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Do you ever doubt you ears ?

I think I have very good hearing, probably better than average based on occasions when listening together with others. I have years of experience listening to a huge range of systems and equipment, a-b
comparisons etc., and I have also read an enormous amount about the subject. No doubt many here are at a higher level than I am.

When comparing cables I sometimes get confused. I hear big differences/improvements sometimes but when I go back to the reference a week later it sounds better. Switching around confuses me more. Bass is always the easiest and most consistent to compare. I start doubting my ears or my memory, especially when my opinion is 180 degrees different to reviews.
mike60

Showing 8 responses by wolf_garcia

wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
I know the sounds in my head are really there...I just do.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
I notice when something is wrong...a pair of new supposedly decent balanced cables recently sounded SO bad I refused to wait for whatever the break-in period was, and replaced 'em forthwith. Also a weird thing I bet most of us experience is when you take a shot at upgrading something just for the hell of it (curiosity, great reviews, you have too much money lying around, etc.) and realize, man, you REALLY improved things you didn't think needed improving. Always a pleasant surprise and good for what I call "self calibrating". You can call it that too, but avoid using florid words like "forthwith".
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
I think "waiting a few weeks" should be for MINOR but arguably important improvement...if something is unlistenable I say life is too short to wait for it to come around. But then I'm old.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
Minor waiting: good...things that take weeks to supposedly "break in": bad. Although I do like it when a really sweet sounding component surprises me by getting better. That's VERY good.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
I refuse to leave my system on...my electron manipulation hobby devices hew to my absolute control...sometimes I even listen to it when it's off...a sort of high level meditative quiet...it all just sits there peacefully waiting for my command. Actually, my break-in limit is maybe 3 days (unless the item is SO bad I reject it immediately). Anybody who leaves a 50's Fender sitting for some years should suffer a custody intervention...just the thought of that makes me sad.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
Perception by its very nature defies certainty...that's what makes it interesting, and what makes music musical.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
A hifi item "Several times the quality" often means several times the price with a very small (or undetectable) improvement in sound...with something as difficult to quantify as "sound quality" I think we Audio Gear Hobbyists sometimes just change for change. I recently "upgraded" nearly everything in my stereo heap to relatively inexpensive used or discontinued different (but well regarded) things and it sounds a LOT better and for now I'm happy...but that pretty turntable at Goodwin's over there would make me a better person...and that thick, well reviewed power cable would make the electrons more organized and perkier...and most of my friends won't listen to any of it.
wolf_garcia
6,595 posts
 
El redundo amundo. Indeed, that is pretty much exactly what I said.
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