"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
Important Point... Running listening tests on tape decks has a problem you
can't get around -- you always know which signal is the source, and which
the playback.
If your source is digital, you simply play the digital source and the output
of the tape machine level matched, time synched, and double blind.
It is true that one can reliably tell the difference, but just by means of
listening.
AFAIK, that was what was done he
http://home.provide.net/~djcarlst/abx_tapg.htm
These tests were done by my friend (for decades) David Carlstrom, who was in
the day arguably the best or among the very best analog tape technicians in
Michigan. He clearly knows how to set this kind of test up, and he owns an
ABX Comparator. The analog tape machine he used was one of the best Otaris
of the day.