I can’t be the only one here who shares my headphones equally with my pet chinchilla.

It’s not actually. Same methodology and it was clear to me a DDC I bought had zero impact whatsoever. My interest is in the cheaper option being better so I can return the more expensive. It’s really not difficult if one focuses on very specific sounds and how detailed they are and where the placement is. When something is prominent on one DAC and you literally can’t even hear it on another, then switch back and there it is again. When something is easily repeatble and obvious like that it’s not actually a placebo effect is any more than having a piece of paper with 4 dots that you switch out for one with 5 dots. If you go back and forth and see always 4 on one and always 5 on the other a placebo effect is not the reason.

Same amp with multiple DACs connected at the same time, volume matched. Just switch the source and can easily tell differences. Maybe a 1 second gap in doing so. Focus on specific aspects of sound like perhaps a guitar you hear at extremes of left and right. Evaluating 2 R2R DACs that way the lesser one almost eliminated the guitar and what there was of it was in the center. With other comparisons there can be big differences in clarity or even hearing portions of music suddenly gone. Generally a skeptic with a science background so well aware of placebo effects and such. The differences I’ve heard in DACs have ranged from minor to significant. Makes me wonder how others can’t hear these obvious differences. Though if it was 30 seconds or more between switching sources I wouldn’t trust my auditory memory.