diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 5e089d3824c5f74b5737bce6b7990c83dfe40565..c78aa3b276022510ea740069f267494b3a413530 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -286,8 +286,8 @@ stages:
 
     - if [ $zero_errors != 1 ]; then
     -     echo "Run errors encountered!"
-    # TODO: temporary only to not fail pipelines on crashes in encoder
-    -     if [[ "$CI_JOB_NAME" =~ "ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-enc" ]]; then
+    # TODO: temporary only to not fail MR pipelines on crashes
+    -     if [ $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'merge_request_event' ]; then
     -         exit $EXIT_CODE_NON_BE
     -     else
     -         exit $EXIT_CODE_FAIL
@@ -353,10 +353,13 @@ stages:
     # this per default builds the branch and the reference and creates the reference outputs
     - *build-and-create-reference-outputs
     - exit_code=0
-    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_BRANCH --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_BRANCH --mld --ssnr --odg --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || exit_code=$?
+    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --keep_files --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_BRANCH --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_BRANCH --mld --ssnr --odg --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || exit_code=$?
     - zero_errors_branch=$(cat $XML_REPORT_BRANCH | grep -c 'errors="0"') || true
     - python3 scripts/parse_xml_report.py $XML_REPORT_BRANCH $CSV_BRANCH
 
+    # Store branch outputs for comparison
+    - mv tests/dut tests/dut_branch
+
     # create the summary based on the branch
     - mkdir $IMAGES_ARTIFACT_NAME
     - for MEASURE in MLD DIFF SSNR;do python3 scripts/create_histogram_summary.py $CSV_BRANCH $IMAGES_ARTIFACT_NAME/summary_"$MEASURE".csv $IMAGES_ARTIFACT_NAME/summary_"$MEASURE".png --measure $MEASURE; done
@@ -367,24 +370,38 @@ stages:
     - git pull
     - make clean
     - make -j
-    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_MAIN --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_MAIN --mld --ssnr --odg --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || true
+    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --keep_files --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_MAIN --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_MAIN --mld --ssnr --odg --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || true
     - python3 scripts/parse_xml_report.py $XML_REPORT_MAIN $CSV_MAIN
 
+    # If outputs of main and branch are equal, have equal reports and no run errors were encountered, the job will pass.
+    - diff_sba=0
+    - diff_param=0
+    - diff_report=0
+    - python3 scripts/batch_comp_audio.py --tool pyaudio3dtools -sd tests/dut/sba_bs/raw tests/dut_branch/sba_bs/raw || diff_sba=$?
+    - python3 scripts/batch_comp_audio.py --tool pyaudio3dtools -sd tests/dut/param_file/dec tests/dut_branch/param_file/dec || diff_param=$?
+    - diff $CSV_BRANCH $CSV_MAIN || diff_report=$?
+    - if [ $diff_param -eq 0 ] && [ $diff_sba -eq 0 ] && [ $diff_report -eq 0 ] && [ $zero_errors_branch -eq 1 ]; then
+    -    echo "Output BE to main, identical report and no run errors encountered."
+    -    exit 0;
+    - fi
+
     ### compare the two csv files for regressions
     - regressions_found=0
     - python3 scripts/basop_check_for_changes_in_testcases.py $CSV_BRANCH $CSV_MAIN || regressions_found=$?
 
+    - if [ $exit_code -eq 1 ]; then echo "Differences encountered"; exit_code=$EXIT_CODE_NON_BE; fi
+    - if [ $zero_errors_branch != 1 ]; then echo "Run errors encountered!"; exit_code=$EXIT_CODE_NON_BE; fi
     - if [ $regressions_found != 0 ]; then
-    -    echo "Detected regression wrt to main!"
     -    if [ $allow_regressions_flag == 0 ]; then
-    -        exit $EXIT_CODE_FAIL;
+    -        echo "Detected regression wrt to main, [allow regression] not set!"
+    -        exit_code=$EXIT_CODE_FAIL;
     -    else
-    -        exit $EXIT_CODE_NON_BE;
+    -        echo "Detected regression wrt to main, [allow regression] set."
+    -        exit_code=$EXIT_CODE_NON_BE;
     -    fi
     - fi
-    - if [ $zero_errors_branch != 1 ]; then echo "Run errors encountered!"; exit $EXIT_CODE_NON_BE; fi
-    - if [ $exit_code -eq 1 ]; then echo "Differences encountered"; exit $EXIT_CODE_NON_BE; fi
-    - exit 0
+
+    - exit $exit_code
   after_script:
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
   allow_failure:
@@ -694,7 +711,7 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-dec:
     - LEVEL_SCALING=1.0
   <<: *ivas-pytest-anchor
   
-ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-lev-10:
+ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-dec-lev-10:
   extends:
     - .rules-pytest-to-ref-short
     - .test-job-linux