Home » Audio » General » Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating?
Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3644 is a reply to message #3603] Thu, 31 August 2006 05:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob Brines is currently offline  Bob Brines
Messages: 186
Registered: May 2009
Location: Hot Springs Village, AR
Master
Throughout this discussion, there seems to be an expectation that DBT can determine "better". It cannot. DBT can only determine "different". Take the example of level setting: If two pieces of equipment are set to the same level with a 1 kHz sine wave and then the test signal causes one to compress and the other not, then a difference will be heard. That the "louder" piece of equipment may be perceived as "better" is irrelevant. The test is a success if a difference is heard.

Bob


Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3645 is a reply to message #3644] Thu, 31 August 2006 06:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mr Vinyl is currently offline  Mr Vinyl
Messages: 407
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)
Yes, you are correct. Better would be subjective. I used the word better only as an example. Apparently though, know one has been able to hear a difference in a DBT between audio components at all (amps, preamps). According to P.Aczel. And according to any DBT I have read about. Since I believe there are differences in sound It prompted me to see if myself or anyone else could come up with a scientific reason for this. This is the way I started thinking about dynamics as a possible cause. Unfortunately it would seem that I was wrong.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Re: Just Pick Up A Basic Psychology Textbook.. [message #3649 is a reply to message #3632] Thu, 31 August 2006 06:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Manualblock is currently offline  Manualblock
Messages: 4973
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (13th Degree)
It's all in there. Find the chapter on research and look for Randomised Control trials. It is part of every research course taught in every university clinical trials class.

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3650 is a reply to message #3629] Thu, 31 August 2006 07:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mr Vinyl is currently offline  Mr Vinyl
Messages: 407
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)
Very interesting. So why not use white noise to set volume? Why just use one single frequency? Not that this would matter. Just curious.

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3657 is a reply to message #3644] Thu, 31 August 2006 08:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
akhilesh is currently offline  akhilesh
Messages: 1275
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
I agree Bob. "better" is subjective.

Logically "different" is a necessary requirement before something sounds "better".

So, if they are 'not different" then neither is "better".

-akhilesh

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3661 is a reply to message #3650] Thu, 31 August 2006 08:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
akhilesh is currently offline  akhilesh
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Registered: May 2009
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"So why not use white noise to set volume? Why just use one single frequency?"

Because you have to set it to within 0.1 db. Harder to do with white noise.
-akhilesh

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3677 is a reply to message #3644] Thu, 31 August 2006 15:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
GarMan is currently offline  GarMan
Messages: 960
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
Sure, DBT can determine different. But so what. DBT assumes that sound it the only thing that matters. You, I, everybody knows that in reality, that's not the case. As much as most of us want to deny it, we're constantly making decisions on equipment based on factors other than sound.

I'm not saying that people are willing to ignore the lousy sound a component just because it's shinier, pricier, exotic, hi-tech, low-tech, simple, sophisticated, etc. But with sound quality of most equipment available sitting in the same ballpark, and very few of them being objectionable, how something sound does not alway sit at the top of the decision tree.

gar.

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3678 is a reply to message #3645] Thu, 31 August 2006 15:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob Brines is currently offline  Bob Brines
Messages: 186
Registered: May 2009
Location: Hot Springs Village, AR
Master
"Apparently though, know one has been able to hear a difference in a DBT between audio components at all (amps, preamps). "

I couldn't disagree more strongly. A low-powered SET sound very different from a high-powered SS amp Two gainclones using the same chip and topology can sound very different simply because they have different power supplies. There is no way that these two examples wouldn't be declared different in a DBT.

Where DBT can go seriously astray is if the participants are asked to choose which piece of equipment they prefer. The participants are very likely to make the "wrong" choice. DBT can never be used for preference.

Bob


Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3680 is a reply to message #3678] Thu, 31 August 2006 16:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mr Vinyl is currently offline  Mr Vinyl
Messages: 407
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)
Hi Bob,

It sure would make for an interesting DBT. If you ever see one with a low powered set vs SS amps let me know. Most DBT's I have read about try to determine if a difference can be heard. Not which one sounds better. But saying there is no way someone would be fooled in such a test and actually doing a test are two different things.

For the record I would think I could hear the difference too. But I am not positive.

Re: Can someone help me critique this theory I have been formulating? [message #3688 is a reply to message #3677] Fri, 01 September 2006 07:34 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
akhilesh is currently offline  akhilesh
Messages: 1275
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
I agree with that. My own purchases are testimony to that!
-akhilesh

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