"My ears were trained on my old JBL." Recent comment from another post. Do we presently chase a sound baked in our brain from our initial experience with audio?
Yes. I think that is frequently true. For me I had a memory from rock concerts and early “good” systems I heard. It took me decades to slowly realize that the treble I was chasing was actually distorted high frequency hash (one characteristic). Over time as my systems got better they kept pealing off the distortion and the sizzle that I remembered went away… it was disconcerting. But I realized what I was hearing was much better and more accurate to the instruments.
Over time I made a concerted effort to listen to real unamplified instruments and adjust my expectations. All music types on my system improved dramatically. I struggled with rock… since it is always electronically reproduced and unless you are in the mastering room you can’t really have an empirical ruler. Ultimately my conclusion was that if I only listened to rock and wanted to get that sound right I would have to get a set of JBL speakers. Of course that would have implications for all othe music types.
I don't live in a dorm room anymore, so the sound I hear is nothing like what I hear now, and my gear back then was crap anyway, so for me, it's a whole lot better now; nothing was baked into my brain except my brain itself, that got plenty baked! ;-)
Not for me. In the 70’s, I had the JBL L100A speakers. Good but overbearing bass and the highs were way too bright. Also, it was too much in your face. I had to back way off on the treble. I bought the new L100 Classics last December. Although the speakers look the same, the sound is much different. No more overbearing bass and the highs are so much better, a totally different speaker that looks like the original.
I never would have bought the new pair if they sounded like the old. Thank God they don’t.
I dreaded when a customer wanted to listen to the L100's. When they were done listening I would wait for them to make the first comment to see which way the audio wind was blowing. Just Bad Loudspeaker. Glad they updated the sound.
I used to work at a store that sold the old L100s and only carried Dynaco A25s at a super low price to draw customers. If I sold the A25s I made no money. However the A25s were so much better than the L100s it was sick.
...mho....*blink*(...yeah, back 'atcha...*L*) is current taste and prefs are 'informed' by our past 'listening experiences'...
'Dorm racket' is one of many 'worst case' experiences, but it does give a reference as to what to avoid, if anything.
It can take a spell and the experience into what music can really 'be', 'sound like', 'closer to what is heard and felt 'live' and with a collection of equipment one has amassed to 'do so'.
Not all will require 'bleeding edge' items to do that, for whatever their rationale to abstain from that pursuit....
I liked the L100s'....then. I came, I listened, l left. Got to 'live' with a pair where I 'worked' for a time. In an old small warehouse, you could thrash the 'ell out of them and not cook 'em. Impressive in itself....'chamber music'? mmmMaybe not so much.... *G*
JBL changed why? Did new companies replace "their" sound to capture that market? There are many who still listen to the vintage JBL's. Stands to reason that newer firms filled that void when JBL changed.
When I was a kid, I bought a mono Columbia of the Marlboro Festival under Casals, and first heard it on a Magnavox all in one record player with a built in amp and single cone mono speaker, and I remember being transported by the beauty of it. (I was a very odd 14 year old!) I still have that record and listened to it recently... and it still beautiful, and it took me right back there to my parents living room in 1967. I think of course our first experience of something sets the bar, and of course I now have better sounding recordings, but none more meaningful. For me, it's the gestalt. And to each their own.
This is a fantastic question.
I know it has impacted what genres of music I prefer.
I absolutely think it has affected my preferences for music reproduction. I spent my childhood around unamplified musical instruments and choirs. I didn't attend my first real rock concert until I was a teenager. Everything live before that was simple ensembles and basic amplification. The first real "stereo system" I ever heard belonged to the older brother of a friend. It was a turntable set up with home made horn speakers with big woofers. He loved progressive music (Pink Floyd, ELP, Rush, etc.) and he played it loud. It probably explains my eclectic taste in music to this day.
The system I have put together works fantastic for simple acoustical styles in live settings. It also allows me to play heavier, faster, and more layered styles just as well (at least to me).
I favor a system that reproduces live instruments/vocals as I remember hearing them as a kid and yet allows me to play progressive music really loud.
Most of us accept that audio memory is very short and pretty poor. So where sounds are closely matched few people can reliably distinguish in AB tests even where A B and X are presented at very short intervals. Some here try to perpetuate the myth that one can 'learn' how to listen. This doesn't really work.
So unfortunately there is no way we can reliably remember sound quality from 40 years ago or whatever.
They remember, the same way someone can call after 20 years and you know exactly who it is. I remember just fine. You have to train yourself.. It is learned and the more you practice the better you get at it.. the difference between a parts changer and a mechanic. THEY REMEMBER, the difference in sounds..
Musicians are the same way..
