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Re: What is reality?

DBT listening tests have maximum sensitivity to certain aspects of audio.

Most of the procedures are designed to optimize amplitude difference detection. However, it is inevitable that this will the lead to sub-optimal detection of other aspects of music reproduction.

Then there is the dichotomy between the way we listen when listening to music for pleasure, and the methods we must employ to make a forced choice of any kind. In the first case, we are in an emotional and yet relaxed state of mind, while in the second case, one must enter an analytical frame of mind. In point of fact, these two kinds of states use a different side of the brain, and to switch from one to the other require not only long practice and training, but maybe even a certain type of brain 'wiring' that some people do not have.

In my own experiences, I have found it much more fruitful to try and get the listener to remain in an analytical state, rather than jump back and forth, so as to at least maintain the same sort of frame of mind. It is not as sensitive as sighted/open listening, but it is more consistent and can be done under blind or double-blind equivalent conditions.

Many of the old amatuer DBT's deliberately kept the listeners bouncing back and forth between states, oftentimes for far too long, so that by the time they were asked to make the forced choice, they had long since been fatigued, and were no longer able to discern anything subtle or difficult.

It would also be foolish to ascribe the same level of sensitivity to ALL DBT tests, as for those that were done well, and those that focussed successfully on one particular aspect of playback, such as a change in amplitude of one band of EQ.

BTW, I am not aware of any listening tests that have shown a change in a limited bandwidth to be audible for a 0.1 dB change in level.
In fact, the only work that I am aware of, and that is unpublished as far as I know, was when jj refered to a particular codec test that indirectly showed that a 0.1 dB change in over all level of the entire audio band was just barely perceptible.


Jon Risch

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