tussinette
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
- Posts
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This post is going to be a long one. Just that you know.
Subject: what is an audiophile and how to actively become one?
Introduction: I do not consider myself an audiophile. I am just someone that likes to listen to music, especially on some equipment and not so much on some other equipment.
The easy answer here is to tell me: “Good. What more do you need? You know what you like and you know what you don’t. Bye.”
Fair point. But this easy answer is foremost the lazy answer. You see, I have a lot of defects and one of these is to be French. As any respectful French person, I have been explained how to identify a good wine from a bad one. Later, when I was 18 years old (), I went for oenology courses. There is no way I would be able to appreciate wine as I can today would I not have followed these courses. Later on, I went for a trip to Scotland and learn as much as I could about tasting Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
What has been done with the inside of my mouth twice should be replicable with the inside of my ears! But who can teach me?
Naturally I asked my best friend about it (GOOGLE) and the answer was much less straightforward than I thought.
The answers I found usually contain two elements, none of which satisfy me:
- Listen to music (without guidance this cannot work or at least it did not for me so far)
- Your whole chain needs to be top notch and THEN you will hear the difference
At this point, the next advice could be: pretend to know what you are talking about, it is all in the attitude...
So, I went another way. How are headphones judged? What is the difference between good and bad headphones? How can I learn to hear it?
Frequency response graph… Just kidding
I found an article on a website that was more useful than what I had found so far.
It was about how the reporter for this hi-fi website was evaluated a headphone. I will try to use them to improve my Audiophile skills. These are the categories:
Overall balance
All frequencies in the frequency range should be represented without being accentuated or rolled off. My guess is that this is where personal taste will hit in.
What I take from this in order to improve my skills:
Find a song I am familiar with (because it is likely that I heard it on several systems already so I should “know” the different frequencies), listen to it with a really bad headphone and with my best one and try to see which frequencies are missing and exposed.
- Frequency groups being:
- Low-bass: 10-50 Hertz
- Musical bass: 50-100 Hertz
- Upper-bass: 100-200 Hertz
- Midrange: 200-3000 Hertz
- Treble: 3000-20000 Hertz
I can also use an equalizer on my PC or DAP to exaggerate or attenuate these frequencies individually and listen the effect. There are also some other classification by type of instrument per range and other “effects types” like sibilance, presence, “air”… I can get familiar with these.
Midrange quality -
I think that this is what I am the most sensible to but… I have no fchn’ clue…
So what is said in the whathifi article is that this frequency matters because this is where we should find the vocals. As per the article: clarity, stability and warmth are a concern.
Here I block a bit. What is stability? Stability in the frequencies’ “strength”/balance? If the frequencies must be flat, where does the warmth come from?
Then, there is a mention that there needs to be “support from lower” frequencies or the vocals can sound thin. So, a bit of upper bass boost can give the vocals some thickness. Noted.
How can I train this?
Listen to songs with dominant vocals with different headphones or by modifying EQ.
Bass control
The bass must be tight, agile, articulate.
How can I train this?
Listen to music with complex basslines and focus on the details. Can I really here what happens or just a rumble.
Treble quality
High frequencies should be clear but not make ears bleed.
How can I train this?
Not sure for this. Maybe find music with high pitched horns and focus on the quality. Maybe play with IQ to see when it hurts?
I also heard that some people are more treble sensitive than others so I guess, this is also a question of finding what one likes. If I am not mistaken, it is also easier to listen to music for long period of time when highs are a bit rolled off. Flip side: I guess sharp highs will prevent me from pushing the volume too… high.
Level of detail
The article defines it as how many parts can be heard in a complex orchestration. Is this what is sometimes referred to as separation?
To improve:
Listen to music pieces with a lot going on at the same time and try to hear as many layers as possible. (this I know I love… so let’s love it more!)
Space
Not sure what is meant here as the article speaks about two things:
The ability to judge the size of the “room” where the instruments have been played/recorded
The space between the instruments
How to improve?
Listening to a song from an album and the same song live? Maybe? I am really not sure and any help is welcome!
Rhythm and timing
The article sounds a bit bogus to me at this point, stating that your headphones should be able to play polyrhythm as well as 4/4… Wait, WHAT?!
Maybe the ability to keep up with fast rhythmic or energic pieces?
Skill improvement:
Use good and bad headphones to try to find “pace” issues on fast and busy music (something like Jamiroquai or RHCP maybe…)
Dynamic range
Difference between sound volumes.
Improvement:
Listen to music with large DR, classic for example. Also, try to hear the difference between a heavily compressed MP3 and a Lossless song.
Subtlety
Listening to softly played music?
Improvement?
If I understand correctly, this concerns testing the headphones with calm music or at low level. This is actually pretty interesting as the character of the headphones can indeed change depending how loud they are listened at. Changing the listening volume and noticing the changes in the sound quality (dynamic, EQ…). I think this can be interesting as LOUD often sounds better even when it isn’t.
I had a Pioneer “hifi” system in the 80s and I remember the Loudness function. It boosted the Bass and Treble (mainly the bass) for low level listening.
Last category in the article:
excitement, enthusiasm and drive
Basically, does the music make you want to move.
How to train it?
Like other points, just being conscient of it will go a long way I think. I was always conscient of this. Headphones need to do one of two things for me to use them:
- Make me beat the rhythm
- Make me smile
Please share any thought, advice and resources that could help me learn faster.
What do you thing of the relevance of the categories?
Do you think some of them are useless?
Do you think some have been omitted?
