[hearditontheX]

Two things I miss about SoCal: family and Schiit. With more blind testing like this, the order would likely change.

 

[tincanear]

Two things I miss about SoCal: family and Schiit. With more blind testing like this, the order would likely change.

sometimes, "family" can be referred to as "the other f-word"

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Well, to start with, this is more blind listening stuff. Not as in, we blind you physically, but as in we hide the stuff you're listening to.

Nice job heading off the usual "that's not the technical definition of blind tests" arguments.

 

[belgiangenius]

Well I'm happy it struck a chord. It is an interesting topic with lots of corners. We're riding the history of the technology of art train, which at bottom one might think is the drive to find and create better and better conveyances of aesthetic experience. Then you hear a tune on your phone with earbuds and you're just floating. Suspension of disbelief is not solely dependent on quality of reproduction, it's also emotional receptivity (gotta be in the mood). And the drive/compulsion to reproduce reality exactly does not end with music and film, now we're cloning and genetically modifying biology (who knows where that will eventually lead). The basic drive may be to answer age old philosophical that may be unanswerable. It's almost as if we consciously/unconsciously seek omniscience, and we could almost get there if we could only reproduce reality exactly.

Well IMHO we ain't gonna get there, but music, when it's right, in it's various conveyances, is damn close. It's what makes audio the best hobby ever.

In the early stages of the rabbit hole, before you quite know where the edges of the box are, in the back of the mind you think you're going to get there. Aural glimpses along the way fuel the fire. Eventually you start to realize you're chasing your tail a little bit...everything sounds different, some better, some a lot better! But it still probably doesn't sound like you have a string quartet sitting in the room (well maybe a little). For me that was when the enjoyment of the music and the hobby completely merged, and the hobby became less of an obsession. Ah...the sweet spot!

You're a good man Jason...hoping your customers don't fall TOO far down that rabbit hole. Not to worry we're having a blast!

This is a great discussion.

I have managed to get my system to the point that I prefer it over most live performances. But, it is not that live instruments don't sound better. It is just that most venues chosen for live performances aren't very good, acoustically.

 

[r2muchstuff]

And ... The audience at most events today suck for manners

 

[Jheal]

And ... The audience at most events today suck for manners

And not only are venues very poor acoustically speaking, but the music is almost always played far too loud. The O2 in London has an appalling echo if you end up seated in the wrong places.

 

[Varejao17]

And ... The audience at most events today suck for manners

Yeah, bring back the 90's!

ed

 

[belgiangenius]

And not only are venues very poor acoustically speaking, but the music is almost always played far too loud. The O2 in London has an appalling echo if you end up seated in the wrong places.

That too. I have been to concerts where I had to put earplugs in. That ruins the experience. And I am quite comfortable at 90 dB, so if I need earplugs, it is WAY TOO LOUD!

 

[Rowethren]

That too. I have been to concerts where I had to put earplugs in. That ruins the experience. And I am quite comfortable at 90 dB, so if I need earplugs, it is WAY TOO LOUD!

I haven't been to a single concert where earplugs weren't required, it is really stupid but it won't change in the same way mastering has been ruined by the loudness wars...

 

[rkw]

I am quite comfortable at 90 dB, so if I need earplugs, it is WAY TOO LOUD!

You should already be wearing earplugs well before 90dB. It isn't about feeling comfortable; it's about protecting your hearing.

Some good advice here:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...certs-our-deafening-world-is-hurting-our-ears

I assume that you all care about listening to music. And some of you (us) are no spring chickens. So, do yourself a (scary) favor and read Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World by David Owen. TL;DR hearing is a lot more fragile than standard measurements indicate. Hearing protection is mandatory in many more situations than we normally assume, and hearing loss more complex and difficult to address, although there are some new digital gadgets that go beyond the expensive and awkward standard hearing aid. For myself, I'll be ordering some pro earplugs (discussed in the book) to wear whenever I expect a loud environment. I wish I had known all of this decades ago...

 

[roadcykler]

That too. I have been to concerts where I had to put earplugs in. That ruins the experience. And I am quite comfortable at 90 dB, so if I need earplugs, it is WAY TOO LOUD!

There are companies like Etymotic who make flanged plugs that reduce all frequencies by about 10-15 decibels and work much better than the typical foam plugs.

 

[wout31]

What I don't understand in these discussions about high sound levels: Are all those sound engineers at concerts / events complete morons?
Why in gods name do they play the music so loud that people have to wear earbuds? In fact I think they are criminals who physically molest you and destroy your health.
My last concert was in Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam many years ago, Isley Brothers, I stayed for 5 seconds, NEVER to return to ANY concert ever again!
The music was so loud my wife had her hearing damaged even in those 5 seconds, which still influences here every day hearing. We covered our ears and ran out as fast as we could.
Complained at the ticket box about it. The remark there: Loud? You should have been here last week when we had a punk band on stage, that was twice as loud.
So now enjoy my Schiit gear and Quads at home and keep to about 80 dB max on listening position. With music that has the dynamics preserved that can be pretty loud from time to time. Thanks to that sound engineer I lost my joy in going to live events and enjoy the music there. Truly criminal.

 

[ev666il]

Potentially silly question: How can I know how many dbs are blasting my ears when I listen?

 

[wout31]

Potentially silly question: How can I know how many dbs are blasting my ears when I listen?

Or use an app on your smartphone.

 

[FLTWS]

What I don't understand in these discussions about high sound levels: Are all those sound engineers at concerts / events complete morons?
Why in gods name do they play the music so loud that people have to wear earbuds? In fact I think they are criminals who physically molest you and destroy your health.
My last concert was in Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam many years ago, Isley Brothers, I stayed for 5 seconds, NEVER to return to ANY concert ever again!
The music was so loud my wife had her hearing damaged even in those 5 seconds, which still influences here every day hearing. We covered our ears and ran out as fast as we could.
Complained at the ticket box about it. The remark there: Loud? You should have been here last week when we had a punk band on stage, that was twice as loud.
So now enjoy my Schiit gear and Quads at home and keep to about 80 dB max on listening position. With music that has the dynamics preserved that can be pretty loud from time to time. Thanks to that sound engineer I lost my joy in going to live events and enjoy the music there. Truly criminal.

I couldn't agree more.