Listener fatigue


What causes it and what brands caused it for you?

I have been using a ML No. 383 with Meridian 508.24 for a year now and the one thing I always liked was I never experienced listerner fatigue. I was recently experimenting and hooked up a McIntosh C42 preamp to a Heath amp (cheap, it's all I could get my hands on). This amp is very bright, but I heard some things in the combo I liked, but I cannot listen to it for more than a few songs without it giving me a headache, even with the treble turned down (the Mac has an 8 band eq.).

Is this generally due to a bright sounding system or are there other factors that can also give this result?
brianmgrarcom

Showing 1 response by mrgil

Overemphasized treble has proven hard for me to listen to for long, but I associate listener fatigue most with edgier-than-natural transients etching instruments into their positions, _demanding_ attention from various positions in the soundstage all at once.

Overinvolvement, while exciting at first, becomes exhausting before long. I've noticed a fairly fine line between too much involvement and not enough, but I am personally happier falling asleep while listening than getting wound up, since I mainly listen for relaxation (even to rock). Uninvolvement does not induce relaxation, but neither is exhaustion relaxing.