Thanks for your help and maybe collaboration to create a TAO to Audiophilie!
Subject: what is an audiophile and how to actively become one?
Introduction: I do not consider myself an audiophile. I am just someone that likes to listen to music, especially on some equipment and not so much on some other equipment.
The easy answer here is to tell me: “Good. What more do you need? You know what you like and you know what you don’t. Bye.”
Fair point. But this easy answer is foremost the lazy answer. You see, I have a lot of defects and one of these is to be French. As any respectful French person, I have been explained how to identify a good wine from a bad one. Later, when I was 18 years old (), I went for oenology courses. There is no way I would be able to appreciate wine as I can today would I not have followed these courses. Later on, I went for a trip to Scotland and learn as much as I could about tasting Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
What has been done with the inside of my mouth twice should be replicable with the inside of my ears! But who can teach me?
Naturally I asked my best friend about it (GOOGLE) and the answer was much less straightforward than I thought.
The answers I found usually contain two elements, none of which satisfy me:
- Listen to music (without guidance this cannot work or at least it did not for me so far)
- Your whole chain needs to be top notch and THEN you will hear the difference
At this point, the next advice could be: pretend to know what you are talking about, it is all in the attitude...
So, I went another way. How are headphones judged? What is the difference between good and bad headphones? How can I learn to hear it?
Frequency response graph… Just kidding
I found an article on a website that was more useful than what I had found so far.
It was about how the reporter for this hi-fi website was evaluated a headphone. I will try to use them to improve my Audiophile skills. These are the categories:
Overall balance
All frequencies in the frequency range should be represented without being accentuated or rolled off. My guess is that this is where personal taste will hit in.
What I take from this in order to improve my skills:
Find a song I am familiar with (because it is likely that I heard it on several systems already so I should “know” the different frequencies), listen to it with a really bad headphone and with my best one and try to see which frequencies are missing and exposed.
- Frequency groups being:
- Low-bass: 10-50 Hertz
- Musical bass: 50-100 Hertz
- Upper-bass: 100-200 Hertz
- Midrange: 200-3000 Hertz
- Treble: 3000-20000 Hertz
I can also use an equalizer on my PC or DAP to exaggerate or attenuate these frequencies individually and listen the effect. There are also some other classification by type of instrument per range and other “effects types” like sibilance, presence, “air”… I can get familiar with these.
Midrange quality -
I think that this is what I am the most sensible to but… I have no fchn’ clue…
So what is said in the whathifi article is that this frequency matters because this is where we should find the vocals. As per the article: clarity, stability and warmth are a concern.
Here I block a bit. What is stability? Stability in the frequencies’ “strength”/balance? If the frequencies must be flat, where does the warmth come from?
Then, there is a mention that there needs to be “support from lower” frequencies or the vocals can sound thin. So, a bit of upper bass boost can give the vocals some thickness. Noted.
How can I train this?
Listen to songs with dominant vocals with different headphones or by modifying EQ.
Bass control
The bass must be tight, agile, articulate.
How can I train this?
Listen to music with complex basslines and focus on the details. Can I really here what happens or just a rumble.
Treble quality
High frequencies should be clear but not make ears bleed.
How can I train this?
Not sure for this. Maybe find music with high pitched horns and focus on the quality. Maybe play with IQ to see when it hurts?
I also heard that some people are more treble sensitive than others so I guess, this is also a question of finding what one likes. If I am not mistaken, it is also easier to listen to music for long period of time when highs are a bit rolled off. Flip side: I guess sharp highs will prevent me from pushing the volume too… high.
Level of detail
The article defines it as how many parts can be heard in a complex orchestration. Is this what is sometimes referred to as separation?
To improve:
Listen to music pieces with a lot going on at the same time and try to hear as many layers as possible. (this I know I love… so let’s love it more!)
Space
Not sure what is meant here as the article speaks about two things:
The ability to judge the size of the “room” where the instruments have been played/recorded
The space between the instruments
How to improve?
Listening to a song from an album and the same song live? Maybe? I am really not sure and any help is welcome!
Rhythm and timing
The article sounds a bit bogus to me at this point, stating that your headphones should be able to play polyrhythm as well as 4/4… Wait, WHAT?!
Maybe the ability to keep up with fast rhythmic or energic pieces?
Skill improvement:
Use good and bad headphones to try to find “pace” issues on fast and busy music (something like Jamiroquai or RHCP maybe…)
Dynamic range
Difference between sound volumes.
Improvement:
Listen to music with large DR, classic for example. Also, try to hear the difference between a heavily compressed MP3 and a Lossless song.
Subtlety
Listening to softly played music?
Improvement?
If I understand correctly, this concerns testing the headphones with calm music or at low level. This is actually pretty interesting as the character of the headphones can indeed change depending how loud they are listened at. Changing the listening volume and noticing the changes in the sound quality (dynamic, EQ…). I think this can be interesting as LOUD often sounds better even when it isn’t.
I had a Pioneer “hifi” system in the 80s and I remember the Loudness function. It boosted the Bass and Treble (mainly the bass) for low level listening.
Last category in the article:
excitement, enthusiasm and drive
Basically, does the music make you want to move.
How to train it?
Like other points, just being conscient of it will go a long way I think. I was always conscient of this. Headphones need to do one of two things for me to use them:
- Make me beat the rhythm
- Make me smile
Please share any thought, advice and resources that could help me learn faster.
What do you thing of the relevance of the categories?
Do you think some of them are useless?
Do you think some have been omitted?
Thanks for your help and maybe collaboration to create a TAO to Audiophilie!