Everyone hears differently. Literally, differently. On a cellular level even. Haven't seen the genetics on hearing but the studies on taste and vision show genuine differences in perception that are grounded in biology. This is in addition to things like physical deterioration with age, trauma, etc.
This still leaves a whole lotta stuff people are able physically to hear, yet will not know or report that they heard until and unless they develop the ability or skill to do so. Which definitely includes the vocabulary necessary to describe what you're hearing. My view is there's a lot of this. In other words regardless of how bad you think your hearing is there's a lot more you can hear than you think. But like with any sport you just need to work on your technique.
For example- long ago I was sure there was no difference between cables and CD players. Several times I tried and could hear no difference, even between things as obviously different as my old Magnavox CDB-650 and a ten times as expensive (and helluva lot newer) Wadia. One time I even was there when a guy who had made an appointment came in to compare two very expensive CD players. Wadia or Proceed and Levinson, something like that. Stood right behind the guy, and he took his time, never saying a word until the end he says hate to say this but I'm not hearing any difference.
Ha! See! Its not just me! Its all a scam! This guy sees it now too!
Except, one thing kept bugging me. I just couldn't shake this feeling there was something different, and I really was hearing it, only I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
The idea there were people who could hear stuff I could not, this frustrated the hell out of me. Absolutely had to get to the bottom of it.
And it took months- MONTHS! - until one day listening to of all things an XLO test CD track - at home, on my crap JBL lamp cord stereo- I had this epiphany. Eureka! I had finally begun to put my finger on a few of the sonic attributes that distinguished the sound of one component from another. And things went very fast from there.
By very fast I mean it only took another few months of this time dragging my wife around to see if she heard these things too, followed by a few more YEARS of driving around, home auditioning, reading, reading, reading, listening, listening, listening.
Which if a few years seems not very fast well it looks that way from 30 years later.
Probably two of those years I was active in audiophile clubs and by active I mean probably visited 30-50 homes, never passively listening either but always with a few components or tweaks to compare in their systems.
So while these are all listening skills I believe anyone can learn and that will enable anyone and everyone to hear all the crazy things people talk about, I also try and keep some perspective on just how long and hard they may need to devote themselves in order to do so.
It ain't easy. Sorry if I ever gave anyone a hard time acting like it is.
This still leaves a whole lotta stuff people are able physically to hear, yet will not know or report that they heard until and unless they develop the ability or skill to do so. Which definitely includes the vocabulary necessary to describe what you're hearing. My view is there's a lot of this. In other words regardless of how bad you think your hearing is there's a lot more you can hear than you think. But like with any sport you just need to work on your technique.
For example- long ago I was sure there was no difference between cables and CD players. Several times I tried and could hear no difference, even between things as obviously different as my old Magnavox CDB-650 and a ten times as expensive (and helluva lot newer) Wadia. One time I even was there when a guy who had made an appointment came in to compare two very expensive CD players. Wadia or Proceed and Levinson, something like that. Stood right behind the guy, and he took his time, never saying a word until the end he says hate to say this but I'm not hearing any difference.
Ha! See! Its not just me! Its all a scam! This guy sees it now too!
Except, one thing kept bugging me. I just couldn't shake this feeling there was something different, and I really was hearing it, only I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
The idea there were people who could hear stuff I could not, this frustrated the hell out of me. Absolutely had to get to the bottom of it.
And it took months- MONTHS! - until one day listening to of all things an XLO test CD track - at home, on my crap JBL lamp cord stereo- I had this epiphany. Eureka! I had finally begun to put my finger on a few of the sonic attributes that distinguished the sound of one component from another. And things went very fast from there.
By very fast I mean it only took another few months of this time dragging my wife around to see if she heard these things too, followed by a few more YEARS of driving around, home auditioning, reading, reading, reading, listening, listening, listening.
Which if a few years seems not very fast well it looks that way from 30 years later.
Probably two of those years I was active in audiophile clubs and by active I mean probably visited 30-50 homes, never passively listening either but always with a few components or tweaks to compare in their systems.
So while these are all listening skills I believe anyone can learn and that will enable anyone and everyone to hear all the crazy things people talk about, I also try and keep some perspective on just how long and hard they may need to devote themselves in order to do so.
It ain't easy. Sorry if I ever gave anyone a hard time acting like it is.