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From: bob@pedsgd.UUCP (Robert A. Weiler)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Tighter bass and edgeless piano
Message-ID: <284@pedsgd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Sep-85 17:43:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: pedsgd.284
Posted: Mon Sep 30 17:43:08 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 2-Oct-85 06:17:20 EDT
References: <1636@druxu.UUCP> <16538@watmath.UUCP> <19@nbs-amrf.UUCP> <16600@watmath.UUCP>
Reply-To: bob@pedsgd.UUCP (Robert A. Weiler)
Organization: Perkin-Elmer, Tinton Falls, NJ
Lines: 40

Organization : Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls NJ
Keywords: 

In article <16600@watmath.UUCP> hachong@watmath.UUCP (Herb Chong) writes:
{ a lot about psychological effects }
>an answer to that question.  i do know that preconcieved notions of
>the quality of different pieces of stereo equipment can mask all but the
>largest of differences except to a trained ear, and training that ear requires
>a lot of listening under unbiased circumstances.
{ more about such effects }

I suspect Herb is dangerously close to the truth w/r/t how we percieve
quality of music/equipment. In my own case, the mechanical noise made by
my Technics SLP-8 CD player was driving me crazy - not because it was
all that obtrusive when music was playing, but because I *knew* it was
making noise. I finally solved the problem by lining my stereo cabinet
with Sonex. Whether this acutally eliminated the noise or merely
changed my perception I do not know - but it doesnt matter; the net result
is the same. I suspect it is a little of both.

BTW my standard advice for buying CD players is to ignore
hype, specs, etc. Instead, turn the volume off, and stick your ear down
next to the player and see how much noise it makes while playing, changing
programs, or whatever. After you have rejected any player which is
mechanically noisy you can start evaluating more etherial criteria. 

In general, I believe that if someone thinks a given piece of equipment sounds
better then another, for whatever reason including price and appearance, then
it really does sound better to them. And thats what they should buy.
However, if that person is going attempt to convince someone else of the
superiority of a particular piece of equipment then they ought to clearly
label their views as opinion or present measurable differences and/or the
results of double-blind testing.

It is the reluctance of 'golden-ears' to embrace double-blind testing
which arouses my suspicion about audible differences such as
'tighter bass'. Given that it is fairly easy to objectively demonstrate
such effects, why not do so?

Bob Weiler.


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