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Got Ears?

I'm wondering how quickly you develope your listening. I'm sure my ears are more in tune to pick up the little nuances in a high fidelity system than when I started this madness 9 months ago. Thanks to alot of you on this site I learned what to listen for, but I know that I still have alot to learn when it comes to picking up on certain things. Do you guys (and Elizabeth ;-) think that having an ear for audio is something that just continues to develope and develope? I feel that it's an important part to fully enjoying this hobby as it allows you to enjoy a well thought out rig and your music collection to the fullest. I'm fully enjoying cd's that just this time last year I would have only used as coasters or made fun of you for listening to that "crap". I can't help but think half is my rig, the other half are my somewhat trained ears. If I tell my girlfriend, who by the way grew up in a musical family (dad was a music director for years at a major university) and plays violin, guitar, sings and has perfect pitch, about how an improvement to my rig deepend the soundstage, brought out shimmering highs with faster attack and longer decay she cocks her head a bit and says "huh?". Anyways, have y'all noticed your ears getting more in tune with picking up all the things that make an audiophile an audiophile and if so how and when has that happened?
128x128b_limo
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
Don't let her get away with 'huh?'. I keep asking my wife how it sounds to her after I change something. I have always explained that the music is for both of us to enjoy and I need her to tell me when it sounds best to her. Now, she has started to ask what I changed and listens for sound staging cues. Because most women hear better (not always more often) there are frequencies that, if exaggerated, really bother her. I now get honest input and listening together is more frequent.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Liz, there's another OP running about the benefits of cryo treatment. I was wondering out loud if cryo treating the wifey or significant other might change their feelings about our hobby. Any thoughts??
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,834 posts
 
I've found that my listening acuity improved the more I replaced things. Granted, it was a very slow process but every swap, be it cable, amp, CDP, footers, gave an immediate, if not huge, difference. To my ears, no two things sounded the same.

With that came the deliberation as to what sounded better. No two people will hear the same thing so trust your ears. Too many differences, appreciations and rankings of importance vary from one individual to another. What is obvious to you will have others shaking their heads in disbelief, or worse, dismay.

Keep in mind that some, if not most people, can't hear or don't give a damn about subtle differences. Their interests don't go as far as yours and there is at play here a deliberate refusal to acknowledge what is obvious simply out of a lack of interest or what's rarely discussed, jealousy. They covet.

Your girlfriends lack of understanding is from not having a need to appreciate how you do it since she's been immersed in music all her life. She's had no need to approach it from your perspective. All music sounds good to her, even that which may not be as refined sounding as you'd like since it's at least, music. Hold her close: her ears will eventually come in handy!

All the best,
Nonoise
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
+ 1 for the boom box crowd.

:-)
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
What you refer to as a 'developing ear', I refer to as training an ear. It basically only comes from experience. Learning what to listen for and how to listen. It's not rocket science, it just takes experience: time, patience and money to try many varied pieces of gear.

I do believe that the ear is continuosly being trained, or developed, just as any other skill (say driving), until you finally reach the point when your skills begin to deteriorate.
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