Nothing short or poor about people that are trained to listen.. Silly statement at the least..
I chose/kept my 2008 Cayin A88T because it sounded like my beloved 1958 Fisher 80-AZ’s and the Cayin is 50 years newer with remote volume.
Now, I am taking the Cayin to have it’s internal Bias adjusted, so I re-installed the Fishers.
They sound like my beloved Cayin!
They are amplifying the original electro-voice drivers they did in 1958 (horn tweeters; horn mids; 15" woofer reconed several times). This combo is what got me hooked on high quality sound when I inherited them in 1973.
I have used other amps and speakers over the years, but this is my favorite then and now.
In some respects, a revisit to something I enjoyed decades ago leaves me wondering why I thought it was so special. I suppose we are prone to romanticizing the past — our youth — and have fonder memories than realities. Just my take.
Interesting question. But surely, the answer will differ between individuals, and even for the same person with respect to different experiences and tastes. Was the first time you had sex the best time? Are you still "chasing after" a repeat of that experience?! Has your palette (for fine wine and food) not improved with age and experience? I loved JBL when I was in high school, too. And Corvettes. With age and experience, however, I came to appreciate subtlety and finesse, both in hearing and handling.
Which is not to say that I don't still have fond memories of those various "first times." But nostalgia is one thing; "chasing a sound baked into my brain from an initial experience"—well, that would be unfair to the second experience, and the third, and.... The question is really about what a "person" is. Am I the same person I was in high school? Yes...and no. I've learned a few things since then, and learning means altering one's perspective in various ways.
Interesting, I think you remember all experiences don't you good and bad.Like a good concert were the band clicked...or hopefully the engineer was paying attention and not stoned out. Is it the speaker or the music playing ,that makes us make up our minds.Would you like to listen to Timmy Tim while you made your mind up about buying a speaker or listening to Whitney Houston.
In an odd way I may be going home. I recently moved to a small cabin in the mountains. My power source is Battery/Solar so my old rig won't cut it. Back in the 80's my first really good speakers were Klipsch Forte's, I could not afford the related equipment to get them dialed in and sold the quickly. Yet, the Fortes left a lasting impression. I have a Jolida JD-1000a integrated amp that been lightly used and I've always felt the Fortes would have been a great match with the EL-34 tubed Jolida. The Fortes are 1st on my short list speakers but I'm still researching.
From a different perspective, my system has been in storage for over 3 months as I am having a new house built. I currently listen to my tunes via sony bluetooth headphones(which are fantastic) but I am curious to hear what my system sounds like once rebuilt in a new room. Will it sound as I remember? Will it be better/worse? Will some records have an improvement and vice versa?
I built my system around a sound that I like and curious if that will still be the case. Memory can be deceiving as well as romanticized.
polkalover, be ready potentially for a rude surprise when you set up your system again. The sound will likely be vastly different than you recall. You will need to reproach the task as though making a brand new rig. Very likely it will have elements you will like, and some you won't like. The sooner you accept the larger constraints and benefits of the new room, the happier you will be. Work with it to make it a great experience! :)
I am bracing for the shock. Its all part of this fun little hobby. Here's hoping the sound improves as the room will be improved over what I had. For starters its on a slab with plush carpeting instead of being on a a 2nd floor with hardwood floors and secondly, the electric is a direct run or dedicated circuit and an isolated ground from the panel with zero branch circuits.
Music - absolutely, although tastes have expanded a bit and a few bands are reduced significantly in the record rotation.
Stereo - definitely not. Every time I make an improvement (or especially when I moved), I wish I could have always heard something so good. The newest improvements are not as significant as the older ones as the law of diminishing returns rears its head.
It comes down to how much you are willing to spend on smaller and smaller improvements.
polkalover, speaking of bracing for a shock, a college age young lady in our church competed in platform diving. Her father related that they are only allowed so many dives according to a recovery schedule; each time they hit the water it can be the equivalent of the impact of a minor car accident!
Consider from Wikipedia: Diving is considered a collision sport because of the impactwith the water on entry. A diver entering the water from the 10-meter platform is traveling almost 40 miles per hour. These forces are enough to break bones and dislocate joints.
I prefer that the shock to my body be by sound waves versus water. :)
My room is similar, with concrete slab, thick pad and thick carpeting, and with dedicated runs for the audio system as well. This past year I upgraded the electrical service to 200A and with it whole house surge protection.
Prior to moving the system to the basement, I had it in the living room of this same house. I much prefer the new location for two primary reasons; I overbuilt the room to have extremely good noise diminishment, and it allows me to hear into the system, as in a recording studio. One does not get the sense of the room intruding or imposing its signature upon the system. I much prefer that effect. :)
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