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What is the order of importance of things which can get in the way of your listening enjoyment?


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On 19/03/2021 at 5:18 PM, andyr said:
  1. 'listener fatigue' - by which I mean there's a hard edge to the music coming from the speakers which means, after a short while ... you simply don't want to keep listening.  :(  The cause is varied - it could be a metal tweeter ... it could be an amp which emphasises odd-order harmonics ... as well as other things.
  2. hum from the speakers.  Due to, essentially, earthing problems in the system as a whole.
  3. noise from components - such as fan noise or transformer hum.
  4. a high noise floor - typically due to a crap power supply ... or insufficent shielding.
  5. sibilance - aah, but is this in the recording ... or is your system creating/emphasising it?  xD
  6. lack of soundstage depth (soundstage width is easy!).
  7. congestion - ie. a lack of clarity in the musical lines going on.

 

So ... what are others' issues.  "Tone" might be one, for instance, that is super-important to some people?

More seriously, I agree with number 1 being the worst. I listen for many hours a day and cannot tolerate any fatiguing sound whatsoever. If any component in my system makes me want to turn it down - or worse - off, then it has no place here at all. The rest of your list bother me to various degrees but unless they're really bad wouldn't stop me from enjoying music as background music at least. Whilst I do ideally try to get tonal accuracy right more than anything else, it is not the thing that gets in the way of enjoying music. It tends to run hand in hand with avoiding fatigue anyway.

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1 hour ago, Ittaku said:

It's hard to believe such a comment is being posted on the same forum where people say they can't live without the massive improvements a $1000 ethernet cable (allegedly) provides...

 

1 hour ago, Steffen said:

 

I would have hit the like button, but I don’t want to be accused of excessive high-fiving again...

 

57 minutes ago, Ittaku said:

:highfive:

Toxic, belittling puerile  behaviour such as, but not limited to that above, is high on my list atm

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3 hours ago, April Snow said:

Sibilance (looking at YOU Rod Stewart Greatest Hits repress !!) - LOL 

Brand new records that arrive warped

Brand new records that arrive with scuffs/scratches/marks and then you have to pay attention to see if it affects playback instead of enjoying the music

 

Current mood really does come into play too - I find listening to albums on a Saturday afternoon for example is not as nice as listening late at night.

For some reason music sounds better late evening..............

is it because of atmosphere? Mood? more relaxed not sure - but just something I have really noticed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower ambient noise levels.

 

The other is controversial but I think possibly valid: cleaner mains power supply, less pollution due to less use. Maybe more valid with those like me that use valve gear *shrug*

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Guest deanB

Over/under voltage. I always consult the voltage reading prior to switching (or not switching) my system on.

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Off-centre pressings. Once heard it cannot be unheard

 

Excessive sibilance or anything that draws unwanted attention to the system or the software being utilised

 

Wife walks in and wants to ask a question, NOW, necessitating mute button. Equanimity ruined

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Speaker, amplifier synergy.  If that is wrong , nothing will fix it. You can pair hyper dollar amps and speakers together, if they don’t feel the love you are in a world of pain. The right combination will hide the weaknesses is a plethora of other components, soft ware or mental state of mind. 

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2 hours ago, deanB said:

Over/under voltage. I always consult the voltage reading prior to switching (or not switching) my system on.

 

How are you measuring what your voltage is, at any point in time??

 

Andy

 

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Guest thethrowback
On 19/03/2021 at 5:18 PM, andyr said:
  • 'listener fatigue' - by which I mean there's a hard edge to the music coming from the speakers which means, after a short while ... you simply don't want to keep listening.  :(  The cause is varied - it could be a metal tweeter ... it could be an amp which emphasises odd-order harmonics ... as well as other things.
  • hum from the speakers.  Due to, essentially, earthing problems in the system as a whole.
  • noise from components - such as fan noise or transformer hum.
  • a high noise floor - typically due to a crap power supply ... or insufficent shielding.
  • sibilance - aah, but is this in the recording ... or is your system creating/emphasising it?  xD
  • lack of soundstage depth (soundstage width is easy!).
  • congestion - ie. a lack of clarity in the musical lines going on.

 

Thankfully, I can say none of the above.

 

I just hope that is not all from personal experience. Throw in a dying dog and it reads like a Country & Western lament about audio.

