Evaluating the Sound Quality of Ipod Docking Music Stations

I finally posted Part 2 http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2010/04/evaluating-sound-quality-of-ipod-m...
of this article which summarizes some competitive benchmarking listening tests conducted on three popular Ipod Music Stations.

Thanks for posting these links. Interesting read.

I know a lot more about science (and so-called scientific method) than I do audio equipment, but as a scientist I can tell you that my attempts to objectively evaluate sound quality, or even to compare two devices, are incredibly difficult and frustrating (compared to what I actually do for a living as a scientist). So, thanks for taking the time to go through this, and for attempting what looks like an almost impossible task.

Blind (or double-blind) tests in which only one thing is changed at a time really seems like the only hope for objectivity.

I spent quite awhile trying to convince myself that I could tell the difference between the iDecco digital doc vs an analogue input from an iPod (connected to the iDecco), tube on vs. tube off, etc. These were only single-blind tests, but it is hard enough to do in the discomfort of the local stereo dealer store.

http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2010/05/evaluating-sound-quality-of-ipod-m...
Part 3: Objective Measurements - of this article has been posted today. A combination of anechoic and in-room measurements is necessary to adequately characterize and predict the Music Station preference and spectral balance ratings in the listening room.

Hi WG,
I glad you appreciate the postings. It's nice to meet another scientist in these forums that appreciates the challenges of conducting controlled listening tests. We have a Mac Mini like yours that we use for running tests and listener training in our Reference Listening Room -- in fact it was used in the setup for these Ipod Music Station listening tests.