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Finding an alternative is going to be about as easy as swimming the Atlantic with both arms tied behind your back.

Firstly, in truth there isn't a huge chasm of 'differences' between the budget end and the high end of components nowadays that there once was, so we are talking minute subtleties that are more down to the listener's own preferences and the ability to discriminate rather than having big identifiable obvious separation. Badge kudos also has a very large part to play in that scenario, let's be quite blunt about it.

Secondly, coupled with these factors above we have an almost unlimited variability of human hearing perceptions whereby some can almost hear a flea's flatulence at 10 paces whereas others are little fazed by a foghorn going off next to them, with every other combination and permutation in between. The bind ABX test calls for a black and white answer to the black and white question with no latitude whatsoever for those endless variables, hence the results are always compromised. Juggling the statistical numbers from those results looking for confidence levels is in my view an excuse to number juggle rather than making a realistic stab at the truth.

Finally, I say that the majority of folks that claim to have an ear for music don't actually have it. Yes they can toe-tap along to a good rhythmn like the best of them, but ask them to translate that into a set of words describing each part of the musical performance along with subtleties like timing, imaging, soundstage, micro and macro dynamics, plus a whole raft of other complex sounds and the words are not forthcoming because in essence this is a foreign language. Each of these elements needs to be assimilated by the mind to a high degree before moving on to accepting there are tangible differences between components. The real indicator I think is the folks that need instant switching between component changes to identify that any change at all has taken place. I don't class myself as having "golden ears" by any means, but I can highlight differences not in terms of seconds and minutes, but weeks and months apart, so when someone tells me as fact my audible memory span is around 3 seconds then quite naturally I am inclined to disagree. You have to understand music before you can fully understand hi-fi.

<blockquote data-quote="Effem" data-source="post: 689889" data-attributes="member: 2110">Finding an alternative is going to be about as easy as swimming the Atlantic with both arms tied behind your back.Firstly, in truth there isn't a huge chasm of 'differences' between the budget end and the high end of components nowadays that there once was, so we are talking minute subtleties that are more down to the listener's own preferences and the ability to discriminate rather than having big identifiable obvious separation.&nbsp; Badge kudos also has a very large part to play in that scenario, let's be quite blunt about it.Secondly, coupled with these factors above we have an almost unlimited variability of human hearing perceptions whereby some can almost hear a flea's flatulence at 10 paces whereas others are little fazed by a foghorn going off next to them, with every other combination and permutation in between. The bind ABX test calls for a black and white answer to the black and white question with no latitude whatsoever for those endless variables, hence the results are always compromised.&nbsp; Juggling the statistical numbers from those results looking for confidence levels is in my view an excuse to number juggle rather than making a realistic stab at the truth.Finally, I say that the majority of folks that claim to have an ear for music don't actually have it.&nbsp; Yes they can toe-tap along to a good rhythmn like the best of them, but ask them to translate that into a set of words describing each part of the musical performance along with subtleties like timing, imaging, soundstage, micro and macro dynamics, plus a whole raft of other complex sounds and the words are not forthcoming because in essence this is a foreign language.&nbsp; Each of these elements needs to be assimilated by the mind to a high degree before moving on to accepting there are tangible differences between components. The real indicator I think is the folks that need instant switching between component changes to identify that any change at all has taken place.&nbsp; I don't class myself as having &quot;golden ears&quot; by any means, but I can highlight differences not in terms of seconds and minutes, but weeks and months apart, so when someone tells me as fact my audible memory span is around 3 seconds then quite naturally I am inclined to disagree.&nbsp; You have to understand music before you can fully understand hi-fi.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Effem, post: 689889, member: 2110"] Finding an alternative is going to be about as easy as swimming the Atlantic with both arms tied behind your back. Firstly, in truth there isn't a huge chasm of 'differences' between the budget end and the high end of components nowadays that there once was, so we are talking minute subtleties that are more down to the listener's own preferences and the ability to discriminate rather than having big identifiable obvious separation. Badge kudos also has a very large part to play in that scenario, let's be quite blunt about it. Secondly, coupled with these factors above we have an almost unlimited variability of human hearing perceptions whereby some can almost hear a flea's flatulence at 10 paces whereas others are little fazed by a foghorn going off next to them, with every other combination and permutation in between. The bind ABX test calls for a black and white answer to the black and white question with no latitude whatsoever for those endless variables, hence the results are always compromised. Juggling the statistical numbers from those results looking for confidence levels is in my view an excuse to number juggle rather than making a realistic stab at the truth. Finally, I say that the majority of folks that claim to have an ear for music don't actually have it. Yes they can toe-tap along to a good rhythmn like the best of them, but ask them to translate that into a set of words describing each part of the musical performance along with subtleties like timing, imaging, soundstage, micro and macro dynamics, plus a whole raft of other complex sounds and the words are not forthcoming because in essence this is a foreign language. Each of these elements needs to be assimilated by the mind to a high degree before moving on to accepting there are tangible differences between components. The real indicator I think is the folks that need instant switching between component changes to identify that any change at all has taken place. I don't class myself as having "golden ears" by any means, but I can highlight differences not in terms of seconds and minutes, but weeks and months apart, so when someone tells me as fact my audible memory span is around 3 seconds then quite naturally I am inclined to disagree. You have to understand music before you can fully understand hi-fi. [/QUOTE]

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