drez
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2009
- Posts
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Quote:
I have mentioned this previously, but there isn't any positive evidence that proves that the sighted results were skewed because of mechanisms of cognitive bias, only extrapolation from other research which shows a trend. Having said this I find it very likely that cognitive bias plays a role in a significant proportion of sighted impressions, just it is impossible to positively prove which ones.
DaveBSC's point though is also valid - phenomena that should be easily discernable seem to magically vanish in blind test conditions, however to suggest this is because of prior cognitive bias is again not positively supported by evidence. Personally I find it more likely that blind test conditions are in fact often confusing due to a lack of reference point - ie that under blind conditions the test candidates confuse themselves due to the lack of reference point. One can easily stand on one leg with your eyes open, but blindfolded candidates will tend to fall because their usual mechanisms of balance have been removed. Blind testing where the subject has no visual reference, even an abstract one such as red and blue, A or B is depriving the subjects of any method of grounding their observations. For the mp3 bitrate test I took, I the samples were given abstract labels, so I was able to organise my observations and build up to a decision. If the samples were instead presented as a blind sequence, I would have definitely failed.
The second notable point is that DaveBSC's quote shows that very large changes can go undetected under some blind conditions, my own experience with mp3 bitrate where it took me dozens of attempts to consistently achieve good results (like above 75%) also shows how readily small changes can pass under the radar. Now I also know of blind tests were participants were able to switch between cables at their own leisure, in their own houses, which does not prove that their are no differences in performance, just that the differences in that test were too small to be detected by the test participants in the test conditions - and from separate quantified testing shown to be of a very small magnitude. From these two points you can conclude that you are not missing out on very much by not having high end cables, or anything else for that matter that doesn't measure significantly differently or pass blind testing.
Personally though I trust my sighted impressions, even though they are prone to bias. I would probably like to do blind testing of the cables I have on hand, and may do so if I manage to get hold of someone willing to be filmed swapping out the cables, but reasonably cannot expect to do this with every piece of equipment I audition or try out in my system, it is just way too time consuming when frankly I listen to my system sighted anyway.
By the way found that link to the dt880 damping factor test - interesting read. Still not sure if it means that amplifier with very low output impedance or 8 wire cables are a sure way to improve orthodynamic bass response.
