This thread is an off-shoot of
Stock FR2LE vs. Busman T-Mod FR2LE true side by side comparison.
The question ...
Can people really hear the difference between the two preamps A and B?In identifying the modded and non modded recordings, there were 2 x 'two alternative forced choice' decisions possible. In this case there was a 25% chance of someone correctly picking the same mic preamp for both songs. That means 1 in 4 people here would (by chance alone) choose consistently. Too likely IMO, so I have set up a more objective test -
I took the Cold hard facts recordings -
Cold Hard Facts-a 24-44.flac = mic preamp A
Cold Hard Facts-b 24-44.flac = mic preamp B
as uploaded by
tenesejedd, since this was the song that several people said the differences between the recordings were most obvious.
I then made 8 files (24 bit wav) so that each file comes from a unique section of the song (CHF_1.wav is from the start through to CHF_8.wav, from the end). Within each file the same few bars are repeated as source A plays then source B OR source B plays then source A. The files are named -
CHF_1.wav
CHF_2.wav
CHF_3.wav
CHF_4.wav
CHF_5.wav
CHF_6.wav
CHF_7.wav
CHF_8.wav
So, in each file the mic preamps will appear in either of the following orders -
A-B or B-A
...your mission, should you accept it, is to post for all 8 files, if you prefer the first or second half for each file, or which half is clearer or whatever criteria you decide, in the following fashion -CHF_1.wav = X
CHF_2.wav = X
CHF_3.wav = X
CHF_4.wav = X
CHF_5.wav = X
CHF_6.wav = X
CHF_7.wav = X
CHF_8.wav = X
...where X = 1 or 2 depending on your preference, where 1 means you preferred the 1st half or 2 the 2nd half. There are no tricks each file consists of samples from both source recordings and the order has been randomized.
ProbabilitiesGiven the task, the probability of choosing recording A or B 'exactly' the following number of times is -
0 = 0.003 (0.3%)
1 = 0.031 (3.1%)
2 = 0.109 (10.9%)
3 = 0.218 (21.8%)
4 = 0.273 (27.3%)
5 = 0.218 (21.8%)
6 = 0.109 (10.9%)
7 = 0.031 (3.1%)
8 = 0.003 (0.3%)
I'll just explain this a little more. For example, choosing preamp A - 0 times is the same result as choosing preamp B - 8 times. If A was chosen 7 times B must have been chosen 1 time, A - 6, B - 2 and so-on. In this way the probabilities are symmetrical about 4 times for either preamp. On this basis, I'd say anyone who chooses the same preamp 6 times is 'interesting', as we would expect only ~1 in 10 people to pick 6 A's or B's by chance alone, however, to be confident I'd nominate 7 or more as a convincing display of the ability to hear the difference between the preamps A and B.
This test is interesting in that it does not matter which you prefer, it only tests the hypothesis that you can consistently identify the same preamp, at a level that is demonstrably better than chance.
You can download the files in the following .zipTapersSection_CHF_experiment.zip ~32 Meg
If people can clearly distinguish the modded and non-modded sound AND have a preference for one of them, they should clearly pick either source A or B all the way through the list.
You can download the answer key here (password protected) ...
Click here to download the answer keyI will post the password to the answer-key .zip file in a couple of days.EDIT: ihavegoldenears (don't peek until AFTER you listen!
)
Even if you don't want to post your results publicly, do write them down somewhere so you can check how you did when I do release the answer key.
digifish