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Does your music sound better in a dark room?

Have you ever noticed a very perceptable improvement in the quality of reproduction at night when the lights are turned off. Every playboy knows that he can make more beautiful music when the lights are out. Take this simple test; at night play some music with the ceiling lights on and then while listening carefully to the sound turn the lights out, you should notice an immediate and definite improvement in the quality of sound you hear; more mids, improved dynamics, more definition,less perceived noise. Its like an upgrade in better cables. Can anyone explain this phono-menon? Do the photons have an effect on the sound waves, or is this effect strictly psychological? Possibly decreasing input of one sense (vision) improves another (hearing).
mint604
8 responses Add your response
raytheprinter's avatar
raytheprinter
1,234 posts
 
I agree that getting rid of visual distractions helps,,sometimes i have my tv on ,with the sound off,and just turning off the tv makes music sound better,,lights down or off def works for me,sometimes ill leave a small lamp on and put a red bandana over it,goes very nicely with my all wood room!
mdhoover
695 posts
 
Yeah, me too. I listen often in the (near) dark, more so now that I have new speakers that image like crazy. Ever notice that some of the best musicians are blind? In a sense, the above comments regarding competing senses make sense to me, but that's just my two cents worth, and I don't want to incense anyone.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
Turn the lights way down and simply listen, our visual system is designed for high signal to noise ratio, which diverts attention, as it should, so lower the signal by reducing the ambient light level.
r_burke
212 posts
 
Thank you all, my wife thinks I'm part mole and now I can tell her it's an "audiophile" thing. Which although she doesn't understand, she has come to accept.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I believe it is a lack of distraction, both conscious and unconscious, that helps focus the mind/ear on the music. For me things sound best with the lights turned down, total darkness is nearly as distracting as normal light.
myraj
351 posts
 
It's a "dark" matter thang.
schipo
1,268 posts
 
We also listen with our eyes. Remember the eyes are the windows to our souls no fooling. I believe our eyes when open,and with the lights on. We tend not to listen with only our ears but other sense's being our sight will come into play.
hooper
396 posts
 
I'm not sure it's better in an emperical sense, but for me, it IS more enjoyable listening in the dark. Maybe that increased level of enjoyment causes your brain to equate it with better sound. Who knows? Interesting question, though.
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