What's wrong with me?

[zutme]

Sorry this is so long, but even having it this long it seems like I am leaving a lot out.

To understand my problem with high end audio you need to know a little bit about me and what I believe to be the root cause of my problem. My greatest interest/hobby has always been in computers and the Internet. I have found that there are some key differences between being a computer hobbyist and a hi-fi audio hobbyist, and I think that these differences are the main cause of my problem. When I am interested in some piece of hardware or software etc. for my computer I can read a few reviews and look at some hard numbers as to why Product A is better than Product B. Admittedly there are sometimes flaws in the way things are benchmarked/tested, but reading a few reputable opinions about a product usually produces a reliable result. I have definitely been burned by other people’s opinion of a product before when it is a somewhat subjective difference in products, but usually there are some hard numbers I can look at and some reliable sources that I can depend on. I am not dismissing the fact that there is irrationality in computer enthusiast hardware purchasing. For example, most benchmarks agree that raid 0 provides only a marginal performance improvement especially in games, yet it is extremely common for someone building a high end gaming computer to have dual WD Raptors in raid 0. I am a sucker for this irrationality from time to time as well especially when it comes to buying only the more expensive brand of hardware when there is probably little difference between the brands I favor over their competitors. This brings me to my major rub with hi-fi audio. Everything is subjective and opinions seem to be driven mostly by conjecture.

So, now I will move on to my actual problem. I am dissatisfied with all the high-end headphone setups that I have experienced. I have really tried to achieve that “wow” effect that would really turn me on to audio, but it just never happens for me. I expect that listening to setups worth many thousands of dollars would produce this effect, but I cannot seem to hear the massive difference between cheap and high-end gear. Now I am not deaf and it’s not as if I cannot tell any difference at all between setups. There is definitely a difference, but it is so minute that I’m not sure that it’s really there or if I have just been told it’s there so I hear it. If I sit down and focus on the music I can tell you that this setup has a lot of soundstage or better highs etc, but these differences seem so inconsequential and minute that I cannot understand where you guys are coming from.

This is not the way I typically listen to music. When I listen to music I am almost always participating in some other activity simultaneously. I don’t believe that my brain is simply ignoring the music, because when I am working on a program or a paper etc. I still get a lot of enjoyment from listening to music.

Also I cannot seem to see any noticeable difference between mp3 192k vbr, mp3 320k, and flac. This may be because my home setup is still somewhat entry level. You all seem to be so caught up in these things that I feel somewhat alienated for not being able to produce.

Most of you will attribute these issues with my newness to audio and an untrained ear, but wouldn’t you expect after months of listening that I would learn to appreciate it? I think a lot of you will probably also say that I just haven’t found a setup that was right for me yet. This may be true, but I have already experienced some different rigs and the problem wasn’t even somewhat cured by them.

Basically what I need from you all is some sort of advice as to what is wrong with me. Am I just incapable of achieving an appreciation of high end gear? Do you have any similar experiences or advice? Can anyone make a better recommendation for me so far as a setup that would suit my needs better at around the same price with maybe some more included for a better source from my computer? I listen to nearly every genre of music and I also use the phones for watching films and some games.

I have listened to pretty much everything that was at the Nashville meet that is shown in this thread. http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=172270

Thank you for reading all of this and I will be really grateful to anyone who can "cure me."

 

[BennyBoy]

Free your mind!

 

[humanflyz]

Hey dude, don't worry about it. Just trust your own ears above all. If you really can't hear a difference, or that difference doesn't seem worth the extra money, then don't worry about it. You can't force yourself to hear things you really don't just to justify some purchase.

Most of us buy hi-end stuff as a means to get greater enjoyment out of our music. If you are happy with what you have, and you don't feel that the extra money is worth the difference, then good for you and your wallet.

I guess all I'm saying is this: there's nothing wrong with you, you don't have a sickness that needs to be "cured". And finally, maybe headphones just aren't for you. Have you ever thought about investing in a speaker-based rig?

 

[Meyvn]

I share the inability to hear the difference between encoding levels and formats, but not the appreciation of high-end gear's SQ. I'd be interested in seeing 'tips,' as to what to listen for between 192 and say, CDs or Lossless that makes it sound "unlistenable." In fact, I don't even find 128 that bad in many cases.

 

[zutme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz Hey dude, don't worry about it. Just trust your own ears above all. If you really can't hear a difference, or that difference doesn't seem worth the extra money, then don't worry about it. You can't force yourself to hear things you really don't just to justify some purchase. Most of us buy hi-end stuff as a means to get greater enjoyment out of our music. If you are happy with what you have, and you don't feel that the extra money is worth the difference, then good for you and your wallet. I guess all I'm saying is this: there's nothing wrong with you, you don't have a sickness that needs to be "cured". And finally, maybe headphones just aren't for you. Have you ever thought about investing in a speaker-based rig?

It just feels like im missing out on something though.

 

[Asr]

In terms of MP3, 160 kb/s seems to be the magic rate at which there's a considerable, very audible jump in sound quality. I heard differences between it and 128 kb/s on a recorded MIDI song I was doing a couple years ago using the (hardware) EMU8000 wavetable synthesizer on my Sound Blaster AWE64. So 128 kb/s is outright terrible, the minimum anyone should be listening to is 160 kb/s!

 

[jramonf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zutme It just feels like im missing out on something though.

Missing something from the music?
Or do you think headphones could potentially sound a lot better than you have experienced?

