A free tweak revisited

When I was shopping for stereo loudspeakers at a predominately home theater dealer I was surprised when they demoed by turning the lights completely off.  I thought it was dishonest in a way, since I never listen like that and I wasn't certain what was going on.  I didn't know it was a psycho-acoustic effect I was experiencing.

@pinthrift 

"(bold print for old eyes)"

Next stop, BOLD PRINT AND ALL CAPS Lol

Hi immatthewj, thanks for the topic...

I'm in a small, dedicated studio that seconds as a workspace.  Prime Time with the Sweetspot Siren is commonly after 10pm.  I find LED lights and electronic product lights, annoying.  Tube glow rules!  A simple search for LED light blocking stickers inexpensively and rapidly solved the problem.  I suspect, like me, many of my silver haired Peers spent long hours deep into the night, listening to tube radios.  WPTR & WKBW AM radio ruled the northeast during the exciting 1950 into 60's.  A darkened room works much better for me. 

For those, like me, who keep the decibels down at night (wife sleeps above studio) you might laugh, but these have proven comfortable and effective when requiring more volume: 

FOR USERS (earglasses.com)

I recently upgraded my bi-wire as manufactured Cardas Clear Sky X4's.  They are now bi-wired TO the speakers and all 12 connectors changed to FORGED spades.  The results are dynamic, adding more holography and depth of field, difficult to achieve in a small room.   A close, seasoned audio friend with a vast room and big system, is always gob-smacked when he visits by the size of the presentation.  Caution...in bi-wiring the X4 design, I'm not using deep bass information to my mains  it's divided at my Pro DAC, assigning below 80hz to my subs.  I had Tech help from Brian Van Bork at Cardas.

Other "free tweaks"...level all components (Art Dudley) and switch your main electrical box circuit switches and main switch on/off a few times a couple times a year.  

Onwards and More Peace             Pin       (bold print for old eyes)

Music is dreamed up in the darkness of the skull, and darkness is its favorite habitat.

@immathewj best to you with the issue you elaborated on.

Another visual Ive tried, but can get a bit too trippy is put a monitor between speakers, play those visual affects vids on youtube with prog rock, psycedelic or ambient music and no NO stimulants. 

Your mind will get caught up in the visual and sound will go beyond speakers.

I find the light refractor that I posted about earlier less intense, but helps open boundary of the front wall.

@baylinor , actually I have heard that blind people have quite an acute sense of hearing . . . generally more so than people who are not blind. Or so I have heard.

@jerryg123 , I guess that some common ground can almost always be found.

@tony1954 and @blackbag20 , I’ve moderated my drinking while listening. I never thought I was drinking all that much, but maybe I was. My VA doc (who is great) suggested 14 or less drinks a week and I was astounded, 14 a night sounded more appropriate. Then about a year & a half or so ago, my liver enzymes came back slightly elevated and stayed that way for a few retests. I went from listening & drinking (depending upon whether I had drank wine or beer with dinner) either wine or whiskey or brandy to drinking Miller Light while listening. Liver enzymes STILL came back high. I switched to Miller 64 (YUK) and did my level best to stay at or under 14 a week and the numbers came back within acceptable parameters. Just a couple of nights ago I splurged and had either three or four glasses of wine (one with dinner & the rest while listening) and the next day (yesterday I guess that would have been) I felt real crappy. But I agree with you about disconnecting the brain. Unfortunately I may have to do it with Miller 64 from now on.

@thebrokenrecord , it’s possible, but I am thinking not. I have my gear on a separate circuit (I actually used to have it on three separate circuits) that is on a leg of the panel with virtually nothing else operating on when I am listening (including the circuits with the house lighting).

@jmalen123 , that sounds luxurious to me. Seriously. Working nights and coming home to a dark house.

@bikefi10 , that is an idea for me to consider.

@bikefi10   +1

Exactly the same with me. Indirect low light against the natural stone wall limited to the space behind the speakers does some good to the listening experience, at least to me. However, chances of falling asleep remain a potential threat ;-)

Great topic, so true. Critical listening in LP always better in dim light. With room lights off, I run a cheap colored light refractor againest front wall ,behind speakers. This creates a moving visual depth. More lively than sitting in darkness and less chance of falling asleep with mellow jazz or soft female voices.  Tony1995 has it right too, a couple glasses of wine make it all better :)

Yeah ... and a little Eagle Rare always helps ... sayin

Lights down low and eyes closed is the only way I listen. MUCH better ! 

