether the volume remains the same as cables are swapped, and is told "Yes", so kudos to the listener for recognizing this important factor, because even a minor volume mismatch will tend to favor whatever's louder.
But there's a considerable delay in switching cables, there's no obvious way for the listener to switch at will as the music is playing, nor is there a possibility of randomized not-switching.
It must be stressful and I pay tribute to the organizers of the test for ensuring that the subjects are comfortable and stay hydrated in what must be a grueling test of concentration and duration.
No "night and day" comparison results. I was hoping for the wives or partners of the two subjects to walk in and remark on how much better one wire sounded better than the other one, but alas...
At 11:55, one of the listeners specifically queries Jay whether the volume remains the same as cables are swapped, and is told "Yes", so kudos to the listener for recognizing this important factor, because even a minor volume mismatch will tend to favor whatever's louder.
But there's a considerable delay in switching cables, there's no obvious way for the listener to switch at will as the music is playing, nor is there a possibility of randomized not-switching.
Being told yes without any evidence from an analyzer (from power amp to an analyzer) is not trustworthy. The reason they can tell the difference between the two cables (of different gauges) is definitely due to imprecise volume matching
As predicted, I'm torn between "idiot doesn't know how to do a BT" vs "charlatan pretends like he's doing a BT knowing he's not really doing a proper BT".
For those who didn't bother to watch the clip, they basically knew which cable (A or B) they were listening to, and were just trying to guess which is which, which they got wrong in the end; they believed the cheap cable was the expensive cable lol
Anyway, the most important result should have been whether or not they could hear any differences, which wasn't properly tested in this idiotBT test, and they thought the cheap cable was the expensive cable, which I guess highlights the fact that you must be a fucking moron to pay thousands of dollars for speaker cables.
Yes. The cables have different gauges hence a very slight shift in volume difference (home depot speaker cable which were perceived as brighter vs Gryphon speaker cable which were perceived as warmer on the video)
Being told yes without any evidence from an analyzer (from power amp to an analyzer) is not trustworthy. The reason they can tell the difference between the two cables (of different gauges) is definitely due to imprecise volume matching
And you know this how? The point of the BT is that they shouldn't know which cable they're listening to, but if they're told that they're listening to either cable A or cable B, then all those alleged difference they're claiming to hear could very well be imaginary.
The volume matching is an interesting theory, but it could have been insignificant too. But the fact that they got it wrong; thought that the bigger cable and expensive cable was the cheap one, would point towards the direction that there wasn't a significant volume difference, as people tend to correlate louder with higher quality.
IMHO, odds are that both cables sounded the same, and wouldn't have been differentiable in a proper BT. But I guess we'll never know, because we got a shit idiot version of a BT...
Do we even know the gauge and length of each cable? Kinda suspicious Jay doesn't show at all the speakers, cables used in the test or the test setup.... I guess it's possible he left the cheap cables purposely longer, which would in theory have an effect (depends on exact length, the speakers/watts), but I guess it's just something we'll never know ... LOL
