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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Far as, "a reset button": https://news.nd.edu/news/walking-through-doorways-causes-forgetting-new-research-shows/ I was happy to have something on which to blame my forgetting-why-I-went-to-the-kitchen, when I read that, years ago. Now I need an excuse, for standing at the bottom of my stairs, wondering if I had a reason to go up, or- if I just came down. I’d always hoped, getting old would take longer!
Go to live music, particularly unamplified concerts.  Listen, listen, listen to what real music performances sound like.  Then aim for that "same" perception with your system.  Rely on NO ears other than ones that are musically perceptive and exposed to live music.
Time to ditch this "friend" and meet some new people.

I mean, what's more important: your satisfaction with your carefully purchased & curated audio system? Or a long-time friend?
Going to live performances is perhaps the only practical way to really hit that "reset button" in regards to perception of what real music can sound like.

Only then you are in a good position to start objectively assessing the sound quality of recordings and the toys used to play them.


Be warned: what you hear in the jazz club or symphony hall will not sound like what you hear at the amplified rock concert. But it’s all real! Go figure! How about those recordings? Live or Memorex?