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Like I said, a lot of misinformation and confusion on this topic.
I would commend anyone who wanted to go beyond what I've written (which is basically just a sum-up of the info I've collected on this issue over the last few years from expert sources) to follow through the links in my previous post.
With regard to checking it out yourself, this is a reasonable idea -- but only if you institute a rigorous double blind testing regimen (neither the test-giver or -taker knows the actual identity of the sources being compared).
Why?
Can't we trust 'recording engineers' to be able to use their ears?
In a word, maybe not. (OK, two words.)
Since the late 19th century, the scientists who study human perception have noted that expectation and perceptual bias play a big part in the perception of sound.
Not only did they find that a test-taker who knew the source of two given perceptual phenomena he was comparing would bring his own bias and perceived pre-knowledge to the task -- but that even when the test-taker didn't know the answer that a test-giver who did could subtly (or not so) influence the test-taker's answers. (One reason why the so-called "Pepsi Challenge" was thoroughly bogus.)
So it became standard procedure to insist on a double-blind methodology in order to neutralize the chances of bias/contamination.
Now, many audiophile types -- not a particularly well-grounded-in-science lot to begin with -- will go into conniptions when one mentions double blind test methodology -- because, when push comes to shove, many of the tweaky little unscientific toys they have (Clever Little Clock, wooden cable lifters, green markers, etc) tend to make no difference when put through rigorous perceptual testing.
It's also very pertinent to remind folks here (who really should know this already) that when listening to even the best monitors in a moderately well-treated room a difference in listening position of only a few inches can make as much as 12 or more dB of difference in perceived loudness between two frequencies of the same playback level.
Turn your head a few degrees, and the tone will tend to shift. Our brains use these shifts in perceived sound in order to 'self-locate' in our environment and, unless one listens carefully, he may not even be aware of these changes in perception. But they can be large, even in a well treated room. And they can be huge in an untreated acoustic environment.
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