Stereophile magazine has never been known for science, mostly pseudo-scientific, unsubstantiable claims. They still insist that double-blind testing is not suitable for audio. I used to subscribe to the magazine, but would get infuriated at the "reviews," especially at the unabashed glowing reports of what is obvious snake oil.
OTOH, I have owned a Carver magnetic field power amplifier, and I liked it very much. Bob Carver is a audio genius.
That's at least a step forward from 1985, it would seem:
> We made no effort to do A/B testing, since we feel it does not replicate normal listening conditions, and there is still insubstantial evidence that A/B testing reveals small differences as well as does prolonged listening to each unit under test.
So, in 1985, not even non-blind A/B testing! These people are delusional.
Bob is completely an audio genius: I have his Sunfire HRS monitors and one of the super cool tiny Carver 400 cubes and I can literally peel the paint off my walls with stuff smaller than your average boombox. #gameon
My fraternity in college (an engineering school) had pretty much all Carver amps. The folks that picked them were electrical engineers focusing on audio, and beside Marshall Leach, Carver was considered a god. I vividly remember the Carver Powercube could rattle windows halfway across campus.
OTOH, I have owned a Carver magnetic field power amplifier, and I liked it very much. Bob Carver is a audio genius.