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Perception

I’ve been very happy with my system lately, since I added new speakers and a new amplifier.  I felt it was totally balanced and almost anything I played on it sounded good.  Then a friend came over who had greatly admired my previous system configuration.  This friend owns decidedly mid fi audio equipment  and listens mostly on headphones.
 In short, he didn’t like my current system.
Now, I’m starting to listen to my system through HIS ears and have wondered if it was a mistake to upgrade.
I don’t know if this is a question of perception or weak-mindedness.
So much of the enjoyment of our rigs is in our head.  The system didn’t change.  My perception of it did.
 I now have to fight off his perception and get back to my own.
 I don’t think I’m a unique case. So much of what we perceive in audio is controlled by our psyches.



128x128rvpiano

Showing 2 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,863 posts
 
Going to live performances is perhaps the only practical way to really hit that "reset button" in regards to perception of what real music can sound like.

Only then you are in a good position to start objectively assessing the sound quality of recordings and the toys used to play them.


Be warned: what you hear in the jazz club or symphony hall will not sound like what you hear at the amplified rock concert. But it’s all real! Go figure! How about those recordings? Live or Memorex?
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,863 posts
 
rv,

We all have a reset button. When the mind gets too cluttered to function objectively, may be time to press it and start over anew.
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