My stereo is my living room. I work nights and come home to a quiet, pitch black house and listen to music in the dark or with a little mood lighting. Every session is magical in it's own way and listening any other way for me is anticlimactic. Sometimes I will fire the system up during the day for others, but my listening is always in the dark eyes closed with the goosebumps firing on all cylinders.

I have dimmers everywhere in my house, especially in my main listening room (the living room I suppose). No issues from dimmer related hum as I use great cables and have always had good hum busting power supplies and good AC conditioning (currently a Bryston BIT 15). It's absolutely a fact that dimming or eliminating light (I like the theatrical effect of interesting lighting....paintings are lit, good spots here and there) makes other senses more sensitive. I can't stand overly "hot" lights in other people's houses, restaurants, or anywhere...except my motorcycle headlight.

I used to come home wasted from the bar or club many times a week and put headphones on, close my eyes, and experience the same thing. Then I’d wake up in the same position at 6am and have to get ready for work. 

I am opposite, with my eyes open and the lights on my field of hearing is way better defined. 

I am with you @baylinor.

This might also have something to do with just not having electricity running to the light fixture(s). Everything in the house that draws electricity has the potential to affect the sound. I know if I switch off the breaker to my fridge my system sounds a lot better. Maybe your light is messing with your system? Could happen!

I'm an eyes open/good lighting/good view kind of guy. . Frankly, I haven't listened in the dark since my hippie days, which terminated some time in the previous century.

I agree 100%. The less extraneous sensory input there is to interfere with my ears, the better it sounds. Perhaps that is why a few glasses of wine helps. It partially disconnects my brain.

@immatthewj Thank you for that depressing post. But you are a good man for adopting those dogs.

I don't think that I have near as much fun with my gear as I did when it was in my living room.  But there are other reasons for that; I don't find life, in general, near as much fun as I used to.

Along this line, yesterday I installed several smart light switches on all the lights that I sometimes want to turn on or off while listening. Now I can do it from my chair.

Jerry

same hear

But I would agree with you, in my hippie days, listening in the dark with my buddies was the best way to travel...

It takes all kinds, imagine how boring the world would be if we all had the same vision, or hearing :)

@baylinor  and @pedroeb  , that's interesting.  I've always said that the sky may be a different color in my world.

I am opposite, with my eyes open and the lights on my field of hearing is way better defined. 

Oddly it makes no difference to me. But then that my approach with everything. 

My system is in a dedicated room.

I never listen to it without eyes closed and seated in the sweet spot.

It's never used for background listening, the other two systems are for that.

I've only got one system up & running and that system has been in an evolving  listening room since the end of '17.  It doesn't get near as much use in this location as it did when it was in the living room, and although the sound stage is now more detailed & revealing than it ever was before, I don't think that I have near as much fun with my gear as I did when it was in my living room.  But there are other reasons for that; I don't find life, in general, near as much fun as I used to.

Technically I have enough unused components to set up a second functioning system somewhere else, but a couple of years ago we adopted three dogs & besides the listening room, I pretty much give them free run of the house, and I don't trust two of the three as far as I can throw them, and that means I don't trust those two at all. 

Oh well. . . .

My system is in a dedicated room.

I never listen to it without eyes closed and seated in the sweet spot.

It's never used for background listening, the other two systems are for that.

Yes, it definitely makes a difference.

Yep, that is a psychoacoustic phenomena.  You know where the sound is coming from and your eyes are far more objective than emotional whereas your ears are far more emotional than objective.  Without your eyes confusing your mind about the sound field, your brain is left to use the cues from your hearing.  

I never tried this at home but I did see this once at a CES show years ago.  The manufacturer put two 5 x7 foot acoustically transparent screen in front of a pair of quality bookshelf speaker and the impression was the sound field was much, much larger than it was without the screen.  The screen was simple, a thin wooden frame with grill cloth covering it.  

Actually, now that I think about it, this might be a good idea to improve the WAF in some cases!  :-)