Sighted tests always produce wanted results. Why do you bother?
The Chord DAC bandwagon
- Thread starter beammeup
- Start date
The same could also be said of unsighted tests when they are performed by people who believe all competently designed DACs sound the same. They don’t believe there can be a difference; they won’t hear a difference. So why do they bother? And why bother with their results?
Purité Audio
Trade: Purite Audio
That is true I wouldn’t be expecting to hear a difference, you on the other hand...
If you really want a valid comparison you have to remove the sighted component.
Keith
Heckyman
pfm Member
Just ignore the post if you don't find it useful.
SteveS1
I heard that, pardon?
I'm not sure I follow the logic of that. Unsighted comparisons are an opportunity to test the certainty of subjective comparisons. It's been my experience when setting up just the simplest of unsighted comparisons that golden ears have a tendency to go awol when golden eyes are not allowed in. In one example, a rather inexpensive DAC was being compared with a faulously expensive CD player and you could see eyes furtively straining to see a tiny LED on a hidden pre amp before offering an opinion.
Don't get me wrong whatever people buy and for whatever reason is fine by me, I'm on no crusade. But unsighted comparisons when conducted in good faith are a useful test of changes or improvements without the power of suggestion creeping in and that can't be a bad thing.
Heckyman
pfm Member
Indeed, unsighted comparisons would be a useful data point. Unfortunately, no-one can be arsed to do them.
Because at the end of the day, people will believe whatever they want to believe, regardless of some forum guy's "scientific experiment".
S-Man
StrivingON
Try following this logic..
I don't believe well measuring DACs sound different.
I have just listened to two well measuring DACs under blind conditions and I can't hear any difference.
Is that credible? Why would you believe that? Why does it tell you something about the DACs but not about the listener?
SteveS1
I heard that, pardon?
Did you mean measured differently? If I was the listener, it would certainly tell me that I was wasting my time worrying about any differences in that example.
Someone who believes "well-designed" DACs sound the same => expectation bias might lead them to miss real differences in either a sighted or unsighted test, so likely to be inconclusive.
Someone who believes "well-designed" DACs can sound different => in a sighted test, expectation bias can lead to an opinion of one sounding better, so an unsighted test is more revealing in this case. At least for those who claim "night and day" differences, which quite a number of people on this forum frequently do.
sq225917
Bit of this, bit of that
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ew-and-measurements-of-chord-qutest-dac.5981/
Chord Qutest, -150db on usb input for jitter...
They really must have scrimped on galvanic isolation....
Chord Qutest, -150db on usb input for jitter...
They really must have scrimped on galvanic isolation....
beammeup
pfm Member
Interesting that dCS did not get the sound quality results they wanted from USB - and therefore did not include it in the dCS Bridge. Surely that's not following the USB bandwagon ... Has the dCS Bridge now incorporated wireless?
Mr Underhill
pfm Member
Not my experience.
Amber Audio
This is the Day
Not as far as I know - it's there physically but not been enabled internally, they say on the site it may be in future
some perspective on the overhyped Qutest.Is it me, or are the Chord range of DACs just getting incredible respect from audiophiles everywhere? I can't find a bad word said against their products - only excellent reviews from magazines, YouTube videos, forums, they are very well liked!
I've been interested in some of the DACs overseas like Lampizator or from Mojo Audio (used examples mind you - they are quite expensive).
Should I just stick with home grown Chord, like, well most other audiophile nowadays it seems
I know - audition audition audition - it's a tad hard to audition some of these DACs - so your experiences would be interesting.
Is it me, or are the Chord range of DACs just getting incredible respect from audiophiles everywhere? I can't find a bad word said against their products - only excellent reviews from magazines, YouTube videos, forums, they are very well liked!
I've been interested in some of the DACs overseas like Lampizator or from Mojo Audio (used examples mind you - they are quite expensive).
Should I just stick with home grown Chord, like, well most other audiophile nowadays it seems
I know - audition audition audition - it's a tad hard to audition some of these DACs - so your experiences would be interesting.
Some perspective. A little sweary but to the point.
Do I need to get my Hegel HD12 back from the buyer because I saw the Arcam D33 as I listened to it? As has been advised on here many times, listen to the component for several days and switch to another and do the same. The one you prefer stands out. Maybe it helped that it was in the corner of the room and therefore not in front of me as I listened? Whichever, sighted, tested, listened, happy.
Absolutely. But assuming the file is good, everything else in the chain also matters IMHO.
Can’t argue with that. The old source first maxim is more relevant to vinyl IME but ultimately you want a balanced system; most people on here have that I assume.