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Perception

I’ve been very happy with my system lately, since I added new speakers and a new amplifier.  I felt it was totally balanced and almost anything I played on it sounded good.  Then a friend came over who had greatly admired my previous system configuration.  This friend owns decidedly mid fi audio equipment  and listens mostly on headphones.
 In short, he didn’t like my current system.
Now, I’m starting to listen to my system through HIS ears and have wondered if it was a mistake to upgrade.
I don’t know if this is a question of perception or weak-mindedness.
So much of the enjoyment of our rigs is in our head.  The system didn’t change.  My perception of it did.
 I now have to fight off his perception and get back to my own.
 I don’t think I’m a unique case. So much of what we perceive in audio is controlled by our psyches.



rvpiano

Showing 4 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,088 posts
 
External factors abound in audio life but as time passes, one must develop a thick enough skin to shrug it all off. 

Whenever my choices were challenged or disputed, my first reaction was disbelief. After hearing what others considered the correct sound, my reaction turned to relief. Relief that I was right all along.

Yes, I've heard better systems but they were over 10X the cost of my system. So, in the context of what I know and how it accounts with my wants and situation, I'm very content now and not subject to others criticisms. 

This reminds me of that old Devo song, Freedom of Choice and this passage:

In ancient rome there was a poem
About a dog who found two bones
He picked at one
He licked the other
He went in circles
He dropped dead

All the best,
Nonoise



nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,088 posts
 
nonoise:"Not that I needed a reason to eat cheese, now I have an excuse. Thanks for the link."

Hello nonoise,

    I don't mind you eating all that cheese, either. It's all that cutting of it you're constantly doing that bothers me.

Tim
Think how bad it would be if I had 4 stomachs and a cud to chew.

All the best,
Nonoise


nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,088 posts
 
Not that I needed a reason to eat cheese, now I have an excuse. Thanks for the link.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,088 posts
 
Aside from all the psychoanalysis, there's also the fact that we all hear differently. We need about 450 genes in order to hear something. 67 genes can cause some kind of hearing loss. There are over 400 genetic syndromes that cause hearing loss or degradation. That, and it's rare that two people taken at random have the same genetic makeup, let alone are close, for hearing. 

Now, combine what we want and favor to hear with how we hear and you'll never arrive at a consensus. Factor in a dominating personality that isn't yours and all bets are off.

I stopped worrying about how others feel about my system a long time ago.

All the best,
Nonoise
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