My main listening room was the family room and has a couch as the only sitting space in the room. Most nights, I have a dog on either side of me, but they are definitely sleeping. 🐾🐾
Magnepans and dogs
I used to own a pair of Proac Response 3s - loved them, and I still miss them sometimes. But during my listening sessions my dog would soon get up off the couch and head into another room. Recently I bought a pair of Maggie 1.7s. Now my dog stays in the room when I listen. And, she jumps up into the listening chair when I get up. Nothing else in the system changed - electronics are all tubes.
I am guessing this has to do with the fact that dogs are more sensitive to sounds in high frequency ranges. Did the ProAcs sound shrill to her?
Also, my wife LOVES the Maggies. We both have always enjoyed our listening sessions. But now she hogs the listening chair and stays up late to listen to music. I think she would divorce me if I tried to sell the Maggies (only a mild exaggeration). I have read that females have better hearing than men. Plus, I'm getting up there in the years, and my hearing probably is not what it used to be. I like the Maggies too and am quite satisfied with them, but it appears not to the extent as others in my household.
Can anyone provide a (semi-) scientific answer to this phenomenon?
PS. I am not a shill for Magnepan, just trying to understand what is going on.
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Our previous dog liked the Martin Logan Montis and my Wilson Audio Sabrina. He wasn’t a fan of the Dynaudios (and neither was I) as he would go out if the room after only a few minutes. |
There is some tribal hearsay out there that magneplanars induce more limbic brain activity than regular speakers. It could also be fake news. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. When they are in the room I turn the spl levels wayyy down and swap to simpler unplugged strings, solo flute, etc. They are not fans of complex music, dense orchestra, heavy metal, etc...Huge dynamic swings can be startling, uncomfortable to them. Dogs and cats are similar to human infants in that regard. |
I greet strange dogs with "Hi, Killer!" since one never knows.... 99% react favorably, since tone of voice infers I like them.....since I do.... Recently had to put down Sunny after 15+ years, our quiet seldom barking companion....50ish lbs. of Plott/Pitt, always ready for an 'out?' a treat a meal a play. Bad back knees (both operated upon), hips, gone deaf, bad eyes, blind in the left, walking into a bush and speared it and infection took over. Even our 2 cats miss her, Klio' esp. Her big dog buddy.....with similar coats of color... We still feel her loss.... ...just cats for awhile.... |
@stereo5 I pushed thru this just recently. What you said, almost word for word, reflected what I was saying to everyone. |
Everything reminds me of my dog If you remind me of my dog Smiling at strangers reminds me of my dog If you remind me of my dog Like the man on the subway Guys in bars remind me of my dog If you remind me of my dog Me and my ferocious dog Except when we go for a walk Everything reminds me of my dog What is it you want? Look at it Songwriter -- Jane Siberry. For non-commercial use only. |
@jrsyby I can't offer a scientific explanation but my two dogs enjoy my maggies as well. I was starting to wonder if they too had an affinity for Jazz. A few nights ago we were listening to Idle Moments by Grant Green and just as Joe Henderson's sax started playing one dog rolled over onto her back, belly up with her paws in the air. And the second dog did the same a moment later. I was tempted to join them. @stereo5 I understand your loss. My wife and I had to put down our previous dog after 13 years of faithful service and friendship. We didn't think we'd ever get another dog after that -- the grief was just too much. And then a year later we got two rescue puppies that had been given up by previous owners. They needed us as much as we need them. So far it's working out, we tell them they're not as good as our last dog and they just smile. |
By the way i always owned dogs big and small for the last 45 years... Now i keep 2 small dogs...One rescued adult from bad owners , the wiser one, a male small beautiful and of mixed races... The other rescued from abandonment directly from Cuba... A Havana race not recognized officially...A female , very gracious...It is my male one who pick her among others female candidates, not us ... They sleep together and eat together and play together as one...😊 Dogs made my empty house playful even after my children were gone for a long time now... Someone who mistreat dogs or children is not human for me... Same thing with cats but i prefer dogs as my guest even if i love cat... or birds especially crows...
«Animals are the human part of us...» Anonymus natural scientist
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My dog is very wise but i dont think his relation to some harmonics bundle imitate mine and he certainly does not discern no more than my wife did the difference between tubes and solid state... But my wife as the dog react favorably to the room controlled acoustic... I concluded that some dog are better educated in audio than others... 😊😉 Or perhaps my Sansui alpha sound more like tube than S.S. Anyway i owned only 2 tubes amplifiers in the past and the more fluid and meaty sound the more " tubes sound" come with my 2 solid state Sansui...Perhaps it is not the room acoustic my dog spotted but the Sansui alpha ... 😉 We must organize a listening dogs blind test ... Where do you live ? 😁 Perhaps one of us own the next RCA Victor dog ?...
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My dogs like my system. I have a love seat with my side in the sweet spot. One of my dogs always jumps up and listens. Likes classical, and jazz… but not the crazy frenetic stuff. In the much earlier days when I had solid state stuff other dogs and partner would leave the room. It is a great test of how natural your system sounds. |
I've got three dogs.One trots into the room and lays in his sweet spot as soon as I turn the tubes on to warm up for a few minutes. He seems to enjoy male vocalists the most,stretches out on his side and chills.Dog number two joins us sometimes if mellow acoustic music is playing.Dog three doesn't care and has never joined us.It seems they may have individual preferences.
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I have felt the same way as you do now twice, and twice I was wrong. I had a female Dachshund that I loved and lost, and then a male Standard Poodle that I adored and lost suddenly one day and very unexpectedly. I have now had a second male Dachshund for 15 years, and I’m every bit as attached to him. My point is that no dog is ever a replacement for a dog that you have loved and lost, but as long as you live, there is another dog out there somewhere that needs your love as much as you need theirs. Take the plunge when you feel up to it. You won’t regret it. Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread. |
Dogs hearing is very keen in the high frequency’s. I am envious, my dog and best friend died in 2009 after 13 1/2 years of love and devotion to my wife and I. He was the best behaved dog, never got into trouble and always listened. Although my wife and I want another dog badly, we just can’t bring ourselves to take the plunge again. I doubt I could love another dog as much as I loved my deceased best friend. Sorry, this really did not answer your question. |