quasi-experimental designs for objective testing of affect induced by the hifi stand

now this is an outline sketch of article for American Scientific, so I'd appreciate a little help ...

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Hifi Audiophilius has been known to hum 'Good Vibrations' but goes to great lengths to eliminate unwanted vibration, physical, electrical or fantastical, upon his/her hifi kit. Usually, examples of Hifi Audiophilius are found in the wild, often marauding about in the vapourware flames of online forums, and we must usually content ourselves with systematic reporting of behaviours via participant observation - prodding and provoking response - and providing interpretation within the framework of grounded theory. But occasionally there is some catastrophic event that causes upset to set patterns of behaviour and can be viewed as a random assigment of treatment.

My current study builds upon pioneering, but now recognised as methodologically flawed work into the assessment of subjective evaluation of mains cabling, using systematic but un-replicated blind testing. The strong 'blind-testing' was achieved by quiet and unseen switching of out-of-the-box kettle leads with 'after-market' mains cabling. It is to this that we aspire when setting out to construct objective testing of the affective effect (or, to comply with the neo-classical, the effective affect) that is discenible from subjective evaluation, by Hifi Audiophilius, of hifi stands upon happiness about sound quality, and that other indicator, musicality.

Pilot investigation has shown that this may prove difficult. However, this is opportunity to deploy all prior investment in WAF/SWMBO technology. The key to success lies in the willingness (and lets face it the ability) of partners to dissemble/re-assemble hifi kit when comparing out-of-the-box Ikear with multi-level Mana and Hutter stands.

I wish to recruit volunteers. My plan is to set up regional groups, in order to limit costs of travel and of shipping metalwork, and woodwork, about the country.
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As you can see for yourself, I need some help ...

 

Hifi stands are mostly cosmetic. If you need to stop vibrations getting to your kit, get a seismic sink/voodoo/inner tubes etc. Then put it on something that looks pretty without costing the Earth. :duck:

 

Hows the Tuner ?.....not certain what you need but. i'm game for most things .... atleast once.

 

tuner is just fine, though I need to do it justice with better aeriel.

btw, I expect to take delivery of a set of Hutter stands in the next couple of days (thank you JonR for the sale, and Shrink for the shipping). So then I have at least two tasks:

1) to convince myself that Hutter is at least as good as Mana - I currently use the 4-tier amp stand - wrt SQ and WAF
2) sell on the Mana stand if it is, and the Hutter if it isn't.

WAF is WAF, and since the Hutter is Cheery wood and the Mana Black metal, I hope I've made the right choice.

But SQ is SQ, or properly perceived SQ, or more importantly my perceived SQ.

Now I'm an objective sort of guy, but just how does one avoid bias - I've paid money for these Hutter stands, and will invest effort taking stuff off Mana and putting in on Hutter. And unless it really sounds so bad with the Hutter, I'm hardly likely to think I've made a bad choice.

So how is Bub to judge? if it was difficult judging/evaluation cables, its going to be worse attempting to A/B stands. A/B testing of hifi kit needs an easier bit of kit.

 

now that's a different kibd of mick take ....

 

are we talking about these people?

http://www.asa3.org/

only you brought up quasi-science..

 

well ...

I was including
http://www.sciam.com/subscribe_combo.cfm?ec=google06&gcid=S13503x001&keyword=[american scientific]
in the scheme of things.

quasi-experimental method is not quasi-science: its experimental method but without control over the randomisation of treatment that characterises true experimental method.

 

Here is the method - once your Hutter has arrived and is set up I will pop over and tell you either a) it sounds the same or b) it sounds slightly better. I will not c) tell you it sounds worse, because actually I will not be able to tell the difference.

That done, you can bask in the approbation of your spouse and visitors who will prefer the looks of the Hutter and most especially the fact that your Bel Canto is not lying on its side making a mess of the place but is now properly in a nice looking rack. And with that comfort you will enjoy the music more than previously, thus proving indisputably that Hutter is superior to Mana.

 

I thank you for that blessing ...