For the sake of a latecomer, is the "63.0 (mute) attenuation thing" turning down/off the SB's analog output in hope of improving the quality of its digital output? (I did a quick search on the forum, but couldn't find a direct reference to it.)
BTW, as a professional researcher, I have limited but actual experience in conducting double-blind testing (not specifically for audio). A few comments based on my experience with some DBT comparisons of visual images: 1) If a difference really exists, most people are quite adept at noticing it in DBT. They may not be able to describe the difference, or whether they prefer A over B, but most people are quite good at distinguishing whether A and B are identical or different, even if they're not trained experts. 2) Occasionally, people imagine there are differences where none exist. The mere fact that they are participating in a comparison study may lead them to assume that they are comparing different things. This can be considered a type of placebo effect, even though the test is double blind. This occurs much less frequently than 1). 3) Analysis of such tests usually requires at least 30 participants to establish statistical validity of the findings. For my own audio purchases, all I care about is whether or not I hear a difference. I couldn't care less whether anybody else does. -- TiredLegs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TiredLegs's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=6201 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=26436 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
