Ways to train ears?

[Icos]

I have been wanting to get better at listening to music and distinguishing between headphones properly. I can listen to the same song on two different sets of headphones and tell they sound different, but explaining how is difficult or impossible. It's hard for me to point out where the differences are and to describe it (think how reviews call things boomy, sharp, etc.) Are there any ways to practice this effectively?

 

[richoval]

interested in the answers as well!

 

[kRed]

I have been wanting to get better at listening to music and distinguishing between headphones properly. I can listen to the same song on two different sets of headphones and tell they sound different, but explaining how is difficult or impossible. It's hard for me to point out where the differences are and to describe it (think how reviews call things boomy, sharp, etc.) Are there any ways to practice this effectively?

In my experience, just trying different headphones over time makes a difference. It took me more than a couple of years to really start to understand what I did or did not like about some headphones.

At first just imagine what a sharp object will feel, and try to transfer it to a sound. A sharp hp is one that makes you feel like you are touching the edge of a metal object that can cut your finger. It will be sharp to your years, it will be uncomfortable and make you lower the volume.

Having headphones that posses those features also helps a lot. But the most important thing to start, IMHO, is to have a reference headphone (like a Sennheiser hd600/650/560s.

 

[Icos]

In my experience, just trying different headphones over time makes a difference. It took me more than a couple of years to really start to understand what I did or did not like about some headphones.

At first just imagine what a sharp object will feel, and try to transfer it to a sound. A sharp hp is one that makes you feel like you are touching the edge of a metal object that can cut your finger. It will be sharp to your years, it will be uncomfortable and make you lower the volume.

Having headphones that posses those features also helps a lot. But the most important thing to start, IMHO, is to have a reference headphone (like a Sennheiser hd600/650/560s.

Thank you for the advice about visualizing the audio as something physical. I'll have to try that next time I listen with the intention of analyzing the audio. It's also reassuring knowing it took someone else a long time for it to come together. I don't plan on stopping listening any time soon so I'll work on it over time.

I do have a pair of HD600s, but I struggle with comparing them to other headphones since my other ones are almost all closed back. I don't know how much of the difference is thanks to the closed/open difference or the headphones themselves. Then again, I may just be overthinking this!

 

[Dynamo5561]

Harman's How To Listen software is great! It's quite challenging after a while but you get a very good understanding of the frequencies especially.

 

[Death_Block]

With cha-ching use of onomatopoeia

 

[someguyontheinternet]

One good option has already been mentioned: Harman's listening training software
Another one is playing with EQ, but requires either a reference system (flat speakers) or a sufficiently stable measurement system (miniDSP EARS for example).

You can also try playing with EQ without a reference or measurement system, but it's gonna take a lot more time.

 

[SemiRecumbent]

Here’s an informative link

https://www.headphonesty.com/sound-description-glossary/

 

[earmonger]

This is a good site for audio files to test your headphone response and put names to what you're hearing.
https://www.audiocheck.net/

Try the logarithmic sine sweep to hear where there are bumps in the frequency response of your headphones.

Also, you'll have to magnify this onscreen but it gives a good idea of which instruments occupy which frequencies.
https://blog.landr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Instrument_Frequency_Chart.jpg

And finally, think about how an acoustic instrument like a guitar or a drum or saxophone sounded when you heard it live, and think about how well the headphone reproduces that. It's harder to judge with largely electronic music because those sounds have no natural equivalent.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I have been wanting to get better at listening to music and distinguishing between headphones properly. I can listen to the same song on two different sets of headphones and tell they sound different, but explaining how is difficult or impossible. It's hard for me to point out where the differences are and to describe it (think how reviews call things boomy, sharp, etc.) Are there any ways to practice this effectively?

That's not about training your ears if you can hear the difference. That has more to do with just describing those differences, which can be helped along by checking audio glossaries and see what terms there match up with what you're hearing.

 

[castleofargh]

Figuring out the frequencies involved is never a waste of time. For that, as suggested by others, playing with an EQ and if you find it, trying the Harman exercises are great ideas.

Do yourself a favor and avoid considering and describing things in term of ”soundstage”. It’s intuitive and overused, but when you describe a soundstage, it’s usually like when you describe your feelings of love for someone. Chances are that most people will relate to what you say, or think they do, but in effect out of 10 people you’ll be lucky if even 1 imagined what you did.
Anything that’s overwhelmingly hard qualify and quantify is going to be a communication trap. And in the case of soundstage or probably more appropriately, imaging, things are made even more complicated with headphones because most people get something somewhat different from you while using the same headphone(HRTF and the headphone affecting it).

Frequency response on the other hand is well defined, not too hard to quantify(just boost an area by 3 dB with an EQ and you know exactly how it feels for you to have +3dB at that frequency), it can clearly be shared with someone and that someone only needs to learn the same by conveniently using an EQ that will at all time show the frequency and amplitude applied. We all learn using the same reference and if it can be hard to completely define a signature(because one area affects how you perceive others), it doesn’t take long to be able to notice a strong boost around 3kHz compared to some other headphone. That information is likely to be correct based on your feelings, and your interlocutor will know what you meant or can at anytime turn on his EQ and just try to boost 3kHz on that headphone. It just works.

As it happens that the FR of a headphone is a major variable when it comes to listener’s preferences, IMO spending some time to get comfy with an EQ is a great tool to find what you like/dislike, and to communicate on it.

If you want to make more friends here, forget all I said, become a poet and bring up soundstage in all your subjective descriptions. That’s what very popular guys do.

 

[Whazzzup]

I use temptations