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Critical Listening

Soundork

Soundork

Super Member
I hear the term "Critical Listening" tossed around a lot and am unsure what it means. Here is what confuses me about it:

I do not understand the conditions during which this is performed, actually I do not understand one specific parameter - listening volume, which leads me to bunch of other questions such as, "When does the listener get to actually enjoy the music", "Do amps only perform at critical listening levels", "How do critical listening levels relate to the specs", "Can one enjoy music at critical listening levels", if the music is good only at critical listening levels, why doesnt the evaluator listen at those levels at all times. etc...?

Can someone explain the concept of "Critical Listening" and all of its related aspects?

Thanks in advance.

Soundork
 
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To me, critical listening simply means paying attention to the music. This would not include, reading the paper, arguing with your partner, playing solitaire, having the TV news on or doing anything really except listening. It includes paying close attention to the music, but that in itself doesn't make the music "not enjoyable" but the contrary. To me, if I want to enjoy imaging, I need to listen without distraction. Much of the process is simply lost once the attention span goes. It then becomes background music, which is alright too but not really listening and experiencing it. Listening to music is a 3 part thing, the first two are all the external, The music itself being one part, then the amps, the speakers, their position in the room, the room itself. Then there is the third part, the ear/brain which processes it all. If the brain is distracted, much of the detail, and the imaging itself disappears, and then that isn't critical listening any longer.
 
I agree with @Alobar in that critical listening is giving the music/sound your undivided attention -- no distractions. Just focusing on what you are hearing.

How is the volume supposed to play into this? I'm not familiar with volume being a requirement outside the obvious -- if it's too quiet you won't be able to hear and if it's too loud it may damage your hearing or cause distortion, fatigue etc.
 
I try and do different systems for music listening vs critical listening. The systems I have in the garage are for listening to music while I get other stuff done, and are not particularly revealing in so as they will not expose poor recordings. It's all about the music then and not being critical.
 
mr.muddles said:
I try and do different systems for music listening vs critical listening. The systems I have in the garage are for listening to music while I get other stuff done, and are not particularly revealing in so as they will not expose poor recordings. It's all about the music then and not being critical.
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Nice, I too have different systems for different types of listening. I found the key to enjoying the audio hobby is being OK with good enough for whatever type of listening you do. Every room, recording and system can be found wanting if perfection is what one is after. My experience has been most people who begin to critically listen can't stop doing it and end up pretty miserable.
 
Soundork said:
I hear the term "Critical Listening" tossed around a lot and am unsure what it means. Here is what confuses me about it:

I do not understand the conditions during which this is performed, actually I do not understand one specific parameter - listening volume, which leads me to bunch of other questions such as, "When does the listener get to actually enjoy the music", "Do amps only perform at critical listening levels", "How do critical listening levels relate to the specs", "Can one enjoy music at critical listening levels", if the music is good only at critical listening levels, why doesnt the evaluator listen at those levels at all times. etc...?

Can someone explain the concept of "Critical Listening" and all of its related aspects?

Thanks in advance.

Soundork
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Your putting to much thought behind it. It’s basically a judgment or ones opinion on gear or media format.

you can sit back and enjoy the music and be critical listening at the same time.
 
I spend a lot of time listening to a Boston Acoustics Receptor radio and always enjoy it. It's great for plugging in around the house and in the yard in places where I don't already have a system setup. I don't find that I have a problem of being stuck in "critical listening" mode unless I am listening to one of my reference systems (e.g., Yamaha NS-1000) and really don't think about anything other than the music.

When trying out new gear, yes, I will often repeatedly listen to the same reference albums until I think I've figured out any differences that have occurred as to the change in gear.
 
"Critical listening" to me, means I am getting paid to do it (orchestral violist). It usually means I am listening to my playing with a very critical ear, i.e., for faults in objective parameters like frequency and quantizable rhythm.

I think most people here use the term the way I would use "active listening" (as opposed to "passive listening"). Active listening requires being in the moment, which requires concentration and the ability to turn the internal dialogue of words off in the head.

Passive listening can be quite enjoyable, but I don't know if I have ever experienced the incredible phenomenon of "frisson" from it.
 
As to the volume level - that doesn't really matter, that is personal preference. Maybe system-dependent, too (I listen to my main system much louder than a single ended tube amp in a second system).

Personally, for active listening, I ideally would like the volume at the same SPL (in dB) as if I was experiencing one-take music (orchestral and jazz, mostly) from where the microphone picked up the music.

For studio-created recordings like most rock and pop, it depends on the mood. I most often listen to these passively, so not too loud, but when I listen to them actively, I try to imagine how the artist might have wanted to listen to the final mix in the studio.

For my definitions of "active" and "passive" listening, in the context of "critical listening", see my post above.
 
To me when critical listening to your kit and recording's sound is a judgement of your system. (read: what's good and what isn't within this sound)

I'll let that sink in.

I try not to listen to the kit, hard to do, but with time the music and artist always takes over.
 
I like the term active listening. It’s what I do most.
Shut everything else off and listen.
Volume is dependent on what I’m listening to. If It’s a recording of an acoustic guitar playing solo I’m not cranking it to 11. Music dependent and adjusted to taste.
Critical listening is mostly the same thing though I feel that it would be more of a mental comparison to some ideal rather than just listening.
Comparing a new piece of gear or while moving around speakers, stuff like that.

Either way, I don’t take any of this too seriously once I get my system sorted. i just like to sit and listen without distraction because it’s fun.
I’m basically an anti tweaker and only have one system so it has to do it all satisfactorily, from jazz to rock to acoustic.
 
Alobar said:
To me, critical listening simply means paying attention to the music. This would not include, reading the paper, arguing with your partner, playing solitaire, having the TV news on or doing anything really except listening. It includes paying close attention to the music, but that in itself doesn't make the music "not enjoyable" but the contrary. To me, if I want to enjoy imaging, I need to listen without distraction. Much of the process is simply lost once the attention span goes. It then becomes background music, which is alright too but not really listening and experiencing it. Listening to music is a 3 part thing, the first two are all the external, The music itself being one part, then the amps, the speakers, their position in the room, the room itself. Then there is the third part, the ear/brain which processes it all. If the brain is distracted, much of the detail, and the imaging itself disappears, and then that isn't critical listening any longer.
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I am
Alobar said:
To me, critical listening simply means paying attention to the music. This would not include, reading the paper, arguing with your partner, playing solitaire, having the TV news on or doing anything really except listening. It includes paying close attention to the music, but that in itself doesn't make the music "not enjoyable" but the contrary. To me, if I want to enjoy imaging, I need to listen without distraction. Much of the process is simply lost once the attention span goes. It then becomes background music, which is alright too but not really listening and experiencing it. Listening to music is a 3 part thing, the first two are all the external, The music itself being one part, then the amps, the speakers, their position in the room, the room itself. Then there is the third part, the ear/brain which processes it all. If the brain is distracted, much of the detail, and the imaging itself disappears, and then that isn't critical listening any longer.
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I am with @Alobar on this.

If one is deliberately doing a thing, focusing on it, enjoying it (or not) without interruption from other things, that would fall into this category.

When I am emersed in a book, doing TM, reviewing legal contracts, concentrating on a particular task to the exclusion of all else, these are very similar experiences in that the focus is totally on that experience at hand.

That said, if I am planning on doing a dedicated listening session (vs. having something on in the background), that is all that i am going to do - intently and critically!
 
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