My interest in Hi-Fi started in the middle '60s when I was given two audio kits to assemble, the Dynakit PAS-2 and ST-70. My interest in music, however, started when I was old enough to stand and walk over to a 78 record player.

Somehow I stumbled onto a magazine called "the Audio Amateur", (c) Edward T. Dell, that started publication in 1970. I think I saw an ad in the back of an electronics magazine. Now I could combine my interests in audio equipment, electronics, and music; heavenly.

So, I tried different circuitry in the Stereo-70, tweaked the RIAA circuit in the PAS-2, and generally had a great time. That is it was great until my hobby bumped into reality, my career in science. Did the circuit changes alter the sound? If not, why make them? If the sound quality changed, was it better? If I thought I heard a change in sound quality, was the change imaginary or real?

These questions are not about whether the ear or test equipment is the better judge of quality. Our senses can detect things that we don't even know how to measure with hardware. The main problem is not the sensitivity of our perceptions but the dominance of our brains over our senses.

There are many well known examples of illusory perception for any of our senses whether sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch. If we want something badly enough, we perceive it. So, how can we evaluate quality or the lack of it in audio equipment? What standard do we measure against? You might say the goal of audio equipment is to reproduce sound equivalent to live music and therefore those most familiar with live music should be the best at evaluating audio equipment. Wrong, musicians generally don't listen to sound but "music." They can be in heaven listening to a recording of Caruso on a scratchy Edison cylinder.

Into this vacuum stepped a group of audio hobbyists, located in Michigan going by the strange name Southeastern Michigan Woofer and Tweeter Marching Society  (SMWTMS.) This group decided that objective listening and measuring tests were required. The test had to be designed to eliminate human biases and their goal was and is to get the best possible equipment with the least amount of money.

SMWTMS                  http://www.provide.net/~djcarlst/smwtms.htm
audio test reports       http://www.pcavtech.com
ABX testing                http://www.provide.net/~djcarlst/abx.htm