I have owned the DS Sr. DAC for several years now. It is my first stand alone DAC. My only comparison experience is with regard to universal and CD disc players I have had over the years (Technics, Yamaha, Denon). [I still have a couple of Denon DVD-2900’s in my systems used as transports.]
That said, short of my speakers, the DS Sr. has proven to be the single, most impactful (musically) piece of kit I have ever owned. To poke fun at a smoldering squabble elsewhere on these fora, I think the DS Sr. is a stone cold value (price and performance) at its MSRP.
The Jr. is reportedly a great piece of kit as well. Enjoy it. But if you can pick up a Sr. second-had somewhere, I would not hesitate.
Thank you. And your quote "That said, short of my speakers, the DS Sr. has proven to be the single, most impactful (musically) piece of kit I have ever owned. " is dead on for me to except insert Jr. For Sr. I will look for one. Only speakers have had a more solid impact on sound as you mentioned but overall the impact on music quality is the DSD…
If one does not have the hearing and integrity to hear or not hear differences, all other factors aside, then double blind testing won’t make a difference. Expectation and other kinds of bias and inabilities don’t disappear with double blind testing, to wit placebo effects still existing in double blind pharma studies. What’s key is that a test needs to be appropriate to what’s being tested.
OK. But what does that have to do with fact of the inherent unreliability of sighted audio comparisons and the listener’s expectations affecting their judgments.
All the studies that I have heard cited about what you claim on examination showed that they had assumed what they were trying to prove, i.e., they were poorly constructed (a very common problem across a wide variety of fields). Basic point: I can do a sighted test reliably and so can many, if not virtually all of the people who contribute here. If you are unable to do so, generalizing to others won’t solve your problem. Alternatively, many people who talk about double blind testing are simply expressing resistance to comparing equipment for themselves. That is, assuming they have the ears for it, which not everyone does. I can’t help with either of those limitations.
It sounds as though you’re merely saying that you and “virtually all of the other people who contribute here” are immune to perception and expectation bias because you just are.
Or are you saying that these biases are myths or are of negligible significance?
My view from all I’ve read on the subject is that these biases are very significant and unavoidable, even among audio professionals and those with excellent hearing.
It could also just be that we each have only taken from our readings on this subject what confirmed the views we already suspected were correct.