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Perception

I’ve been very happy with my system lately, since I added new speakers and a new amplifier.  I felt it was totally balanced and almost anything I played on it sounded good.  Then a friend came over who had greatly admired my previous system configuration.  This friend owns decidedly mid fi audio equipment  and listens mostly on headphones.
 In short, he didn’t like my current system.
Now, I’m starting to listen to my system through HIS ears and have wondered if it was a mistake to upgrade.
I don’t know if this is a question of perception or weak-mindedness.
So much of the enjoyment of our rigs is in our head.  The system didn’t change.  My perception of it did.
 I now have to fight off his perception and get back to my own.
 I don’t think I’m a unique case. So much of what we perceive in audio is controlled by our psyches.



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terry9
2,342 posts
 
According to the research (e.g. Cox), most rectilinear rooms sound bad, however well they have been constructed. Like 2/3. Almost all of the remaining third are merely OK. Only a tiny proportion, on the order of 1%, are good.

Let alone the irregular rooms. Let alone the flexing drywall sounding like a bad out-of-phase woofer. Enter the room tuning industry.

Voice is glorious on my ESL system, in my room. Everything else, not so much. Wonder what it will be like in my new, purpose built two channel room?
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,182 posts
 
After 35+ years in Audio , and having owned a Audio store to get a near ideal system  today you would need to spend 6 figures to truly be as good or better then live from 20 hz- to 20khz, and even then to an extent you are still in part
at the mercy of the recording. That being said I learned Long ago ,
justbuy rock solid engineered equipment ,preferable lightly used then upgrade the parts quality with premium parts , including the Loudspeaker crossover
and you can have Very solid performance for a fraction of what  it would cost 
to buy new and far better sounding then the Stock new piece of equipment 
unless spending Big money !! It is your perception  that counts, Period !!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Let’s briefly explore what the OP is referring to in his statement that his “larger point is how our perception of the sound is influenced by external factors.” Which I assume he means non-audio system related factors. That’s why I think the statement is so interesting, and even revolutionary. But, as I intimated people just don’t want to hear about it. They really don’t. They’ve got enough problems with room acoustics, cables, fuses, burn in, rf, vibration and things they can wrap their hands and heads around without worrying about things that go bump in the night. They don’t wish to get away from anything not in the audio path. Just give them some good old “rock solid engineering” and they’ll be happy. 🤗
melvinjames
416 posts
 
I don’t know if this is a question of perception or weak-mindedness.

In general, we trust in our own ability to discern good sound. Much is personal taste, of course, but with so much time and money invested in this hobby of ours I think many of us hope for validation when others hear our systems. When a fellow audiophile/music lover dislikes your system, especially after a major upgrade, it’s bound to make you question yourself, your choices, your taste, at least a tiny bit. Seems like a very human reaction and not weak-mindedness at all.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,102 posts
 
I think Geoffkait is spot on about this thread... I go myself to the extreme with a fact I experiment with and that is not in the "audio path" : a tiny cooper bell suspended by the center of my ceiling audio room with 2 stones that change my perception of the imaging (shungite+ Herkimer diamond)...No sarcasm coming, only silence...
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