Critical Listening
- Thread starter Soundork
- Start date
Soundork
Super Member
Thank you all for responding to my post.
Feel free to laugh all you want but...
I normally listen to music at about 56dB, 59dB is equivalent to having turned the volume almost all the way up, 63dB happens after I had a few and feel like am at a rock concert.
The funniest part is that at 65dB and above, all equipment sounds the same, no matter how good or bad as this sound level is just below my pain threshold, so 88dB where the hearing of the average human is most linear is way above my pain threshold.
Once again, thanks.
Soundork
Feel free to laugh all you want but...
I normally listen to music at about 56dB, 59dB is equivalent to having turned the volume almost all the way up, 63dB happens after I had a few and feel like am at a rock concert.
The funniest part is that at 65dB and above, all equipment sounds the same, no matter how good or bad as this sound level is just below my pain threshold, so 88dB where the hearing of the average human is most linear is way above my pain threshold.
Once again, thanks.
Soundork
Do you happen to wear hearing aids? Something like this? 
bimasta
Addicted Member
Peter Walker, inventor of the Quad electrostatic speakers, said to "think of the volume control on the amp like the focus-ring on a camera — for every piece of music, one setting is right."
mr.muddles
Super Member
No disrespect to Peter Walker, but, that's just like his opinion man...
The point being you can't tell someone something subjective is objectively right or wrong. It's personal taste. Some people like their steak cooked well done with ketchup -- Are you going to let Gordon Ramsay tell you otherwise?
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mr.muddles
Super Member
Volume control plays a bigger factor when we are talking about like sound engineering and mastering of music but in my opinion when it comes to personal listening and enjoyment of music, it's just a matter of taste.
As for volume, there is no right answers there for me, its all about individual taste. I find some music sounds better not turned up too loud. For instance I can't listen for long to really dynamic sounding piano if it's too loud. Probably some trumpet too, but other instruments, sax and most string instruments for instance will usually get the vol bumped up in my house.
When I am doing serious listening, which is all the time really, I listen to the same track in different ways. Sometimes pull my attention back and just let the entire thing wash over me. Then again but concentrating on a single instrument or vocalist. What are they doing? How does the rest of the track harmonize or fit with that element? It changes the perspective of what the piece of music is doing, like walking around in it and examining different aspects of a sculpture.
I am I suppose an odd person. I have zero interest in background music. I don't want music playing when I am working or reading. Back when I had a car I didn't have music playing when driving. I don't read a book when watching a movie and don't do anything else when listening to music. Music is a pure interest that I want to experience all by itself.
I tend to jog the volume until just the point where the music stops getting louder but instead gets larger. That is the perfect listening point for my listening tastes. Many times that point is different for different tracks on an album. Have any of you noticed that quite often the first track on an album will be mixed louder than the following tracks? And I don't mean that my ears have gotten used to the level by the 2nd track but that the first one really is louder, I can skip back to it and need to jug the volume down.
Cheers,
James
I am I suppose an odd person. I have zero interest in background music. I don't want music playing when I am working or reading. Back when I had a car I didn't have music playing when driving. I don't read a book when watching a movie and don't do anything else when listening to music. Music is a pure interest that I want to experience all by itself.
I tend to jog the volume until just the point where the music stops getting louder but instead gets larger. That is the perfect listening point for my listening tastes. Many times that point is different for different tracks on an album. Have any of you noticed that quite often the first track on an album will be mixed louder than the following tracks? And I don't mean that my ears have gotten used to the level by the 2nd track but that the first one really is louder, I can skip back to it and need to jug the volume down.
Cheers,
James
SterlingOne
Super Member
Critical listening is an exercise that sucks the pleasure right out of the music, meaning the emotions stirred by the music are suppressed by concentration on the elements and factors effecting sound quality. In other words it precludes intimacy with the music. It's why I prefer most any means to recorded music over LPs. When I listen to LPs these days I tend to analyze things like: is my cartridge properly aligned, could a more expensive cart sound better, do I have the best phono preamp to match my cartridge, and is my subwoofer correctly integrated in my system. At any rate, once drawn to critical listening the inevitable addiction to it will rob you of the goosebumps, tears, and all the other feelings that music had earlier brought to your life.
