Okay, I get it now. You have location confirmation bias. Paying castle price for a closet but okay because, New Yawk.
It's not projection after all. It's elitism.
It's not projection after all. It's elitism.
Visual Confirmation Bias
Nice term, Paul. Very impressive. Very scientific.
And original. Well, at least I’ve never seen it before so I’m going to claim it as my own.
Visual Confirmation Bias (VCB) is a variation on confirmation bias that postulates that your brain causes audio gear, particularly speakers, to sound the way they look.
I came up with this idea a week ago when I got my new (used) KEF LS50s. (Note: I’m sure that dozens of people have been talking about VCB for a hundred years. I’m not particularly interested in who preceded me but raising points like that is one of the reasons that this forum exists.)
I had read lots about the speaker and I was expecting accuracy and soundstage precision. Their rich, full sound surprised me. These were not adjectives that were usually attached to these speakers.
I’ve been obsessed with these speakers for the past week, reading about them constantly. I find myself most in agreement with The Absolute Sound, which described the speakers—just after they were released—as possessing a “prevailing sweetness, a harmonic saturation that lends it a dark, velvety overall character, and a bloom that is so pleasing that I began affectionately dubbing it the butterscotch sundae of small monitors.”
But in the years that followed, listener after listener reported a “hard” “bright” sound. And when I look at the speaker, those words make complete sense. A tiny metallic driver in a small box? They look tinny and bright so no wonder some people hear that.
My own strongest experience with VCB: Many years ago, on the pretense of looking for a CD player, I walked into Sound By Singer at its old 16th St. location. After just enough feigned interest, I asked the salesman to listen to something “really pornographic.”
Surprisingly, he was happy to take me into one of the listening rooms. The only specific piece of equipment I remember was a pair of Wilson Speakers. I don’t know which model but they were white and just over six feet tall. Each the size of a restaurant-grade refrigerator. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000.
Then I settled into the listening chair as the salesman started turning stuff on. Preamp, monoblock, monoblock, God knows what else. I just remember him throwing switch after switch. I have to believe all that gear equaled the price of the speakers.
If ever a system should have disappeared, it was this one. If ever the music should have been revealed to me, it was now. But even with my eyes closed, all I could see—and all I could hear—were these huge speakers looming over me. They could not have been more present in my listening experience.
Visual confirmation bias kept me from enjoying the finest pair of speakers that I’ll probably ever hear. The phenomenon is not to be underestimated.
And original. Well, at least I’ve never seen it before so I’m going to claim it as my own.
Visual Confirmation Bias (VCB) is a variation on confirmation bias that postulates that your brain causes audio gear, particularly speakers, to sound the way they look.
I came up with this idea a week ago when I got my new (used) KEF LS50s. (Note: I’m sure that dozens of people have been talking about VCB for a hundred years. I’m not particularly interested in who preceded me but raising points like that is one of the reasons that this forum exists.)
I had read lots about the speaker and I was expecting accuracy and soundstage precision. Their rich, full sound surprised me. These were not adjectives that were usually attached to these speakers.
I’ve been obsessed with these speakers for the past week, reading about them constantly. I find myself most in agreement with The Absolute Sound, which described the speakers—just after they were released—as possessing a “prevailing sweetness, a harmonic saturation that lends it a dark, velvety overall character, and a bloom that is so pleasing that I began affectionately dubbing it the butterscotch sundae of small monitors.”
But in the years that followed, listener after listener reported a “hard” “bright” sound. And when I look at the speaker, those words make complete sense. A tiny metallic driver in a small box? They look tinny and bright so no wonder some people hear that.
My own strongest experience with VCB: Many years ago, on the pretense of looking for a CD player, I walked into Sound By Singer at its old 16th St. location. After just enough feigned interest, I asked the salesman to listen to something “really pornographic.”
Surprisingly, he was happy to take me into one of the listening rooms. The only specific piece of equipment I remember was a pair of Wilson Speakers. I don’t know which model but they were white and just over six feet tall. Each the size of a restaurant-grade refrigerator. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000.
Then I settled into the listening chair as the salesman started turning stuff on. Preamp, monoblock, monoblock, God knows what else. I just remember him throwing switch after switch. I have to believe all that gear equaled the price of the speakers.
If ever a system should have disappeared, it was this one. If ever the music should have been revealed to me, it was now. But even with my eyes closed, all I could see—and all I could hear—were these huge speakers looming over me. They could not have been more present in my listening experience.
Visual confirmation bias kept me from enjoying the finest pair of speakers that I’ll probably ever hear. The phenomenon is not to be underestimated.
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- 48 posts total
Speaking of first reflections— One of the good things about this apartment is the many windows. The LS50s are firing at four of them. But they’re covered by very nice, old-school wooden blinds that are quite adept at diffraction. My biggest room problem is, if I’m sitting at my sonic strong seat, the point of first reflection is covered by two pieces of art, each covered in glass. Essentially, a 3x5 piece of glass. But is there anything to be done? Covering them with drapes would seem to defeat their purpose in life. Any ideas? Anything? |
I wouldn’t do anything the first reflections help those speakers. Here’s a thread on the LS50 might give you some insight. Contrary to what you read here first reflections are not always bad, depends on your application in your case I wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re not happy with the sound. https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/kef-ls50-bookshelf-speaker-review.11144/ |
Speaker placement is the most crucial. I get that everyone these days is trying to turn their listening room into a studio level reference response environment but I've always tried to adapt to the environment a best as possible. You can fully enjoy some Art Pepper in a brick wall apartment with lots of windows and reflections. I'm sure most would frown upon that statement if anyone actually reads it but it's true. Focus on the enjoyment. The quality of the gear is paramount as is speaker placement. Work with what you're workin with and smile.. |
By far the largest visual confirmation bias operates with women. We all believe the great-looking ones will be good at everything else and 99% of the time we are disappointed. 1% of the time we stick with it because she is simply irresistible. There is also of course tactile confirmation bias, where the figures are more like 25%-75%. |
- 48 posts total