physiology and psychology of hearing

@jsalerno277 

If I hear a note I cannot tell you what it is from memory, but I can go to a piano keyboard and play that note.  If I hear a song, I can play the melody and build the cords easily, with awful technique since I had never had piano lessons.  

I am amazed by those who can go into a foreign environment and tune a piano by ear, with no tools or meters, and have it in perfect tune. 

I am in retirement for a year.  I want to now take piano lessons.  I will start soon. 

Good for you. There are many teachers who would say don't bother; you're too old. Ignore them and enjoy it. 

In other words spousal selective hearing or pushing the mute button

I have that mute button. Took years to develop. Evolution. 

larsman

@mihorn - so you’re saying it’s physically impossible for a woman to be an ’audiophile’? I wouldn’t think they were mutually exclusive, but that’s just me.

I said "a’philes (men) can alternating between 2 sounds faster and easily than women." I should say "women in general." Few women have trained ears by exposed to hi-fi in young age.

Somehow more men are committed to hi-fi (un-natural) sound which takes much energy and effort (the listener’s fatigue). And most women refuse to fall for hi-fi sound and they tend to visit the live band cafe or concerts more.

Thanks! Alex/Wavetouch audio

@curiousjim

I can tell one note from another, I’ve been getting this high pitched noise in my ears and if it keeps getting louder I might not be able to hear any notes.☹️

My experience may give you some hope, but there's no guarantees.  About 40 years ago I suddenly got the high pitched ringing - tinnitus - in both ears.  It seemed to happen in a split second and stayed there for a couple of decades.  Then I became aware that it had gone away, almost completely.  It only comes back if I get very tired. 

My hearing today is good enough to almost instantaneously tell that a Super Audio Compact Disk was being played back at CD quality rather than using Direct Stream Digital.  This turned out to be an implementation fault in my Reavon 200 universal disk player. 

My selective hearing developed way before I got married - by three years old, I had learnt to block my mum, according to the doctor.

Hopefully one day your tinnitus will disappear ...

If you tell yourself a more expensive power cord, lifts, or some boutique speaker cables are going to change the sound, you've built in a bias where you think it DOES sound different. But it doesn't. Not one bit. And you've spent a lot of money for nothing. Snake oil companies appreciate your business, though. Keeps the economy humming.

squared80

If you tell yourself a more expensive power cord, lifts, or some boutique speaker cables are going to change the sound, you've built in a bias where you think it DOES sound different. But it doesn't. Not one bit.  Snake oil companies appreciate your business

Not all are a snake oil company.

To hear the different sounds in PC compare video, click 3:03 (JPS), listen 10 sec, click 11:25 (WTPC) 10 sec. Repeat. 

Alex/Waqvetouch Audio