Does your system sound change with the seasons?


I have a highly resolving system of around 50k. Is it just me and am I nuts thinking that my stereo sounds better in the winter months? Every year the same thing. The sound is less harsh and is a more pleasurable experience in the winter months. Not by a whole bunch but I hear a subtle but definite difference in the tones. What I'm hearing can't be in the high frequencies. I'm 60 years old. I do not let the humidity dip below 40% in the winter in my dedicated music room. If it dips into in the mid 30s things don't sound right.  I installed extra ductwork to help it stay cool in the summer. My room used to get hot from my big amp in the summer. A hot room does not sound as good to me. I have done some research on hearing abilities during the different seasons but there is not a whole lot of info out there. I did find that high humidity is detrimental to sound quality. Water is reflective in nature. Just holler across the lake at night and listen to the response a mile away. "Musicians in outside orchestras would notice the harshness of the sound from rising humidty before a storm approaches. They would call it the bloom before the thunderstorm" Laura Dearborn, Good Sound. Thanks for reading.

128x128blueranger

Thanks for your responses. I do leave my system powered up all the time except during storms.

I also have a $50K  “A” audio system that is very different in its seasonal performance than my lesser cost “B” to “D” systems,(…$10K to $1K respectively)

The latter don’t have any noticeable differences seasonally , but the “A” system has its own quirks. I need to let it to properly warm up at anytime during the year for peak performance, but for a variable longer time for ?? in winter months to get it performing at my recollection of its known peak.

No hard evidence, just anecdotal experience… I dunno if it’s just the electronics or an added delta from the speakers or ?.

The more modestly priced systems performance don’t seem to vary seasonally or day-in, day-out.

FWIW ….

Do you listen more in the Winter? This would keep your capacitors nicely charged.  I sometimes go weeks without listening to my main system and things sound a bit thin and unresolved the next time I hear it.