 

[zutme]

I guess what I expect is that $1000+ headphones sound SIGNIFICANTLY better than my old cheapo Sennheiser 212pro. I mean you all go on and on about this stuff and it seems like theres this whole world out there that I have read a lot about but can't experience. I'm sorry if I'm not clear.

edit:
I just realized something while thinking about my last post. I already enjoy the music I listen to and don't really know what the quality could be lacking. So maybe this is a case of "If it aint broke don't fix it."

 

[funkadelic]

Terms like better are very subjective as it depends what improvements you might be looking for. In general the more expensive the headphone the more even the frequency response, so if you really want a good solid bass thump with your music you msy find you prefer budget cans with a good bass boost to some of the more expensive cans on the market.

My current headhpones of choice are Sennheiser 457's and PX100's. Both are very much non-audiophile products at the lower end of the market. By a process of trial and error I have realised that I like the way they sound (a degree of bass boost), someone used to more refined high-end cans would I am sure hate the 457's in particular. I suspect I would miss the bass thump if I migrated to high-end cans.

I am wondering if the reson you feel you may be missing out is that you actually like the way your budget Senns affect the sound. I doesn't mean you are missing out on anything or you have something wrong with you if you do if that is the case.

I am sure I will purchase higher-end Cans in due course, but I am hapy to bide my time.

Simon

 

[PeeeMeS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zutme Sorry this is so long, but even having it this long it seems like I am leaving a lot out. To understand my problem with high end audio you need to know a little bit about me and what I believe to be the root cause of my problem ...

I have the exact same feelings towards high-end audio
You're not alone(I too, am a "computer hobbyist")

I used to play violin... so my ears are well trained

 

[a-LeXx]

seems really to depend on how our brains work, and this is different with every person.
I for example can not appreciate all the nice wines. Every wine tastes to me the same with largest differences being sweet or sour. So what? Good for me, I don't have to spend my money on wines.
The same with the headphones. I have a relative, who is actually playing instruments, but for him the headphones don't matter a bit, he seems to be unable to notice that large a differece between them.
Or a friend of mine, whom I once tried to impres. He was asking me whether it is really worth it to spend that much money on the headphones and whether there really is any difference. I was pitying him, thinking he doesn't know what he is missing. Than I gave him a demo of a $50 and $400 headphones with sound characteristics which could not be more different. I was expecting him to change his opinion after the demo. And he really tried to hear the difference for 30 minutes. He couldn't hear any, both sounded the same to him.

So, why spend your money, if you don't hear the difference? Just forget about it, that's the way how you've been manufactured by you creator, why should you try to learn to develop some kind of abilities which are of no particular use in the real world (being able to precisely identify flaws of different headphones and appreciate the good ones)?

-Alex

 

[warrior05]

i totally agree with humanflyz and a-lexx. the key hear is enjoying music or whatever you are listening to. if you are blissful listening to $20 cans and someone else is blissful listening to a $3,000 set up, i say you are both right. forget about what other's think and just enjoy what you have. you gave listening to high-end stuff a try and you didn't hear much of a difference - so what. some people are willing to spend a lot of money for those minute differences. if you are perfectly happy with what you've got - then keep on listening.

enjoy!

 

[DevilDog]

There's nothing wrong with you at all. This is a hobby for most of the people on here, it just may not be for you. Some people pay thousands for a watch, I just don't get it. I pay $14.95 for mine and it does much more than a Rolex ever thought about. But to them their watch is a marvel. Some people pay a lot for a steak at a place like Ruth's Chris, for others a hamburger steak tastes just the same and cannot see the difference. Some like finely crafted automobiles and pay top dollar for them, others just use them as basic transportation and think it's crazy to spend that much. There's nothing wrong with any of these people. Just try to find what you enjoy and go for it. To you the difference between a $5000 setup and a $200 is slight, and it is, and the price is not justified. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But to me it's worth it to not only hear but "see" the strings vibrating and they're plucked. It's worth it to be able to pinpoint each instrument and hear the separation between them. To you it's not. That's fine.

 

[Oliver :)]

There's nothing wrong with you. Don't force yourself to listen for differences. Sometimes things will jump in your face, sometimes they will creep in over time, and for the most part the best "healing" is to excessively listen to your new higher end stash for a while and then to go back to what you had before.

Audio as a hobby can be a meandering path, and more expensive doesn't mean better. Sometimes you go one way for a long while until you take a quick turn only to discover you like the view much better. I am in such a situation right now. I have amassed a pretty nice selection of dynamic gear over time. I was contemplating whether I should upgrade from my Cosmic amp and get a HR Desktop or CORDA PREHEAD MkII SE instead. I decided against that and got a STAX SRS-005 System instead. These are the most musical, most involving phones I heard to date, and yet they are just entry level stats on an entry level amp. They do almost all I want from phones even on a lower quality source, and I am very much looking forward to hooking them up to the big rig on the weekend. Why am I telling this? Because when I ordered them I knew they would be nice & fine, a new thing to try. What I did not expect was them to make me sing along to Michael Jackson

So the "wow" found me while I wasn't really looking for it, and I am glad it did.

 

[F107plus5]

I like to use the "In Car Stereo Test".

If; while you are driving the car, the sound is there and enjoyable, Fine!! Great!!

If, on the other hand the stereo gets between the driver and the accelerator...If the tunes control the engine RPM....

Another test: Sittin' at the computer.

Good tunes come on; do you:

Keep on typin' or readin'?

Or

Sit back in the chair with eyes closed?

------------------

.........oops, I'm back.

Got distracted by the tunes.