AMplifer A/B Blind testing- Time to hear for myself!

[Hic]

Ally, I think it will be done the best way they know how.

Only caveat they might not be as thorough as R.C. on is making them literally the same before judging ~ For example [ there is an increase in the Zuki Eleets @ a certain area of frequencies as told by an E.E. ].

I don't believe they will give it's competitor a matching boost, but they may turn the area down/equalize/process it for neutrality.

[West]

Honestly I would choose one song to demo at a time. Listen to it in it's entirety at a relatively high volume.

Then switch amps and replay.

[captainobvious]

This is gonna be good. Interested to see how this pans out. Wish I could attend, but I'll still be watching eagerly for results from the interwebs.

Also, consider a way to make it a double-blind study if possible. You going full-on scientific method here, or something a little less formal? That way there is no question whatsoever about any bias. Another thing I would be concerned about is that this whole shindig is centered around telling differences in amps (or lack thereof). Most folks I know either believe there are or there are not audible differences in amps, and that preconception may cloud some judgment, especially when we see what the amps are beforehand.

There's just still a lot of room here for accidental bias, you may want to be careful what you make public until the test is through, especially to those who will be taking part. Just some thoughts. Thanks for doing this experiment!

Good points Ally. This will be a blind test. Participants will not know which amp is playing. Before the tests, everyone will be able to inspect and demo the system for a period to get familiar with the sound of the speakers we will be using. I will play samples from each amplifier and tell the listeners which one they are hearing. They will be able to record some initial comments on their sheets about what they are hearing and then I'll collect the sheets and hand out new ones. After that, I'll start the testing and I'll be conducting the switching so no one will know which amplifier is playing. Each amplifier will be assigned a number by me which no one involved in the testing will know. The tests will be to see if listeners CAN hear any differences, and then if they can- to describe what those are. Each person will have a sheet that has sections for each amplifier number. These sheets will have areas designated with entries to gather the data we're looking for. Because it will be tough to recall a test with 8+ amplifiers one after the other, I will likely do these as AB/ABX. Just have to think through the process and decide what makes the most sense.

[captainobvious]

Ally, I think it will be done the best way they know how.

Only caveat they might not be as thorough as R.C. on is making them literally the same before judging ~ For example [ there is an increase in the Zuki Eleets @ a certain area of frequencies as told by an E.E. ].

I don't believe they will give it's competitor a matching boost, but they may turn the area down/equalize/process it for neutrality.

Thanks Hic.

I don't plan on using any form of EQ on individual amplifiers. If an amplifier has a different frequency response, that's a characteristic that would make it "sound different" which is fine. I will merely level match the voltage output so that all amps are equal and let the chips fall as they may. I'll probably use 1K as the frequency but will test several others as well (maybe 10Khz and 40hz) and note any significant differences in the post-findings.

[captainobvious]

Honestly I would choose one song to demo at a time. Listen to it in it's entirety at a relatively high volume.

Then switch amps and replay.

I will use several songs for the initial listening sessions where users get a feel for the speakers. After that (during the actual blind tests), it would make sense to use one or two with shorter clips to keep things as consistent as possible.

[captainobvious]

How about this?

Hah, I'd love to test all three of them too. They are all unfortunately out of reach price-wise for me, but It's always nice to have some really high end units in the mix for the blind testing. Thankfully, Casey was kind enough to lend his Phoenix Gold Elite amp which I think many would put in the same class as the Zero and Thesis amps. My Zapco Z series is probably close as well.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out and to get everyone's input and results after testing.

[papasin]

Too bad you aren't closer Steve.

[captainobvious]

Too bad you aren't closer Steve.

Can't you just picture it...You and lady Papsin...sipping cocktails on a smooth flight to lovely Philadelphia...before you know it, you're enjoying some amazing tunes in the Crowne Plaza meeting room with friends...

[papasin]

Hehe, my point is I have two of those amps in the trunk of the Civic and would be willing if I could just drive it over.

[captainobvious]

Stand by, let me check Google Maps...