Of interest is the fact that this was a double blind listening test. I conducted double blind tests for 6 years in a previous position and sometimes found them at odds with my own subjective experience. One consistent observation I made was that it was much easier to identify the good sound source, when switching from the poor one. Switching from good to bad was less discernible.

My only explanation for the conclusion is that double blind tests are good at finding quantitative differences, whereas qualitative differences get lost in the process since you are force to rely on hearing (with your ears) rather than listening (with your brain).

Meridian Advocate