First of all, I apologize for capitalizing “only subtle differences.” I write everything in Word (cause I can't spell worth a damn) and I do that to remind myself to bold something. Didn't mean to shout.
Bevan said:
so if you grant such power to subjective bias as i think some in this thread claim, then must one not admit it can also hold sway over speaker auditions where the differences between speakers are often only subtle? can it not pollute everything to some degree?
Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: One thing that statisticians understand is that bias isn’t going to go away. There is nothing you can do about it. So you try to control it in any way (mathematical or physical) that you can. DB and abx are physical methods.
We all have biases. I like smaller cars. I eat my meat rare (like cold in the center). Biases aren’t necessarily bad. They are a fact. Some people prefer speakers that produce un-lifelike sound. They may prefer them because they have a hearing deficiency in the frequency range that the speakers accentuate. That makes those speakers more realistic to them whereas someone else may listen to them and think they are awfully bright.
So if you are upgrading speakers (where the subtle differences are likely to mean that the increase in performance may not justify the price) you need to be sure you know why you are upgrading. If you are upgrading simply because you want something new. Hey, that’s a perfectly valid reason. People buy new cars all the time when their old ones work fine. If you are upgrading because you have changed the location of your HT and your old speakers are too big/small. Great. If you are upgrading 'cause you have a big pile of money in the corner and you're afraid it's going to fall over and crush the dog, that works too. If you are upgrading because you want an increase in performance, you owe it to yourself to sit them side by side and see if the price you paid is going to be worth it.
Bevan said:
but this placebo effect, if thats all there is to it, does not offer "ONLY SUBLE DIFFERENCES" to some people was my point. i have read people almost weeping over their keyboards as they report on their new cd player.
I think subjective bias, especially with people "weeping over their keyboards as they report on their new cd player" as you say, really comes into play when there has been a time lapse between listening sessions. What I
think happens (notice, opinion, not fact or from any research study) is that people pay more attention to their CD player when they get a new one. Is it that Diana Krall sounds so much better or is it that she always sounded pretty amazing but now you are paying more attention to it?
Case in point. Over one music review I did for this site (won't mention which one) Clint and I had a difference of opinion. What ended up happening is that we both went back and re-listened to the album and it ended up being a discussion about "listening for enjoyment" and "critical listening." There really is a difference.
When you get that new piece of equipment, you listen harder. It's natural. You just spent a Ho-gillion (thanks Sheep) dollars on this high-end, audiophile grade, 300lbs CD transport. You are going to listen to it to try to justify your purchase. Will you hear things that aren’t there…probably not. Will attribute things to this new piece of equipment that your old equipment did just as well? Perhaps. What you most likely won’t do (because it’s a pain in the arse) is hook the two up side by side and try to test to see if there is a difference.
“Oh, but that is a sighted test, that’s no good,” a voice cries out in the wilderness of the Internet
*cough mtrycrafts cough*. Rubbish. For major differences, it’s just fine. For detecting the subtle differences, it won’t work. But if you are upgrading your CD because you want additional connection options, SACD support, aesthetics, etc. Who cares? You don’t have to hear a difference to get your money’s worth. The added functionality is what you are paying for.
But, if you are “upgrading” from one component to another with the exact same features, you’d better be able to put them next to each other and hear a major difference, or why else spend the money? And by
major difference I mean, “my old one wouldn’t play E notes” not “the bass seems a
little tighter, the midrange a
wee bit more smooth, and the highs have
a little more oomph” whatever the heck that means. I mean
dramatic like the difference between revving a Honda Civic and a Ford Mustang. Obvious difference. Especially if you spent a Ho-gillion dollars on the upgrade...‘cause that’s a lot of $.