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The sad fact about audio is how often audiophiles imagine hearing differences

When a component is compared with itself, we find audiophiles are so biased in favor of reporting differences, the typical result is "differences heard" 50% to 75% of the time.

Same component.
Same SPL.
Same CD playing.
But a high percentage of imagined differences.

It's unfortunate we audiophiles are so brainwashed into believing that all electronics and wires sound different (as speakers do), and real audiophiles can hear those differences, that there's only ONE way to be confident an audiophile really knows what he is talking about:

- A DBT must be used to determine whether ANY differences other than small SPL differences are really audible. If differences are heard, with high reliability, the component review that follows can explain what was heard. The review could exaggerate what was heard, and readers may not agree with it, but at least the author could hear a difference under controlled listening conditions, so he's earned the right to review the component.

Over more than three decades there have been too many failures to hear component differences by too many audiophiles, including JA , just minutes after sighted warm-up auditions (when imagined differences are "heard", just like in any other sighted audition).

Dismissing the results of so many objective audiophiles working independently to determine how well they could differentiate among components, does not mean you would have different results. It's not like any objective audiophiles get any respect for doing component comparions under controlled listening conditions -- we are repeatedly attacked for claiming audiophiles almost never hear as well as they believe they do.

Golden ears respond to auditions done with the brand names hidden as if THEY are superior and all those objective audiophiles are fools -- no reason for golden ears to test their hearing because taking any test has risks ... of looking bad.

"I know what I hear" is the golden ear mantra
... that fails repeatedly when tested.
.
.
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Richard BassNut Greene
My Stereo is MUCH BETTER than Your Stereo

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  Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.  

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