I always have to slow down. Fast A/B comparisons are fatiguing, not at all fun (for me), and can occlude some of the important nuances IMO - our brains are incredible pattern matchers (taking two slightly different data sets and finding their equivalence), which we DON’T want engaged here, and we’re also more acute at discerning differences when not in a frustrated / fatigued state. You should also take some time to tweak positioning / etc for the new speaker (glider feet can help a lot).
Comparing speakers at home questions
When looking for a new/replacement pair of speakers how do you compare them at home?
I have my current speakers and another pair that I purchased to try out at home in my system. So do you think it’s better to A/B them back to back, like play a song and then switch and play the same song again. Or is it better to listen to one pair for a day, or two, or a week and then switch and listen to those for an extended time?
I feel like switching between songs gives you an immediate sense of what’s different because you just heard the same song but will listening for longer periods to each speaker allow your ears to adjust to each and give you a better idea of how they will perform long term? Or should I do some of both techniques, quick switches between and longer periods between switching?