Basically, if I like what I hear, I like what I hear. All the changes I kept over the years have had obvious benefits, and I can’t be bothered with blind testing drama. Most stuff has gone in once and stayed, as it has obviously improved the sound presentation.
If another poster reports an improvement without blind testing, I’m happy to take their experience at face value.
It doesn’t take much really, a good dealer could actually propose a blind test in most circumstances.
The only difference being:
Bad / current scenario
Better scenario
It’s really simple, and will help to do a much less biased listening test.
One of the most surprising things I’ve found listening to hi-fi is that I can’t trust my ears, or more precisely I can’t trust my brain! Confirmation bias is an infuriating reality which I find really hard to discriminate against. At the other extreme I find the pure science driven approach of using measuring equally unsatisfactory as it doesn’t always align with what I hear or prefer. Like many things in life, an awareness of all these different considerations can be helpful as you navigate the subtle nuances (and clever marketing) of high end hi-fi!
Here’s an idea for you: arrange a blind test of the GroundARAY at your local dealer and tell us how you got on. Put theory into practice and add some value.
I’m 100% convinced (yes biased) that this device is complete bollocks and i have no intention of testing it blind or otherwise.
That’s what I mean about closed minds. How can you be so confident? You propose blind testing as an example of objectivity yet you’ve already decided it cannot work.
So, after all this, some members think its brilliant, others think it’s bollocks.
No further forward then, but it’s good popcorn stuff.
Opinions are like arse holes, we’ve all got one, so no point criticising views of others.
We could just listen to the music rather than the hardware, that’s what the artists and composers would want.
Confirmation bias works in both directions - she’s a cruel mistress!
Then why even bother wasting your’s our our time by “contributing”. Do you blind test baked beans, beer, bog roll? Do tell.
There are plenty of devices that i am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, based on specifications or otherwise, but most products from Chord don’t fall into that category (including the Ohmic fluid and stuff like that).
Blind testing is just a way to greatly increase certainty in any test that someone is interested in doing. I’m not interested in this product, but if i were i would try to test it blindly instead of actively knowing when the device is plugged in and when not. Because that is a well known cause for bias that statistically will affect the outcome.
Well, I decided to see if I hear a difference. Ordered one, DIN, for the hell of it.
Heck, I spent a damn sight more on Super Lumina - unheard. And indeed 282 then 252, and 300DR come to that. It is true, the boxes were mainly during lockdown so no chance to hear first.
Sometimes ya just gotta try for yourself…
(I hadn’t heard the Karousel, either… I’m such a mug!)
As mentioned Stevie, when we upgrade from NAC 202 to 282 for instance, it’s very obvious. We don’t say ourselves « maybe the upgrade is in my mind ? », « maybe I should make a blind test to be sure ? ».
I tested many cables at home, many switches, and Ethernet cables.
Sometimes, it’s worse. Sometimes the difference is so minimal that I don’t bother keeping it and I return it.
But other times the difference is so obvious, the sound is so clearly better, that I just don’t ask myself any questions. I hear that it’s clearly better, so it’s better. No more.
If you are not confident in your ears, and doubt always, why bother with audiophile components. Buy an Atom, or Nait 5 and Cd5i, little speakers, and enjoy music.
It’s an interesting question. I think we all are sure that we can distinguish the baked beans we like. And beer. Definitely beer. On the other hand, scores of tests have shown that people are easily influenced by labels on wine or other products like cosmetics, areas where people are just as convinced that they know the difference.
The mind is a funny thing
I guess I’m just a healthy sceptic - I work in an industry where identical products are often sold at massively different prices. I also appreciate the power of branding and marketing which, together with confirmation bias, can skew one’s judgement.
That’s why i don’t understand why @Antz earlier told us about his blind wine testing which he does as a professional, but then proudly continued to say that he doesn’t need blind testing for the GroundARAY because he’s old and wise enough to know what makes a difference. The contrast is quite staggering.
Yet 9 people here upvoted that comment so there apparently is a very strong distaste for unbiased testing on these forums. What can you do? 
I recently blind tasted tea bags and then reviewed prices of the different options - that’s the kind of crazy stuff I get up to! Blind tasting bog rolls sounds too risky - you need your eyes open for that one.
I’m into my wines and will only say that there are some parallels between the wine industry and hi-fi industry! Plenty of magic and mystery.
I blind tested suppositories and found they all tasted awful! 
I don’t think it’s necessary to blind test, unless you are trying to do some scientific study. I’ve tried different gear and listened with friends and there has been times for example that we compared a digital coax cable to a fiber optic cable.
Now the fiber optic cable was a name brand and over 100 dollars and the coax cable was 20 bucks and an off brand . We wanted the more expensive cable to sound better, but we actually liked the cheaper one better. We just picked some tracks we are very familiar with and listened on one input with one, then switched to the other input. Was actually fun. We were surprised we liked the less expensive one!
Not necessary, but I don’t get why some people are so averse to trying. I was convinced I could hear the benefits of an XLR cable that costs 20x the price of an alternative. Blind testing it proved I couldn’t, which was in some ways disappointing, though it saved me £1,400! I guess each to their own…