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  3. 148401-20253

Well maybe it IS my hearing

Hi everyone,
Lately I've gotten into some lively debates. One thing which I'm afraid we don't take into account enough is our own personal hearing. Truth is there's now way I can hear like I did when I was 20 something. So, quite likely I hear very differently than other A'goners. Just because I personally can't hear a difference in a power cable / tweak doesn't mean you don't. I don't make that claim. 

However I think it is also unfair to accuse me of having an agenda if I can't.


Lastly, if I can't hear a difference, the financial value I place on a more expensive tweak = zero. That's just the way my wallet operates. I'm not buying to impress others. My stereo is not my Mistress whom I must serve with more and more expensive shoes.  I just made her a very pretty red and carbon fiber and aluminum power and she's going to have to be happy with that.


I do take exception to over broad, fact less claims of performance however, or people working very hard to explain to me how wrong a person I must be if I can't hear a difference.


I think this is good for you as well. Buy what your ears tell you have value, and don't be swayed by crowds.


Best,
E
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,484 posts
 
I am going to call a little bs her on older audiophiles hearing "better" especially when it comes to tweets. Stereophile has pushed notoriously bright and ragged sounding speakers as "better" and more revealing. Of course they make you feel like your ears are 20 years younger! 😆

There is nothing wrong with music lovers getting a speaker suited to their ears though. 
bstbomber's avatar
bstbomber
73 posts
 
I believe it is all about our individual Ears and how much our ears Know.
Musicians, recording engineers  and Audiophiles  have trained ears.
All our ears are different.



pcc67
226 posts
 
I am extremely happy with the performance of my system.  All interconnects are transparent,  not very expensive.  All PC are factory and I like them. The one time I introduced a 700 power cord,  it sounded bad. To bright. So I will stay with factory.  Nice thing is I dont suffer from OCD.  So no need to swap out equipment,  just build on what I have. When I am finished I might build some PCs just for fun and because u can make them look nice. I guess my hearing is still good,  because high frequencies hurt my ears.
Post removed 
kink56's avatar
kink56
91 posts
 
I think it is not only the physical aspects of hearing, but training yourself what to listen for. Hearing and listening are two different things.  That being said, I have evolved a sense of hearing to appreciate differences in sound with equipment.  As far back as 1974 I could hear a BIG difference between a Pioneer receiver vs a Sherwood.  And a bit later around 1982, between a Dual 1229 turntable and a SOTA Sapphire. Now I can discern differences between preamps amps and SOME CD players.  But once I got into cables, I could not tell much difference once I replaced the cheapo cables that came with lesser components (of course higher end components do not come with cables at all). 

For more subtle differences, A-B tests are not very informative. One has to live with a certain component before introducing a change to perceive a difference.  Yeah a A-B test will show the differences between a Dual and a SOTA, immediately but not so between a SOTA and a VPI for example.   And I would think between high end cables, it would take a lot more concentration and listening skills. I just have not been so inspired to put myself through it at that level. 

So, for those who CAN hear a difference, I believe you. For those who can't I believe you too.   But, yes, there is some hyperbole and emperor's new clothes syndromes in audio, as there is in just about everything. 
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