Even the people running the test were surprised by how close the recordings sounded.
A turntable test from 2022 has returned to the spotlight for one simple reason: almost no one could tell which system cost $500,000 and which cost $78. The files sounded so close that even seasoned audiophiles guessed wrong.
Three years later, as vinyl continues to boom, the experiment feels even more relevant as it challenges everything people assume about high-end audio.
Here’s how the test worked, and why the results still matter.
How the Blind Test Worked and What Happened
In 2022, an AVS Forum member known as m. zillch ran a blind listening test that has resurfaced in 2025 amid fresh debates over whether high-end vinyl gear is truly worth it.
In this test, he wanted to see if people could tell the difference between two turntable systems. One of which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and another was worth less than a basic dinner out.
When all votes were counted, 58.3% of 60 participants picked Turntable A as the half-million-dollar rig. But, they were wrong. Turntable A was the $78 Acoustic Research AR-XA, while Turntable B, chosen correctly by only 41.7%, was the ultra-luxury TechDAS Air Force Zero setup.
How the test was run
- The audio recordings came from Michael Fremer’s website, Analog Planet, where he’d digitized Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” using the TechDAS Air Force Zero, a turntable that starts around $450,000.
- To create a fair comparison, m. zillch recorded the same track on his AR-XA turntable and matched playback levels precisely to avoid loudness bias. He then uploaded both recordings (labeled Turntable A and Turntable B) to the forum and invited others to listen.
- Participants were asked to download both files (since online previews compress audio) and vote on which one they thought was from the expensive setup.
What gear was involved
The total price gap of both gear was $720,756. Here’s the breakdown:
- High-end chain (≈ $721,000): TechDAS Air Force Zero (~$450 k), $53 k tonearm, $13 k cartridge, high-end preamp, Lynx ADC ($2,495), and a $125 Mobile Fidelity One Step pressing.
- Budget chain ($587): AR-XA turntable ($78 vintage price), $99 cartridge, Yamaha AV receiver phono stage, Behringer USB interface, Monoprice cables, and a $26 Columbia pressing.
Why the Two Recordings Sounded So Similar
The results made more sense once you looked past the price tags and into the engineering. That’s because both systems were built on remarkably similar design principles, even if one cost nearly three-quarters of a million dollars more.
For instance, each used a floating sub-chassis to isolate the platter and tonearm from vibration, which is a concept dating back to the early 1960s. They both also relied on belt-driven platters powered by AC motors, which helped minimize rotational noise and rumble. Their layered, mass-damped platters further absorbed resonance, and their fully manual designs avoided mechanical noise from automation.
In short, both turntables were created to remove the same kinds of distortion that most affect vinyl playback.
A big part of the similarity came down to setup. When a cartridge’s compliance, tonearm mass, and alignment are all dialed in, and the phono stage’s loading is matched correctly, most tonal differences shrink to the point of subtlety.
The fact that m. zillch took care to balance both recordings at the same playback level removed the loudness bias that often tricks listeners into thinking one version sounds better simply because it’s louder.
Then, it was even more reinforced by the way both systems were captured. Using high-quality analog-to-digital converters ensured the signal path added virtually no extra coloration. Once converted to 96 kHz/24-bit files, even large differences in analog hardware were partially flattened by the precision of the digital format.
Add to that the quirks of the records themselves and how people listened. The pressings came from different production runs and possibly different master tapes, which can nudge tonal balance one way or another.
And because the test relied on each listener’s own playback setup, from full-range studio monitors to laptop speakers, many of those faint contrasts were inevitably blurred.
What This Still Means for Audiophiles Now
The blind test didn’t prove that cheap turntables are equal to high-end ones. Instead, it showed that careful setup, level matching, and attention to detail can close much of the gap people assume exists.
In 2025, when nearly every vinyl pressing touches a digital stage at some point, the test feels more relevant than ever.
Besides, most vinyl made since the 1990s starts as a digital recording anyway. Even albums labeled AAA, which should be fully analog, often use a short digital delay when cutting grooves.
The results also showcase where money truly counts.
Build quality, mechanical precision, and long-term serviceability are worth paying for. A stable platter, well-aligned tonearm, and reliable speed control all improve consistency and longevity. To some, spending more can buy you fewer headaches, even if it doesn’t always buy you better sound.
