Whether to do anything about the limitations of our ears
In the thread 'How do you listen?' appears the following:
"We do not hear all frequencies equally well at all volume levels. Low bass and high treble in particular need to be at a fairly high level to be heard at all."
This asks a big question:
Should we listen as our ears hear, with their inability to apprehend all audio band frequencies at the same intensity? As we are of course compelled to do when listening to live music.
Or when listening to recorded music should we adjust the intensity of particular frequencies we don't hear so well? This will of course give a different presentation from what we hear live.
Or, to put it a different way, should audio manufacturers design equipment to present the frequency range as flat as a microphone perceives it, or as our ears perceive it?
But a microphone is just another flawed ear, with its own imperfections as regards intensity across the audio frequency range (and others of course).
Or, again: a flat response can be flat only as the means of listening presents it.
"We do not hear all frequencies equally well at all volume levels. Low bass and high treble in particular need to be at a fairly high level to be heard at all."
This asks a big question:
Should we listen as our ears hear, with their inability to apprehend all audio band frequencies at the same intensity? As we are of course compelled to do when listening to live music.
Or when listening to recorded music should we adjust the intensity of particular frequencies we don't hear so well? This will of course give a different presentation from what we hear live.
Or, to put it a different way, should audio manufacturers design equipment to present the frequency range as flat as a microphone perceives it, or as our ears perceive it?
But a microphone is just another flawed ear, with its own imperfections as regards intensity across the audio frequency range (and others of course).
Or, again: a flat response can be flat only as the means of listening presents it.
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- 25 posts total
The U47 is not flat when compared to an Earthworks M30 which measures 3Hz to 30kHz plus/minus 1/3dB. The U47 was famous with vocalist for its very flattering proximity effect bass boost. Over the course of history acoustic instruments have been designed to sound good to "flawed" human hearing. Until the development of electronic instruments, synthesizers, music reflected this historical development. Despite this, if you want, you can use a smiley face EQ and think it sounds better. |
I answered your question in the very same post, you just selected one part and apparently didn’t read it all. Measurements, meters, microphones, all those things measure pressure waves. You can look at a printout to see what a meter thinks of pressure waves. If you want to know what a human being thinks of pressure waves (ie, what we hear) then you look at the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness contours. This is standard info, been around decades. Like I said, it is why they made the Loudness switch. We do not have any choice in the matter. It is just how we are. What helps is to understand how we are. You can try and do that, or bang your head against the wall trying to make yourself some cyber ears or whatever. Personally, I would prioritize improving what's between the ears. But that’s just me. |
If you want to know what a human being thinks of pressure waves (ie, what we hear) then you look at the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness contours. Great post thanks.... It is the reason why the peculiarity of each specific pair of human ears being different, we must adapt and fine tuned the relation of our room to the speakers characteristic not in regard of the absolute meaning of the specs sheet but the way it is PERVEIVED by our OWN ears in our room... Like any audio engineer take into account this "contour" to drive his mixing, in our own room knowing that our own ears will experiment timbre perception slightly differently because of the specific manner our own ears filter and group the sound waves amplitude , we must create a specific set of pressure zones in our room that will please our ears and will compensate for our speakers particular specs....... We can also pay an acoustician to redesign our small room acoustically for our specific audio system... We can made it ourself at low cost... Acoustic passive treatment and mechanical active control can play for the speakers/ ears the function of a compensating hearing aid , the room being now an activated device for a better S.Q. In audio our untreated and uncontrolled room has more limitating effects than our own innate hearing limitations which we can compensate for.... |
For me it is VERY simple. If I don't like what I'm hearing I change it. I don't care what it originally sounded like. I don't play music to please the person who produced the music, it's quite the opposite for me. If that means a smiley face or a frown or + 10db from 8khz up with an EQ, my system is there to please me and who ever is there with me. There are no RULES in the stereo world. Just like there is NO cryin' in baseball, BUT two ears that work (ok), tone control and added bass (correction) sure works for me.. I'm actually having a balanced big valve EQ made and looking real hard at an Active valve (tube) crossover. No rules, RULE!! Regards |
- 25 posts total