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Do you ever doubt you ears ?

I think I have very good hearing, probably better than average based on occasions when listening together with others. I have years of experience listening to a huge range of systems and equipment, a-b
comparisons etc., and I have also read an enormous amount about the subject. No doubt many here are at a higher level than I am.

When comparing cables I sometimes get confused. I hear big differences/improvements sometimes but when I go back to the reference a week later it sounds better. Switching around confuses me more. Bass is always the easiest and most consistent to compare. I start doubting my ears or my memory, especially when my opinion is 180 degrees different to reviews.
mike60
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
05-29-11: Philjolet
NO, I have not started doubting my ears yet.

I think the best way to 'listen' is to not 'listen' specifically for anything, give it at least two weeks and then switch back, keep the conscious mind out of it ...
I agree. I don't pay attention to the sound *per se* so much as pay attention to my emotional response to the music. Moods and other things vary so it takes multiple listenings over a period of time to be sure.

But I no longer specifically listen for higher highs, l bass extension, lower detail, etc. I pay attention to how much the music moves me, and if the swap improves resolution, I'll notice it along the way (e.g., I never noticed the backup chorus before). And if the music irritates me more than before, I'll notice that too.
sounds_real_audio
1,019 posts
 
The point here gentlemen and Elizabeth is that if you have a set up in your home and you have a couple months to listen, then no, your ears will not lie.

A few hours in a dealers show room, or at the CES show can be deceptive.
wolf_garcia
6,734 posts
 
I notice when something is wrong...a pair of new supposedly decent balanced cables recently sounded SO bad I refused to wait for whatever the break-in period was, and replaced 'em forthwith. Also a weird thing I bet most of us experience is when you take a shot at upgrading something just for the hell of it (curiosity, great reviews, you have too much money lying around, etc.) and realize, man, you REALLY improved things you didn't think needed improving. Always a pleasant surprise and good for what I call "self calibrating". You can call it that too, but avoid using florid words like "forthwith".
rgs92
974 posts
 
No, I can easily hear differences, even if I can't articulate them better than saying there is an overall correctness and ease and transparency and grip to the sound, and that's what I look for in a cable (IC or power or speaker.)
God it makes a huge difference, and I cringe at all the statements that it's all hocus-pocus, as I've been at this with so many cables for so long.
inna
7,354 posts
 
Usually, the biggest chalenge for me is not when something is better than the other but simply different and both good. To complicate that, and speaking of cables, one might be slighly preferable with one recording and the other with another one. And I don't really want to change cables back and forth.
I agree that one should give oneself enough time to eventually choose; let's say, a few weeks. Not only for cables, for everything.
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