2. misc-audio
  3. 1264984787

Do you have tin ears?

About a decade ago I jumped into the audio craze and went at it full force. With my budget at the time I purchased the best of the best that I could find through Audiogon or purchased it new. I had problems with my tin ears. I'd have 8 or 9 pairs of IC's and they all sounded the same. I couldn't tell A from B. They all sounded as good to me. I spent a considerable amount of money to find that special cable and never found it.

So, this time around, as I put a modest system together with pieces from back when and and maybe a few new things, I am approaching ICs differently. This time I am going to purchase something solid and durable and stay there. I may consider something by Signal Cable or maybe Blue Jean Cables. Signal cable makes some durable stuff so that may be my ticket

How about you guys? Any others with ears of tin?
matchstikman
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Have you visited an audiologist? This is a must for any one into the high end. A full 'spectrum' hearing test is a must, not the standard test that generally stops at 8K. With a test you will know what your hearing curve is all about and can 'see' where your hearing may be adding bias to your listening choices. Use the visit to get a good pair of ear molds made for listening with your portable player.

Lastly, have you had a doctor check your ear wax? Yes, it will make a difference in what you hear. I have a doctor check twice a year and it make a big difference.
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 
You don't have to have perfect hearing to tell the difference between real sounds and what you are hearing from your hi-fi. Just saying.

Thanx, Russ
Ag insider logo xs@2x
ncarv
983 posts
 
Lucky you!
donjr
1,335 posts
 
I've learned to listen deeper, but can't really decipher differences in IC's or speaker cable. I did notice a substantial difference in a dedicated circuit and Portport. I can also tell blindly if my speaker grills are on or off. No matter how hard I try and burn a good cd for the car, it can't get past a test on the main system it sounds so bad. Headphones are a different story. I had Blue Jeans make me a 15' cord for my AKG702's and it sounds better than the stock without question.
matchstikman OP
205 posts
 
For what it is worth I didn't know I had tin ears until I spent a few dollars on a few items in an attempt to hear what everyone else heard. I never heard any real difference between any cables. I was told that my system was not "high end" enough for me to really tell the difference. I did get some of my money back after I resold it on Audiogon and such.

I've got part of my system set up now and it sounds good and I will admit I've got some junkie radio shack cables keeping everything together and I'm not really sure if any IC more expensive than the RS stuff will do me any better. I think I can do a bit better than RS cables just to give my system the benefit of the doubt. Honestly, I think that the sound differences everyone hears is imagined much more than it is real.

Oh, my ears are clean. Thank you.
More to discover