June 11, 2025

“Snake Oil is Snake Oil, Right?”

1 hour 7 minutes

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This week, Dennis and Brent discuss Darko’s coverage of the Munich High End show, including his insistence that he’s noping out of trade shows going forward. Will we really never see him again IRL? Next up: did Audio Judgement do this crossover A/B blind test right … and can a chancy collection of cheap caps and chokes credibly conquer the chi-chi stuff? Finally, they contrast two articles from high-end audio sites that posit very different proposals about blind testing.

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

“The last hi-fi show I will ever attend” by Darko Audio: https://youtu.be/SfQjv6H1dzk?si=LJPyoIIVRkQXpJnY

“Cheap vs Expensive Crossover (Blind Test)” by Audio Judgement: https://youtu.be/jx7OaMghqJU?si=5f3usI89gV6kXr52

“Do Blind Listening Tests Work? My Sessions with the Colorado Audio Society” by Steven Stone: https://pmamagazine.org/do-blind-listening-tests-work-my-sessions-with-the-colorado-audio-society/

“Magic Snake Oil: Roger Skoff Writes the Real Truth about HiFi” by Roger Skoff: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/magic-snake-oil-roger-skoff-writes-the-real-truth-about-hifi/

“The History of Snake Oil” by Andrew Haynes: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-history-of-snake-oil

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