Learning To Listen

MC sez ...

• "This is where a lot of the double-blind bias BS comes from. People who never learned to listen cannot hear anything there and so presume there really is nothing there. Prove it to me! They say. Learn to listen, you won’t need anyone to prove anything. You will know."

Bingo! 

I especially liked the driving analogy that MC put out there. Here's another one ... I see yahoos riding motorcycles and bicycles in a dangerous fashion all the time. These are street riders. In order to become a safe motorcyclist or bicyclists, one needs to not only learn how to just ride safely, but also learn how to get out of trouble, and how to recover from dangerous situations. When it comes to motorcycles, one should ride dirt bikes for a period of time before attempting to ride on the street. Becoming a competent dirt rider will save your pitui on the street.

When it comes to becoming a good listener in the audio hobby, one should become very familiar with live music. Pay attention to the tones of live instruments. Then, try to emulate those tones in one's audio system. 

Frank  

Light in the darkness:

https://audioengineusa.com/explore/what-is-a-soundstage/

My apologies. That article is essentially a great introductory paragraph. Just when you think, “Aha! Now we’re going to get somewhere,” it’s over and they try to sell you speakers.”

A PhD thesis that seems right on point. Note that in the abstract, of all places, the author notes that he’ll be using “vector base amplitude planning” so it may be a slog.

http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2001/isbn9512255324/isbn9512255324.pdf

As I see it, there are three possibilities why this “journalist” sees precision that I can’t even begin to grasp: 1) My $3,000 system doesn’t buy me admission to this phenomenon, 2) It’s all BS, 3) I lack knowledge or understanding that the “journalist” has.

It could be a combination of all three.  Your system, but more likely, your setup of your system may not be capable of some of the described phenomena.  The audiophile world is filled with hyperbole.  Sonic differences are typically described as dramatic and not subtle.  Finally, the better reviewers have heard far more systems in more circumstances than the average audiophile.  It's possible that they have truly heard something that you have not.  Some even have the writing skill to describe it.   Regardless, learn what you can, but don't take it too seriously.


Let me use this story, possibly true, to illustrate.  A sports writer for a Philadelphia newspaper is in a bar early in the evening and spots the music critic falling down drunk.  That night Ormandy is premiering some classical work and the music critic clearly is not able to attend.  The next day the sports writer picks up the paper and reads a detailed review by the music critic of the Orchestra's performance.  The sports writer searches out the music critic and asks him how could he write such a thorough review of a performance he didn't attend.  The critic replied, "I'm a writer."