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I Just Don't Hear It - I wish I did

I am frustrated because I am an audiophile who cannot discern details from so many of the methods praised by other audiophiles. I joke about not having golden ears. That said, I can easily discern and appreciate good soundstage, image, balance, tone, timbre, transparency and even the synergy of a system. I am however unable to hear the improvements that result from, say a piece of Teflon tape or a $5.00 item from the plumbing aisle at Home Depot. Furthermore, I think it is grossly unfair that I must pay in multiples of one hundred, or even one thousand just to gain relatively slight improvements in transparency, detail, timbre soundstage, etc., when other audiophiles can gain the same level of details from a ten dollar tweak. In an effort to sooth my frustration, I tell myself that my fellow audiophiles are experiencing a placebo effect of some sort. Does anyone else struggle to hear….no wait; does anyone else struggle to comprehend how someone else can hear the perceived benefits gained by the inclusion of any number of highly touted tweaks/gimmicks (brass screws, copper couplers, Teflon tape, maple hardwood, racquet balls, etc.) I mean, the claims are that these methods actually result in improved soundstage, image, detail (“blacker backgrounds”), clarity, bass definition, etc.
Am I alone in my frustration here?
2chnlben
imin2u
392 posts
 
I hear some, I don't hear others. Consider yourself very very lucky.

ex. I cannot hear differences in many speaker cables but I can hear many differences in interconnects
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Not alone. I rarely hear differences from the small tweaks you mention. Setting my speakers on isolation blocks made a difference but the 2 inches difference in height was probably the reason.
My experience is the opposite of Imin2u's concerning ICs and speaker cables. Very little difference, if any, with ICs, while some speaker cables have made me sit up and notice. Have yet to hear a difference with any power cable change. This I attribute to clean power into my room. One of these days I'm gonna sell the PCs I've collected.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
Don't worry some people are more susceptible to the power of suggestion that is all.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Don't worry some people are more susceptible to the power of suggestion that is all.

Shame on you Shadorne.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,930 posts
 
I tend to be very skeptical of the value of many elaborate high cost tweaks and that skepticism has served me well over the years.

Still, I do not doubt that many make a difference of some sort, but not all differences are necessarily "better", just different.

Over the years I have found there are affordable ways to accomplish most of one's listening goals.

There are some fundamental things one can do that are relatively easy if you just do some homework first to understand how the technology and physics behind audio works, like chosing amp and speaker combos that work well together, fitting speakers to the room properly, and assuring good physical and electromagnetic isolation of components.

There are other tweaks that both technically make sense to me that they will affect the sound and I can also hear a difference to confirm it. Simple precautionary power conditioning is one. Different sounding ICs are another.

Just remember that no two things sound exactly the same. However some differences are significant and others are not. The best way to find out is do some homework, experiment with different stuff, and listen carefully.
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