Perception

OK, dudes and dudettes, here are some practical examples anyone can do that illustrate what I’m referring to, that our local environment affects our sensory perception of sound. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that these examples cannot be affecting the sound directly, cannot be affecting the audio signal anywhere in the room - not the acoustic waves, the house wiring, cabling, speakers or electronics.

1. If you have CDs or LP stacked horizontally anywhere in the room, instead stack them vertically. Then listen to the system. See what you think. Isn’t that better? 😳

2. If you have any cell phones in the house take them outside. Listen before and after. See what you think. Isn’t that better? 😳

3. Anyone with a lot of books in the listening room, take take them to another room. Same goes for magazines, newspapers, etc. See if that doesn’t improve the sound. Isn’t that better? 😳

4. If you have spare electronics equipment, you know, amps, CD players, spare cables, speakers, musical instruments in the room, taken them all out of the room to another room. Then listen to the system again. Then you tell me, isn’t that a lot better? 🤗

5. Take all batteries from remotes, toys, flashlights, etc. and take them outside for this experiment. Listen to the sound. See, isn’t that better? 😀

Have I forgotten anything? Whoa! Hey, I forgot plants! 🌿 Now, everybody knows plants are supposed to be good for the sound, right? You know, the diffusion provided by a nice palm or fern or rubber tree plant sitting in the room, plus providing a nice relaxing atmosphere, right? Try removing all plants from the room, take them outside for best results. Let me know what you hear. Plants want to be in the ground, not in some pot inside. It’s unnatural.

Have I forgotten anything?

Geoff, what happens when you take the Audiophile out of the room? : )

Often times when a band comes to town, they will play on multiple nights.  Talk to people who have attended all, for this example, three shows...and you will likely get feedback where person one preferred show two...and person two preferred show three...and so on.

How can this be....same band, same venue, same song set, etc. There are a lot of explanations...different mood of the listener each night....different humidity....different temperature....ever so slightly different settings by the sound man....and so on.

No home audio system is a PERFECT representation of live music...no matter how good it may be.  And, because of our own day to day variability as listeners, even the best home systems will provide what seems to be day to day variations in how we hearing and feeling the same song, on the same system, at the same time of day..etc.  Some people resolve this with multiple systems (kind of a today's preferred flavor is X and not Y).

One more comment....I suspect that this is why people who prefer headphones often own multiple headphones....and today choose to listen with headphone A and tomorrow prefer to listen with headphone B.