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Listening critically could mean listening critically to the playback system or listening critically to the music, eg "does the bass sound flabby or boomy, is there sibilance plaguing the vocals..." as opposed to "is the ride cymbal really locked-in to that walking bass line, is that guitar really in tune...".
They're two different things.
They're two different things.
bruhl001
infinitybyond
The endless component searching and associated misery is not the result of bad musicianship.
If listening to music on your system makes you miserable, it's probably a good idea to find different interests.
I've gone through various audio components over the years as I've gradually improved my system. The trip has had lots of twists and turns, but I've always enjoyed the journey.
Sometimes i listen to music as an activity unto itself, and sometimes I listen to music as an enhancement to doing something else (for example, socializing, driving, mowing the lawn, working in the shop, etc).
Neither music nor the journey involved with building a better sounding system has ever made me miserable, or even slightly unhappy. To the contrary, music has been, and continues to be, one of the great joys in my life. I prefer listening via a good system, but don't require it. And of course, live is always better!
EDIT: I've always thought of "critical listening" as being focused on how the system sounds....as when evaluating a new pair of speakers, different cartridge alignment, etc. In other words, evaluating whether a change has made the music sound better, or not. For me, it describes a specific type of listening for a specific purpose, and is different than "focused" listening...in which the music is the focal point. In my world, critical listening is a limited activity, making up only a very small portion of my total listening time.
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JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
The SPL reading you're using are very low compared to what many use as a listening level. How are you measuring SPL? The chart below shows your reported listening levels are not much louder than normal conversation.
FWIW: My listening level is usually around 85-88dB C weighted with peaks into the lower 90's. Sometimes when prodded by a guest I'll crank it to ~100dB on peaks. At that point the sound is uncomfortably loud to me.
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I've never known of anyone with such hypersensitive hearing. How are you measuring SPL?
EDIT - JoeESP9 had the same thought while I was typing.
Pio1980
AK Member
Critical listening for me is concentration on the experience hearing into the music in all of its parts, textures, rhythms, interplay, ect, a total sensual immersion for the totality of what being presented. A system that allows that had always been my aspiration, casually skimming the surface isn't satisfying or rewarding for me in the same way.
Volume level to me is important because I would like to hear music as close to live levels as possible. I also play along at those same levels. That tells me if my equipment is really doing its job
Mystic
We're all born mad
Somewhat along the same lines here, especially as ~ 70% -- maybe more -- of music to which I listen is (a) live recording and (b) guitar-oriented.
That, and I need MORE COWBELL.
Thank you, I almost posted something very similar.
The first is enjoyable and I can do it for longer, the latter is work and listener fatigue sets in rather quickly.
One of the reasons why I like to evaluate equipment over time.
mkane
Lunatic Member
Critical listening is a must for the DIY'er in me otherwise, might as well buy gear off the shelf.
Three decks in our house. One for background with auto lift, one for casual listening, one for sitting in front of the speakers all the time. The fridge also gets turned off and a big orange post it adorns the door. No talking, no sing along, no meowing. This unit lets you melt into the chain, becoming one with the music.
Zero fatigue with these. Even after 5 hours sitting in the music.
Three decks in our house. One for background with auto lift, one for casual listening, one for sitting in front of the speakers all the time. The fridge also gets turned off and a big orange post it adorns the door. No talking, no sing along, no meowing. This unit lets you melt into the chain, becoming one with the music.
Zero fatigue with these. Even after 5 hours sitting in the music.
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Semanon
Super Member
Well said. And whichever you choose to do should be done to develop a better understanding of the music or the system. When it’s done only to find flaws the effort is misguided.