The subjectivity of speaker quality


Just for the fun it, while listening to your speakers with your favorite piece of music, cup your hands behind your ears and listen for a few minutes. I am blown away by the incredible change in the sound of the music when I do this. With this in mind it is no wonder that there likely will never be any real agreement on what speakers are the "best" sounding. Maybe all speaker reviewers should first reveal the size of their ears and a copy of their latest hearing test!! It's all fun.
jppenn
no kidding. But then subjectivity is what makes audio forums so successful! lol.
LOL..thats funny,,I play cupping my hands at all kinds of angles just to pass the time...Its fun..not only the ears, but any cold or change in your sinus cavities can change your mind...

When I have bad colds, everything sounds dull...I dont even bother powering my amps up..
Well, if the sound is really good and stimulating, my ears become engorged and enlarge so that I can capture more and more. :-)

Kal
I got a haircut the other day and the lady cutting spent an inordinate amount of time removing hair from inside my ears. Wow, amazing sonic improvement. Shaving my head next.
Years ago some one marketed do-hickeys that slipped behind ones ears to do just what you described. I think they were called "good listeners" or something like that.
Years ago some one marketed do-hickeys that slipped behind ones ears to do just what you described. I think they were called "good listeners"

Correct product, wrong name. They were called "Sildenafil Citrate Ears"
If your wife laughs at your audio quirks now, imagine sitting there with Silden.....what Albert said.
I knew a guy who had this rectangular plywood rig on wheels that was set up in a vertical manner so the it bisected his speakers and reached the listneing postion. Along the vertical edge he had the frame cut to the proportions of his face. He would sit leaning forward with his face inserted into this rig during listening sessions. He claimed it helped with stereo seperation. I would have paid money if I could have photograohed him with "Sildenafil Citrate Ears" on while leaning into this contraption.
Cleaning your ears can have a similar effect. Anyone who hasn't cleaned their ears with earwax remover should try it.
Here is a link to "Sildenafil Citrate" I understand this is perfect for long, hard listening sessions.

Perky ears

WARNING, recent reports say the enhanced listening experience is merely placebo effect from partial blindness.
Looks like a horn enclosure experiment on "the other end"...
Here comes a bizzare tweak in mind...:-)
For the record, they were really called "Serious Listeners."

I once thought about marketing something like this called "Golden Ears," (appropriartely spray-painted, of course). Dave
I suspect that this guy "Frankenochio" with a 4' high X 8' long woodie extended to his speakers wouldn't need any help. It might be most uncomfortable. Was this a contraption or a contaceptive? Some sort of overly ambitious prostethic? On the other hand, he did have this thing right up aginst his lips. Oh my! I'm so confused! I no longer want this picture! This whole thing has become very disturbing!
Every ear has a unique sonic signature. Some ears are more musical than others. Ears that have a bell shaped cavity are said to be "tubed" whereas narrow cavities are of a solid state nature. Ears that stick out are described as dipolar, whereas flat ears are referred to as boxed. Ears with short lobes are prone to low frequency roll-off, but ears with long lobes sometimes encounter a ground loop hum. Dirty ears can only hear in mono; the cleanest ears can hear surround sound. If you have perfect hearing than your ears are said to be vinyl and golden; if you use a hearing aid then your ears have been digitized and you will forever changing cables and power cords. Finally, asymmetrical ears can reverse polarity.
My wife is dumbfounded at how particular I am about the quality of my audio and how much time I spend in the hobby. She says, "Why the hell are you so engrossed in your music and system, when I KNOW you're deaf as a rock ... You never half of what I say!" To which I obviously replied, "Huh?"
Sorry Marakanetz. I was having a bad day and it was a brief moment of insanity, not to mention embarrasing.