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I probably have all those problems and more in my "system" but it still doesn't stop me from enjoying music. Accepting the limitations of my system (in its current state), there is still satisfactory sound produced at least to my ears. Upgrading over time is part of the fun, if I started at end game I think i'd be bored (and broke).

 

Inconsistencies in recordings are however truly annoying, as I cant get to appreciate the full crappiness of my gear!

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  • Wife needing some sort of attention
  • Ditto children
  • Job
  • Dog
  • But seriously.....wife
  • Rolling tubes just to end up with same SQ
  • Rolling tubes just to end up with sound being slightly different but not sure how
  • Spending hours changing cables to end up with same SQ
  • Spending hours changing cables to end up with sound being slightly different but not sure how
  • Spending $$$ on tubes/cables only for above to happen
  • A-B.....then can't listen to test tracks for months
  • A-B.....then finding piece of gear doesn't work when you put it back or you can't remember the settings
  • A-B....finding a hum or buzz that wasn't there before
  • A-B just too subjective.....because the new gear looks so pretty
  • FOMO....buy gear you don't need or constantly side grade
  • FOMO...fear of moving on.....get new gear....is it better than old gear really? Sold old (in my case, generally 2 weeks!!) gear
  • Buy old gear back (at inflated price) to find....yes new gear is better....sell old gear again
  • Constantly thinking about whether selling Utopia/VO/VC/HEDD/HD800S/RAD-0/Cayin HA-300 etc was a good idea
  • Constantly thinking about buying back above
  • Wife
  • Changing pads......on headphones people!

Music is my life....unless better looking music comes along....?

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3 hours ago, BlueOceanBoy said:

unless better looking music comes along.

So no rabbit holes yet over A/B’ing different masterings of the same albums? And when they’re different, is the new one even better? Some songs yes some no. Occasionally none at all but new one is a higher format so better looking for sure.  Fall in a heap. 

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2 hours ago, Indie Hi-Fi said:

So no rabbit holes yet over A/B’ing different masterings of the same albums? And when they’re different, is the new one even better? Some songs yes some no. Occasionally none at all but new one is a higher format so better looking for sure.  Fall in a heap. 

As you know Hugo......this is a huge rabbit hole. Tidal MQA vs Non MQA? CD via transport or using ripper like Antipodes K10 to store on external or internal drive? NAS connected to streamer? Which sounds better? Don't get me started on vinyl! Is one album version better mastered than another? Because it was "mastered"? Was that from original master tapes or remastered from digital? And how and by whom? 

Many on this forum decry Tidal in general and particularly MQA. To me, sometimes MQA is better and sometimes not. Sometimes Tidal is better than CD etc. Is it a mood thing? There was some heated discussion recently about Neil Young pulling his albums off Tidal because of how they (to him) were remastered. Bring on Qobuz!!!

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1 hour ago, BlueOceanBoy said:

As you know Hugo......this is a huge rabbit hole. Tidal MQA vs Non MQA? CD via transport or using ripper like Antipodes K10 to store on external or internal drive? NAS connected to streamer? Which sounds better? Don't get me started on vinyl! Is one album version better mastered than another? Because it was "mastered"? Was that from original master tapes or remastered from digital? And how and by whom? 

Many on this forum decry Tidal in general and particularly MQA. To me, sometimes MQA is better and sometimes not. Sometimes Tidal is better than CD etc. Is it a mood thing? There was some heated discussion recently about Neil Young pulling his albums off Tidal because of how they (to him) were remastered. Bring on Qobuz!!!

Not quite - Neil Young objected to them using the term 'masters' - when he says only he has the masters.  Hard to argue with that. But really? Ole Neil, much as I love him, just moved them over to Amazon... I suspect he got a better deal there...

And in answer to the OP's question - it bugs me when various apps don't/won't give me the details about the file I'm listening to... 

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I'm pretty happy with my system overall, but will always wonder "but what if?" I would like to try other power sources, my voltage is pretty steady but a bit high at 248volts. It doesn't stop me enjoying music at all, but for me extraneous noise that I can't control (neigbours dog yapping, lawnmowers etc.) sometimes require a zen like mindfulness. 

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On 24/03/2021 at 11:06 AM, MrC said:

Can you please elaborate?

