Most listeners can recognize audio excellence when comparing loudspeakers side by side.

Evidence

Many people are unsure of their abilities to judge sound, some thinking they may be “tone-deaf”, or just not caring. These insecurities are understandable. However, the reality is very different. Blind and double-blind, equal-loudness, multiple-loudspeaker subjective evaluations have revealed that hidden behind countless listener opinions is a widespread ability to recognize excellence. Some methods of evaluation are much more revealing than others, explaining why there are so many examples of contradictory opinions. Having multiple loudspeakers to instantly compare with one another is a remarkably powerful experimental method, allowing listeners to separate the changing timbral contributions of the loudspeakers from those of the room and those inherent in recordings. Unfortunately, the widely used “take-it-home-and-listen-to-it” technique is the least trustworthy and revealing. It is widely used by reviewers, who, especially if they lack access to meaningful measurements, are susceptible to many biasing factors. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 40

Categorization

• SEED: An essay angle on why product reviewers’ hearing tests fail: the dominant take-it-home method is the least informative, and how controlled A/B comparison changes results.