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I Just Don't Hear It - I wish I did

I am frustrated because I am an audiophile who cannot discern details from so many of the methods praised by other audiophiles. I joke about not having golden ears. That said, I can easily discern and appreciate good soundstage, image, balance, tone, timbre, transparency and even the synergy of a system. I am however unable to hear the improvements that result from, say a piece of Teflon tape or a $5.00 item from the plumbing aisle at Home Depot. Furthermore, I think it is grossly unfair that I must pay in multiples of one hundred, or even one thousand just to gain relatively slight improvements in transparency, detail, timbre soundstage, etc., when other audiophiles can gain the same level of details from a ten dollar tweak. In an effort to sooth my frustration, I tell myself that my fellow audiophiles are experiencing a placebo effect of some sort. Does anyone else struggle to hear….no wait; does anyone else struggle to comprehend how someone else can hear the perceived benefits gained by the inclusion of any number of highly touted tweaks/gimmicks (brass screws, copper couplers, Teflon tape, maple hardwood, racquet balls, etc.) I mean, the claims are that these methods actually result in improved soundstage, image, detail (“blacker backgrounds”), clarity, bass definition, etc.
Am I alone in my frustration here?
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Showing 1 response by zargon

zargon's avatar
zargon
453 posts
 
I think it is important as an audiophile to keep some balance between "the system" and "the music". Yet we seem to treat them differently. We may be frustrated because we don't hear some of what others report are obvious differences in system components and tweeks. At the same time, we a quite comfortable with liking some genres of music that others have no interest in.

I have decided what I hear and like is for me, not others. If a component makes a difference to me, I buy it. If I like a musician's work, I buy it. If not, don't. I have also found that where there is some science behind a tweek which I can understand and appreciate, I am more likely to give it a try. But even then, it might not make a difference which I can appreciate of find worth the cost.

Bottom line is don't fall in the trap of implementing something just because you have read somewhere that it provided a benefit to someone else. And don't feel guilty about it, because as these forums demonstrate, for every person that is promoting a change that makes a difference, there is someone just as deteremined that it does not.
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