Really?  You haven't experienced the myriad of people telling you why your system doesn't sound right?   Instead of reading that tripe,  we should spend more time enjoying our listening.

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On 25/03/2021 at 6:00 AM, thethrowback said:

 

Thankfully, I can say none of the above.

 

I just hope that is not all from personal experience. Throw in a dying dog and it reads like a Country & Western lament about audio.

Wash your mouth out?

If people posting here spent more time listening to Hank Williams or Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard or Willie or any one of a hundred players they would be so immersed in the music and the emotion ofThe moment they wouldn’t notice the end of the world let alone a cable not being up to standard

 

 

Even more so after a few ?????

And ????????

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11 minutes ago, keyse1 said:

 

If people posting here spent more time listening to Hank Williams or Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard or Willie or any one of a hundred players they would be so immersed in the music and the emotion ofThe moment they wouldn’t notice the end of the world let alone a cable not being up to standard

 

 

... or even unplugged.

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Guest thethrowback
53 minutes ago, keyse1 said:

Wash your mouth out?

 

You'd have to admit the lyrics to some Country music songs can plumb the depths of misery, and that's not a criticism.

 

"Good Year for the Roses" or "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry" are some of the saddest songs I have ever listened to.

 

According to the old joke, if you play Country music backwards you get your job and your spouse back, and your dog comes home. ?‍?

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3 hours ago, aussievintage said:

Really?  You haven't experienced the myriad of people telling you why your system doesn't sound right?   Instead of reading that tripe,  we should spend more time enjoying our listening.

Hey I agree with you  .... I was playing dumb.  I have and I know that certain people on this forum are self-appointed experts and whoa betide anyone who contradicts them.

Edited by MrC
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2 hours ago, keyse1 said:

Wash your mouth out?

If people posting here spent more time listening to Hank Williams or Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard or Willie or any one of a hundred players they would be so immersed in the music and the emotion ofThe moment they wouldn’t notice the end of the world let alone a cable not being up to standard

 

 

Even more so after a few ?????

And ????????

 

And please; take it from someone who never thought he would like country or western music; do yourself a favour and listen to Asleep at the Wheel - what a great band over the decades....

And apologies for taking the topic further off track .... been a long week.

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35 minutes ago, MrC said:

Hey I agree with you  .... I was playing dumb.  I have and I know that certain people on this forum are self-appointed experts and whoa betide anyone who contradicts them.

 

That's odd.

 

I have contributed to and read the entire thread and did not see anything such as you have alluded to. Sometimes when we are not in agreement with one another, one party inevitably gets the self appointed expert tag.

 

In any case the thread is just some fun and banter and discussing ways that people get to enjoy music cannot be a bad thing :)

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15 minutes ago, rantan said:

That's odd.

 

I have contributed to and read the entire thread and did not see anything such as you have alluded to. Sometimes when we are not in agreement with one another, one party inevitably gets the self appointed expert tag.

 

In any case the thread is just some fun and banter and discussing ways that people get to enjoy music cannot be a bad thing :)

 

 

  I am sure @MrC was, and I certainly am, talking about what happens in the many many other threads on these forums.  Don't get me wrong, I keep coming back for more - BUT, it is well to remind oneself about the realities.

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Guest Eggcup the Dafter
3 hours ago, aussievintage said:

Really?  You haven't experienced the myriad of people telling you why your system doesn't sound right?   Instead of reading that tripe,  we should spend more time enjoying our listening.

There are a lot of people who want their particular preference, or maybe the membership of their tribe, to be validated, as well.

 

If you want to be popular among audiophiles (and I found out that I know many more in real life than I thought, recently)  - don't buy a high priced class D amp, and never say you prefer CD to vinyl to someone's face.

 

As for all the technical faults getting in the way of your listening, remember back when you were listening to a cheap MP3 player, or if you go back to my era the all in one "record player" and the cheap transistor radio? Wasn't music fun in those days? Yet now a bit of background noise or slightly inadequate bass stops you listening? I had a great time in Coles a few days ago when some of that early 80s jazz funk came on, practically dancing down the aisle.

 

Sure, I can listen "better" on my overly expensive stuff in the living room. But do you lot never get caught unawares like that by music in a public place, in the background during a TV programme, wherever? If not, you've lost it.

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