Recent postings in some threads here have stirred up that old hornets nest of blind testing once again. The antagonists have once again set out their uncompromising positions, with no prospect of reaching any kind of shared view. So, at the risk of getting badly stung by the angry hornets, I present here some thoughts that try to find a middle ground. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...
There exists within the audio enthusiast community two diametrically opposed camps, which for the sake of argument we'll call "Objectivists" and "Subjectivists". What their argument is about we'll come to later. But first, let's summarise what they agree on. Both groups acknowledge that when comparing two similar components (eg. CD players, amplifiers, etc), there are times that a difference is heard when listening sighted, but no difference can be detected when a blind comparison is made. It's in their analysis of why this might be so that the two groups diverge. The Objectivist seems to take the view that since there is no difference in the detectable soundfield (as evidenced by a blind comparison), the difference heard during sighted listening is down to other factors, such as the appearance and feel of the equipment, knowledge of its price and manufacturer, etc. The Objectivist typically considers that to allow oneself to be influenced by these other factors is some kind of character flaw. And here is a curious thing. The Subjectivist thinks exactly the same as the Objectivist: that to allow oneself to be so influenced is a character flaw. They therefore draw the conclusion that the difference heard is not down to any such external factors, but must be due to some problem with the blind comparison methodology that prevents the differences being detected. Why not just accept the fact that external factors do modify what we hear, and it is human nature that it does so? It's only reasonable that the satisfaction in operating an exquisitely finished CD player will enhance the listening experience. There's no shame in it. Objectivists should stop telling people they are deluding themselves when they hear a difference, and Subjectivists should stop insisting that the difference they hear can't be down to these external factors. Then we could all live in harmony, world peace would ensue, blah blah blah... Here's an analogy. You have two servings of food: one is presented artistically and looks nice on the plate; the other is the same but has been pre-cut up, mixed and dumped into a bowl. Once the food is in the mouth, there's no difference, but pretty much everyone would think the nicely presented food tasted better. And I can't imagine that any "objective food scientist" would question their sanity. -- cliveb Transporter -> ATC SCM100A ------------------------------------------------------------------------ cliveb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=348 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=61877 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
