Think twice before concluding some thing sounds better

Hi Mapman.  I have had similar experiences. Initially, changes may sound like an improvement, but sometimes, especially with gain in high frequency extension, the presentation is more forward and overly bright.  Similarly, with greater emphasis in the bottom end, extended listening may expose a heavier, looser bass, which can also affect the mids.  This is why I often have issue with a/b comparisons.  Living with a new component for awhile, not ignoring break-in and synergy, is likely necessary for fair assessment. 

I think there is a limit to what anyone can hear in total and at any instant we focus on or hear certain things more than others. Then our focus changes over time and we hear what’s there differently with a different focus. Even when nothing at all has changed really in what is being played. It’s like looking at a picture. You can take the whole thing in initially then you tend to focus on different content at different times.

mapman wrote,

"I think there is a limit to what anyone can hear in total and at any instant we focus on or hear certain things more than others. Then our focus changes over time and we hear what’s there differently with a different focus. Even when nothing at all has changed really in what is being played. It’s like looking at a picture. You can take the whole thing in initially then you tend to focus on different content at different times."

I think it’s actually NOT like looking at a picture. No offense. Audio is neither like looking at a still picture or a moving picture. Either the sound is more complicated than pictures and video or we trust our vision much more than our hearing. That’s why, when we go shopping for TVs, we waltz into the TV store, look at a bunch of TVs that fit our budget and pick the one with the best picture. No hassle, no angst, no hand wringing. Quite unlike going shopping for audio stuff.

The problem is - and this is only my opinion - most of us don’t know where our system stacks up in the overall continuum of sound quality and are more or less LOST AT SEA when it comes to assessing the sound we have, the sound we’re striving for, and how to get there. Everything is relative. The only way we have to judge the quality of something is to compare it to something else, something better or worse. Obviously I’m using the word we editorially. 😛

I always take several months to evaluate a piece of equipment. I have also found that AB tests lead you no where. I have very firm ideas what I want my gear to sound like and thats what I strive for. Buy the way your description of buying a tv is no different from how a lot of people buy stereos
Alan