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For BJH (long)

Posted by Jim Austin on October 18, 2005 at 17:25:49

Reading one of BJH's posts below, I think I finally understood what it is he's been accusing me of, so I decided I'd do him the courtesy of writing a response. Here are the passages that helped me, finally, to understand what he was talking about. I'll cite them one at a time and then respond. I'll do my best to make it clear, but I don't intend to get involved in a long argument here; I've gotten very busy lately and just don't have the time.

>>>...when *I* pointed out the ill aspects of Austin's invoking DBT as the sole legitimate arbiter of sonic differences in audio (ignoring or ignorant of the history of DBT in audio)<<<

I previously understood that BJH took exception to what I said about DBTs but I didn't understand WHY, or WHAT in particular. But I think I do now.

In fact, that comment about DBT's--the one in the controversial AWSI--was based on my recent STUDY of the application of DBT's in audio. I use "study" loosely here because the literature of such things isn't consistently rigorous or peer reviewed. But by paging through various audio journals (including lots of information on Stereophile's Web site) you can pretty well trace the history of the DBT debate in the audiophile community.

Doing this, I came to understand that except for large and obvious effects, DBT is, in fact, unreliable, for some very sound, OBJECTIVE--not just scientific but downright mathematical--reasons. So in the situations where they might be most useful, they are in fact more or less useless because they provide an unreasonably strict test, a criterion that's harder to meet than it ought to be.

But that's not really the part that BJH was criticizing. He was upset because I expressed regret "at DBT's passing." Why should anyone regret the passing of DBT's? he asks (I'm paraphrasing of course). What good have they ever done for audio.

The point he's missing--and which motivated that comment--is that DBTs are, in one sense, the sole arbiter of audio truth. There really is only one way to PROVE that you hear a difference, and that is to pass a statistically valid test, usually a DBT. If you can't pass a DBT, you can never PROVE that you heard what you think you heard. So you have to then accept that you can never be absolutely sure. You have to learn to settle for a lower standard of proof. Many people in audio are just fine with that, but many people outside it--especially non-audiophiles with scientific training--definitely aren't. They're used to living in the world where proof is required. I'm used to living in that world, too, but I've mostly gotten over it. Yet I still maintain that the inability to prove these things is to be regretted. We should regret the passing of DBTs because it was the only way we could ever be sure that we were spending our money well. And--indeed--I still believe that we're all very impressionable, and that many of us are indeed influenced by price tags, thick face plates, and the sales pitches of dealers. It's not just on the fringes, I'd say, not just the occassional sap who gets suckered. And one reason is that we tend to maintain minds that are so open as to be absolutely empty. I don't think that's a good thing. Yeah, I think the passing of DBT's is to be regretted, because with it went any hope of objectivity in audio. Some think that's a good thing; I don't.

Now let me add one thing: I know a lot about that debate because I took the time to study up, to follow the paper trail. It is not because I was around then, living it. It is true that I am fairly new to this world. And though I've learned and experienced a lot in just a few years, I have much more to learn and experience.

>>and also of the wrongheadedness of his subtle differences arguement (due to lack of experience/interest?), the later not only incorrect but exploitable to support the *high-end=wishful thinking* bung such as you preach incessantly.<<

This one is a little easier to understand. First off, whether an effect is "small" or "large" is, as I've said before, pretty meaningless without a point of reference. Is someone who's 5'2" short or tall? Most would say short, but they're tall compared to someone who's 3'7".

But here is something I deeply believe, and I think it runs pretty close to the heart of what I take to be the high-end audio creed (has anyone ever written down such a thing?). It's that very small differences can make a very big difference. That's what keeps us attacking the leading edge of diminishing returns. (BTW: did I notice HP saying something similar in his long treatise on the ASR Emmitter 2 this month?--that difference at that level tend to be small? Or did I read that someplace else?).

A very subtle effect--an effect that can be very hard to discern in concentrated, focused listening--can make a huge difference. JA (the other one) has written about trading his expensive Lecson amp for a much cheaper Quad after failing to tell them apart in a blind test. He regretted it. I had an interesting experience lately, which I'll share. My Powerbook was driving me crazy. It seemed to be reading the hard disk constantly, making this soft sound that was, however, at a very annoying frequency. Finally I paid Apple $50 for tech support to help me get rid of it. And when he asked me if it was gone, I put my ear to the computer and I really wasn't sure. The sound had been driving me crazy, but that didn't mean I was able to consciously identify it, with confidence. It was a small effect but it made a big difference in my life.

So are these small effects or large? Are differences among amplifiers, or digital front-ends, small or large? I think they're mostly small--though often easier to detect than my laptop's noisy hard drive (which did in fact get fixed, btw). But they can nevertheless be very important for our enjoyment of our favorite pasttime.

So any chance that we can agree on this?

Jim

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