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Dani3L_1917 OP t1_j6mr9rr wrote

Reply to comment by Joseph_HTMP in Why do DSD files sound better than flac? by Dani3L_1917

Cannot say I have heard of a null test. Care to explain how they work?

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Chew-Magna t1_j6mugpz wrote

Take the two files, put them in an audio program (you can probably do it with Audacity), flip the polarity of one of them. When played, if the result is silence, the two files have cancelled each other out. This would mean that they are completely identical at a digital level. It's a way of testing if there is any actual difference between two files. If they cancel each other out, it means they were identical. Exactly the same. Thus, meaning that if you think you hear a difference between them, it's pure placebo.

However, if these are different masterings as others are suggesting, then this test is moot. You end up with a different file altogether. But it could still be worth a try.

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Joseph_HTMP t1_j6n013e wrote

>However, if these are different masterings as others are suggesting, then this test is moot.

No, because you can still hear the net difference between the two. So if one has "wider soundstage" you should be able to hear that in the result. If they are actually mastered completely differently, then you will get a net difference. But it would be interesting to find out what that difference actually is.

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