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Does listening fatigue go away???

Hello everyone,

Just want to ask everyone here an honest question. Is listening fatigue sometimes associated with getting used to a "presentation" coming from your setup. In addition, is the burn period people talk about also associated with the above?

The reason I ask is that I currently own a pair of Quad 12L Active speakers that were being feed directly by a Squeezebox Touch. Unfortunately this setup only had a digital volume control which really affected low level listening. My solution was to add an external means of volume control with the Warpspeed optocoupler which uses LDR. I have received it this week and it has made a huge difference in almost every facet of the sound, soundstage, speed, bass, imagining, clarity and authority without adding any coloration. It also dead quiet and I have spooked out my wife a few times when the music suddenly comes on. In fact the only issue I have been having is listening fatigue after about an hour which I did not have before.

My question is it just me getting used to the new sound or something with the warpspeed or mogami wire? How can I pinpoint the problem? I also am planning to get an EE minimax plus soon, you think that will alleviate the problem?

Thanks for you advice.
daimbert

Showing 1 response by rockyboy

rockyboy
335 posts
 
Chazro -
There's probably more than one definition, but I define "listener fatigue" as simply any unpleasant listening experience that causes an audiophile to squirm in his/her listening chair. For me, it's exaggerated treble. I have two sets of resistors for my speakers, one is -4db (for analog) and one is -5db (for digital). I can introduce listener fatigue by using the -4db for digital while using my SS amp; the harshness of the highs literally drives me up the walls. I've done it inadvertently by forgetting to swap out resistors after a session of listening to LPs. On the other hand, when I replace my SS amp with my tubed amp, the sound is so gorgeously mellow that I'm lulled to sleep by the middle of the first track. So, to avoid the naps, I have to make sure I'm using the right resistor with the SS amp. I'm wondering if Daimburt's system isn't overly bright. One solution might be to introduce a tubed amp and/or tubed pre into the system.
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