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Have you ever hated the sound of your system one day, and loved it the next?

Last night I went to bed thinking my system was going down the tubes. This morning I loved it.
 Last night it sounded painfully bright and unbalanced.  This morning, on the same CDs, it sounded full and rich.
Now, I ask you, is it the system or me???
  I understand changes in electrical currents from the wall can play a part, but I have an expensive power conditioner.
 I was just wondering if this is a typical bugaboo among audiophiles.
128x128rvpiano
sealrock
13 posts
 
Yes, absolutely - I have this experience often. Haven't read through all these responses yet, so maybe someone already said this, but one factor you might not be taking into consideration are the fluctuations of your actual ears. According to an audiologist I once saw (I was a drummer subjected to loud noises regularly, and needed to have custom earplugs made), there are muscles in your ear that expand and contract to protect your inner ear from loud noise. I would guess if you were tense, or your ears were tensed, you might be essentially muffling your inner ear somewhat, or preventing it from being receptive to the sound coming in. Maybe in the morning you are relaxed and in the night you are worried. Or some variation of that. Sounds hokey, but I always consider this. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Keep a log. That way you have some chance, albeit a small one, of correlating what you hear from day to day, week to week, month to month to something, anything. Moving this, changing that, replacing that, time of day, whatever. Unfortunately, and I say this with the utmost sincerity, you won’t be able to correlate the sound to things you don’t know about or things that are not usually thought to have any influence whatsoever on the sound, that you would never suspect.

Made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side


michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
1,019 posts
 

If I may let me ask you guys a question. Why is it that so many HEA hobbyist don't know, or understand, that this is a variable science?

This is something that has puzzled me since the magazines went to component selling and moved away from adjusting the system. It's like time has stood still for 20 years in this portion of the hobby.

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net

rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
2,673 posts
 
Okay, this is ridiculous!
Notwithstanding all that has been written here, today my system is sounding like it NEVER sounded before.  All the parameters of sound are way better.
Is it electrical? Who the f@#$ knows?!

Its enough to drive you totally insane.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
rvpiano OP
Okay, this is ridiculous!
Notwithstanding all that has been written here, today my system is sounding like it NEVER sounded before. All the parameters of sound are way better.
Is it electrical? Who the f@#$ knows?!

Its enough to drive you totally insane.

>>>>>This is precisely why I say it’s a good idea to keep a log. That way you have some chance of correlating the sound you’re hearing on a particular day with something that could be affecting it. You know, like time of day, day of week, the weather, sun spot activity. Whatever. 
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