Learning To Listen

As I see it, there are three possibilities why this “journalist” sees precision that I can’t even begin to grasp: 1) My $3,000 system doesn’t buy me admission to this phenomenon, 2) It’s all BS, 3) I lack knowledge or understanding that the “journalist” has.

It could be a combination of all three.  Your system, but more likely, your setup of your system may not be capable of some of the described phenomena.  The audiophile world is filled with hyperbole.  Sonic differences are typically described as dramatic and not subtle.  Finally, the better reviewers have heard far more systems in more circumstances than the average audiophile.  It's possible that they have truly heard something that you have not.  Some even have the writing skill to describe it.   Regardless, learn what you can, but don't take it too seriously.


Let me use this story, possibly true, to illustrate.  A sports writer for a Philadelphia newspaper is in a bar early in the evening and spots the music critic falling down drunk.  That night Ormandy is premiering some classical work and the music critic clearly is not able to attend.  The next day the sports writer picks up the paper and reads a detailed review by the music critic of the Orchestra's performance.  The sports writer searches out the music critic and asks him how could he write such a thorough review of a performance he didn't attend.  The critic replied, "I'm a writer."

I’ve been helping a friend get into the hobby lately. He doesn’t have very good listening skills, but his system is getting more transparent. I’ve found it’s easier to start with the differences between speakers when getting him good listening experience. Then later on he’ll have a better foundation for listening to amps, dacs, cables. Speakers can be so dramatically different it really makes it easier.

It happened! My first time! But it was over so fast.
Anyway, I borrowed my father’s car, picked up Mary Jane, and parked up on Cobb’s Hill. Then. . . No, no, not that story. The imaging story.


So I found two guys out on the interwebs who, without knowing each other, agreed on a number of points. 1) It’s rare. Very rare. 2) It usually only happens with acoustic music played by a relatively small number of musicians. So the list has been cut to to jazz quartets and quintets. Chamber music, too, although I don’t listen to much of that. Live music was also good, they agreed, and not necessarily live acoustic music.  3) it doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s sublime, it’s the tops, and  it’s worth all the waiting


They each had a system for setting your speakers up but I didn’t use either and I don’t remember either system well enough to tell you how to set up the system. I had pretty much given up by now so I just put on what I wanted to hear which, at the moment, was Richard Thompson’s live album made in Austin a few years back. (Genius.) He does all of “Mock Tudor,” then throws in a few hits from over. “Semi-Detatched Mock Tudor.,” I believe. Brilliant.


In my apartment, you have to move a stool to sit in the sweet spot. (It has other attractions.) I didn’t think anything of it until I noticed Richard essentially standing on the coffee table. It’s Paul McCobb so I was worried for a moment but Richard was weightless. The drums were just above him. I didn’t get a sense of fore/aft but there was clearly a sense of vertical dispersion. The two other guy were dispersed to the left and the right and I could see them on either side of Richard. This was it!


Steve Gutenberg seems like a pretty excitable guy and I could easily see him transforming that experience into words like “3D” and “holographic.”


First, Mary Jane, then the sound stage. I’m on a roll.