On Tuesday, January 8, 2013 10:51:10 PM UTC-5, Audio_Empire wrote:
Someone is still not "getting it", I think. Subconscious differences that=
=20
stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain may not show up as difference=
s=20
in the normal sense.=20
What does that mean? Differences are either apparent to you, or they are no=
t. Is it possible to derive more pleasure from A than B without knowing it?=
Of course not.
Differences noted (or not noted) between components=20
in DBT or ABX test act upon the analytical centers of the conscious mind.
And you know this how? Are you a neuroscientist? Have you used fMRI to map=
subjects' brain activity while undergoing an ABX test? Or are you just inv=
enting "scientific" principles to fit your preconceived notions?
On that level, there may be no discernible differences. But on a sublimin=
al
level, these differences might just register as a greater amount of pleas=
ure
for one component over the other. I said earlier that there would be no
way to test this. On further reflection, I think that's wrong. I believe =
that
a DBT could be easily set-up to test such a hypothesis. If the listener
didn't know which two components to which he or she was listening,
and could listen to the same full recording before switching and then=20
listen to the other DUT for the entire same recording again, and then
chose either A or B based on the amount of "pleasure" he or she received
from listening to the recording twice, perhaps it would be useful.=20
Sure it would be useful. If you did that, you'd find out how wrong you are,=
and we wouldn't ever have to hear about such speculations again.
But here's the catch: You can't just do it once. You have to do it 20 times=
, and prefer the same option at least 15 times out of the 20. Then you'd be=
onto something.
I know that I have often compared two amps, two preamps and two DACs that=
=20
way, and have often preferred one over the other, without being able=20
to put my finger on exactly why.
Unmatched levels? Presentation order bias? Sighted bias? The possibilities =
are endless.=20
Another example is that I have the Classic Records repressing (on=20
single-sided, 200 gram virgin vinyl at 45 RPM) of Stravinsky's=20
"Firebird" by Dorati and the LSO. I also have the same recording on=20
CD. Both the CD and the remastered LP were overseen by the=20
work's original producer, Wilma Fine. Being the same original
analog recording from the same master tape, they of course, sound
essentially the same. But for some reason that I cannot explain,=20
I find myself pulling out the LP to play rather than the=20
(excellent sounding) CD. With all of its pops and ticks, I find the
LP a much more pleasurable listen than is the CD.
You're joking, right? Even in the highly unlikely event that precisely the =
same master was used for both LP and CD production (which would be tantamou=
nt to professional incompetence, IMHO), you're doing a sighted comparison o=
n different devices with differing levels of resolution. Oh, and we know yo=
u don't level-match properly, so there's that, too.
Try making a clean CDR of the vinyl, and compare the three things--LP, CD, =
CDR--with proper bias controls. You'll be replicating this famous experimen=
t:
http://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/ba...x_testing2.htm
Of course, the test subject was a notorious vinyl-hater, so we can write of=
f the results as an obvious function of listener bias. :-)
bob