the ironically named prof (who hasn't read enough of my posts, apparently) writes:
Have you ever gone a step further, and "actually listened and compared" without peeking?
Yes. Matter of fact, I have. Several times. Beyond your silly double-blind too.
One time a friend came over, and with the same mulish know it all stubborn resistance to learning something new thought he would play a little trick on me. So he did a little something. While I was out of the room.
Well this was a party, another friend had a request, and wanting to do a quick level check sat down just to check the volume. Immediately, and I mean immediately, it was apparent something was wrong. Within about ten seconds, and just by listening, I figured out what it was, fixed it, and well under a minute had everything back to right. Only then did I notice my friend with this stunned stupid wtf look on his face, probably just the way prof would look if he had any self-awareness. Or awareness, period.
Earlier this year when trying my first Blue Quantum Fuse it took about a minute to be sure it was in there the wrong way. Not making this up, you can go back read my post. Here's one prof: read em all. Learn something! The Blue sounded better right away, but not right. I knew it couldn't be right. First time ever hearing one. Flipped it around, sure enough.
Like I said many times, wasn't always so good a listener. Its a skill. That's the good news prof, you can learn. If you want. Takes practice. Get on it. Anyway, time was thought the idea of warm-up was bunk. But, don't cost nuthin. So left everything on all the time. This went on for months. Never did notice any difference. See? Stupid idea. Oh well. This was a really old Kenwood, so old the power switch had died years ago, kept it on with a little wood peg shimmed to fit just right. Easier just to leave it on.
One day something moves, thing goes off. Since I long ago forgot and decided it was BS went ahead and left it off. Next day turned it on to listen. WTF??!?!? Thought at first the old Kenwood was finally ready to bite the dust. Damn. Well it was a good 20 years. Wait. What? I thought it sounded bad. Now.... eventually it dawns on me I had gotten used to the warmed-up sound.
Lotta stories like this. Friend does something behind your back. Something gets hooked up wrong, looks right, only sounds wrong. Happened over and over again.
Its easy to understand why some people are not good listeners, why they cannot hear these things. What seems trivially easy for me now was impossible 40 years ago. Also easy to understand why some guy at work would think its nuts. Not really his thing. What I can't understand is why anyone would hang around on a site dedicated to the proposition that there's things that sound better, and that these things are worth big money because of the way they sound, and then instead of doing that all they do is attack the very idea of being able to hear in the first place!
That. Is. Nuts!
