Fatigue Subjective???

Listener fatigue is very real but can be more on the subconscious level.

But beware of both sides of the coin.

There's a fine line between amps that provide so much detail leading to an overly bright sound and amps that veil, smear, and roll off the highs and sometimes dynamics so that you end up listening to Musak elevator music.

Especially beware, when people say "I could listen to this amp for days or forever."

As Peter Moncrief of IAR said regarding some of these supposedly hi-end and very expensive and popular amps, "These amps may be easy to live with. But it's the other amps you won't want to live without."

Also, I understand that the Thiel line can be a more bright speaker than the average.

You must match components carefully for so that the sum is greater than it's parts so to speak.

For me, music can be very dynamic and yes even to the point of fatigue if loud enough or played long enough.

I want my components to capture that 'live' bite if it exists in the recording. It can always be toned down in different ways, but I certainly don't want some high priced electrical engineering amp wiz making that decision for me.

-IMO

Of course it's subjective -- but focusing on whether or not it is subjective is like saying that green is an inherently better color and therefore everyone should paint thier houses green, inside and out, and if they don't like it who cares because it's just "subjective." Lord, I trust that the ears you use are going to be your own when you listen to this system...? Not only does this guy sound "surly," but his comments seem to volunteer him for the shortlist of potential congenital idiots. If he's not prepared to help you put together a system that you want to listen to, find someone who is and feel real good about your decision.

I'm not sure I have a real handle on this "fatigue" thing. Just what is it that fatigues you? I had Naim gear for 10 years and it never fatigued me. Perhaps the Naim has more detail and musical involvement, causing you to have to concentrate on more information reaching your ears. I don't know. The only fatigue I have experienced is with poor sound quality from lower level products. I now use OTL tu be amps with Lowthers and they produce tremendous detail, but I can't call it fatiguing. Do you want an amp that lulls you to sleep with soft, low detail schmooze, or an amp with dynamics and power and lots of detail that keeps you involved in the music? Or maybe it is the source that is bothering you. Many feel that CD is fatiguing, compared to vinyl, and has an edge that some go the great length to smooth out with their other components. It could be that the amp is simply revealing something that you don't like about the source. Maybe I just need to find out more about what this "fatigue" is.

Fatigue has a lot to do with the recording itself. I've been able to listen hours of music at high volume and never have a problem. Slip in a specific disc and i've got a headache after about 10 - 15 minutes.

I also think that our AC system affects what we hear and how we perceive what we are listening to a LOT more than we think it does. As i've commented before, i can quite easily hear a change in my systems as the night goes on. This usually takes place somewhere between 1 - 2 AM. There will be one specific point where, and this happens quite suddenly, the music becomes FAR more liquid and coherent sounding. It is as if a layer of "grit" is removed. This happens regardless of the source selected i.e vinyl, cd or FM. It is so apparent that it is almost like someone flipped a switch. I think that the only way to get around this is to have your own personal generator housed out on the back 40 or run gear that is all battery powered. Sean
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