But for most listeners, the differences that survive blind testing are small enough that smart setup choices often matter more than raw cost.
Proper isolation, cartridge alignment, stylus maintenance, and even room acoustics or headphone fit can transform a modest setup. The AR-XA’s performance against the Air Force Zero was proof that engineering fundamentals still carry farther than prestige.
Yep home audio is full of so mnay scams it’s not even funny
The AR Turntable is the Great Grandaddy of all suspended Turntables. A bit of a Bogus test because it’s an excellent piece of kit. I thought that a modern £200 turntable should be used, such as a Rega RP1 or an AT direct drive.
This was a ludicrous test both tables were digitized and those were what people heard a much better test play a 20sec passage on one level match and swap tables
Hifi is not vinyl so the whole exercise was pointless.
All the sound is in the cartridge anyway. The tonearms wires are wired to the output jacks unless you have a turntable with a built in crappy preamp
Yeah, the same isn’t true about speakers! I’m glad they used a Yamaha AV receiver cause that’s what I use and it sounds great to me. No need to remortgage the house for a better turntable.
Interesting it was two pressings, I ignore audiophile pressings in favour of the first press.
Surely it depends on what quality of gear the listeners were using ?
Without listening on high end gear, you would not mostly hear the difference
Digitising vinyl for a listening comparison on vinyl is just nonsense.
Ant pressings vary massively but it appears different ones were used. Why ?
It adds up to a poor test by any standards.
At some point the audio equipment capabilities exceed the quality of the medium.
A lot of records are made rather cheaply today, often already warped, and won’t give you any better sound.
What a load of crap that turntable hasn’t been that price in decades. Also the lower end turntable would be completely indescribable on a set of budget speakers however you bump those up to some good speakers and there will be a very noticable difference.
LOL. A test that shows spending hundreds of thousands of dollars gains you almost nothing, and you turn it around to justify expensive equipment. Face it, you’re a hardware snob, and having the “right” equipment means more to you than the sound. After all, you can’t show off “sound” to your friends and neighbors like you can shiney hardware.
There’s a big difference between listening to unfamiliar material in an unfamiliar setting and living with a cheap vs good system. If you start off with the cheap system, you will learn how your own records sound. If you switch to a high end system, you will start hearing details that weren’t there before. You will recognize what the better system got right that sounded wrong, or muddy or distorted or anything else on the cheap system. And if both were in identical rooms, you’d hear clear differences.
Well, for a LoFi test I gotta say it sounds really good and of course the best one is B.
I take the AR turntable is long out of production, only available used. What turntable today is equivalent to the AR, and what does it cost?
50 years ago I had a full AR system, deck and amp, running into a pair of Gale speakers. It was outrageously good, so no surprise really. Today I am fortunate in my dotage to have a Brinkmann Oasis with Nagra CD and amps into a pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas. I am a lucky man. The laws of diminishing returns always apply. To really judge between the two systems I would need to be in the same room with both and am quite sure I could feel the difference, but it’s true that I have been trained to really listen unlike so many people today. My old brain has adapted to ageing cochlea’s, thank God!
This test is telling in some ways. However it does not tell us anything useful about the playback equipment because each used a different source, which may indeed have been from entirely different mixes of the record. Surely it would have been worth spending the $125 to get a valid result.
Other than that the biggest confounding factor is probably the quality of the playback systems in use. Anyone whose system deviates too far from basic fidelity will articulate a preference that merely reflects how the two versions mesh with their own unfaithful system. If my system is boomy I will prefer the version with less bass, but that result is of no interest to anyone whose system has reasonably flat response.
First I started reading. Then stop, download, listen (the poll was over, but I wanted unbiased opinion). Had no idea which one was the half million dollars turntable or if it will sound better or worse than the 78$ one. I liked B recording more. Then, I red the second article and I was amazed by the fact that I liked an audiofile thingie 😀
Something very wrong with the test, and those listeners must of all been deaf, I can tell the difference between using my phono preamp or not on a Thorns TD160 B highly modified with a SME 3009 II arm and Goldring 1042 Cartridge.
Linear tracking and superb vibration control are the key.