A related phenomenon from another realm might be helpful. Consider the placebo effect.
It is well-established that a real placebo effect exists. If people believe that a treatment (drug, something else) has been administered, they will on average report symptom alleviation above that reported by people who do not believe they received any treatment. True efficacy of the treatment can only be demonstrated if the treatment effect exceeds that of the placebo effect. Double blind studies are one way of dealing with the situation (everyone believes they are getting the treatment). The question is, do the placebo-receivers actually get better faster than the no-treatment people, or do they simply think they get better? Interesting question. For the most part the placebo effect is most obviously demonstrated in symptom alleviation, e.g. pain. In that case, it could reasonably be said that the placebo had a "real" effect, in that less pain was actually experienced. Even though no actual pain reliever was administered. It's an entirely psychological effect, but the people experience it as real. Who is to say that it's not a worthwhile strategy? If you're out of pain meds, give a sugar pill to the kid and maybe he or she will actually feel better. So, by analogy, if you make a change in your system and convince yourself that it improves your listening experience, even if nothing actually and demonstrably changed at a measurable level, who are we to say you're a nutbar? I'm referring to the generic "you" here, not to anyone in particular. Of course, under these circumstances, the favorable listening experience cannot be used to support an argument that such and such a change to a system produces better sound. To do that, you need a more sophisticated and reliable technique than "that's what I hear". You need double blind studies. You need measurable differences. You need to avoid mystification and philosophizing. R. -- RonM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RonM's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17029 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=85681 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
