Training your hearing???

[split0101]

This is a bit of a embarrassing question, but do you all think it is possible to train your hearing?

It would be great if the was a reference CD and booklet that you could listen too and read to somehow calibrate your ears. This way you could learn what to listen for when you dont know what to listen for ,?,?

The reason I ask is a lot of times I read on the forum how a certain things "sounds" (i.e. bright, muddy, flat), but Im not sure what that is supposed to sound like.

None of my friends are into music or HT, so its hard to get to sample music on a variety of decent systems (all HTIB). I went a few times to sample music at stores, but thats kinda weird and I dont want to waste a guys time when Im not buying anything. So this has made it tough to get a reference sound in my brain.

Is it possible to do? Or do you need someone to teach you what to listen for?

Thanks

 

[Alex2507]

Hi Split,

Welcome to the forum. I asked a similar question way back and got some insight from the responses. Here is the thread:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39878

I understand that a good pair of headphones to get for referennce are these:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-7506-Pro-MDR-7506-Headphones/dp/B0002H02ZY

What I have noticed is that paying attention to what I hear over the last few years has made me more aware of what I hear. I think it may be like reading Braille. Right now all those bumps feel the same but after a while I'm pretty sure that I would be able to differentiate one set of bumps from another. With all that said my strongest indicator of whether something sounds right for me is how it makes me feel. How much I like the sound carries the most weight.

I have measured frequency response and moved subs and measured again and added acoustic panels will measure stuff again but it's all because I believe that getting a certain type of frequency response or sound will make me like what I hear more. So far so good. I believe that training your ears will take time/practice and as far as the vocabulary is concerned, stick around. Given a little time some of that will unravel itself. For me the way it worked was that I needed to understand A,B and C. Now I'm trying to unravel H, I and J. Good thing that there is not a test at the end of the week.

 

[avaserfi]

I don't recommend it - it makes this hobby very expensive... Trust me, I had a simple 7.1 set up long ago. My current 2 channel system is being built from scratch by me because I got smart and started training my ears - all my other speakers are long gone. I have listened to virtually no music in a relaxing circumstance since this build has begun because I am too picky now .

If you are really serious about it I suggest reading up from the scientific source. This article's findings are that trained and untrained listeners have similar opinions on loudspeakers - in more detail: those with training judge speakers more consistently and more critically than those without. Training can come from various sources, but the easiest for a home listener without much money to blow is, as Alex pointed out, a good set of headphones.

The MDR 7506 are a superb low cost choice (due note there is a resonance band in the midrange which can be audible with certain sources). Couple quality headphones with well recorded music and software that allows you to manipulate distortion levels, frequency playback etc.. and you can create double blind experiments of your own to realize your ear's potential and train them further.

As far as the vocabulary is concerned, those are just common definitions which have been adopted by the community. You will pick them up quickly if you spend time around others obsessed with audio.

 

[Haoleb]

As far as training your ears, I would say go listen to something that is really good, and properly setup for a while..

Before you know it just about everything will fall short of your standard.

 

[Wannabubble]

If you want to stay true to the whole idea of Hifi (reproduction of unamplified music, But it is also true to amplified) the only way to truly "train" you ears is to be around live performances...... ALOT! That is the only way you will know what it should sound like. Me being a musician, I cant stand the sound of crappy stereo systems. Most people that don't have any appreciation for live music will not care about a good quality stereo system.

 

[lsiberian]

If you want to stay true to the whole idea of Hifi (reproduction of unamplified music, But it is also true to amplified) the only way to truly "train" you ears is to be around live performances...... ALOT! That is the only way you will know what it should sound like. Me being a musician, I cant stand the sound of crappy stereo systems. Most people that don't have any appreciation for live music will not care about a good quality stereo system.

Depends on the live performance. If your performances are using a bad setup then you are being poisoned.

 

[Wannabubble]

Depends on the live performance. If your performances are using a bad setup then you are being poisoned.

Good point But bad performances or bad equipment can in a way be good for you. They expose you to the horrors of the music world Which in turn show you what is not good or desirable.

 

[split0101]

Wow lots of great responses here. I like the idea of using headphones, but since I listen to most of my music on a iPod I think Im going to be missing out on some of the subtle details in the music. The past 2 years I started ripping all my CD's in the highest bitrate possible (320 kbit/s) but Im not sure if that is enough.

I hope this doesnt mean that I have to break out my old portable CD player?

 

[jostenmeat]

This is a bit of a embarrassing question, but do you all think it is possible to train your hearing?

Hm. I think that to choose, you ought to pick whatever sounds most realistic. Obvious perhaps, but yeah.

I think, maybe, the hardest thing to get just right for most folks is the human voice, because of your extreme familiarity with it. Processed sound effects, and a lot of pop music in general, are not very familiar to us in the real world.

I find it similar to the video side of things. I can watch reference quality PQ with something like Ratatouille, even with inaccurate colors, but if human faces look a bit too reddish or greenish, I might notice much more quickly because of my extreme familiarity with what a human face looks like.

I know I'm not really answering the question, but pointing out something that might be of introductory importance to you.

It would be great if the was a reference CD and booklet that you could listen too and read to somehow calibrate your ears. This way you could learn what to listen for when you dont know what to listen for ,?,?

This is also somewhat of a loaded question. Classical musicians sometimes completely alter the way they might record something. The extraneous noises on a string, or the very briefest interruptions of legato, are much more forgivable, if even perceivable, when they're simply just trying hard to "belt it out" for a large audience. Maybe that's like the difference between how an actor performs on stage, as opposed to in front of a camera.

Then sometimes the recording techniques are so different. I know very, very little about this stuff, but have picked an expert's brain on this subject here.

HOWEVER, the above will result in a moot point for many audiophiles, for the speaker should just reproduce what is on the recording; with the assumption that the recording is sufficient in this regard.

Is it possible to do? Or do you need someone to teach you what to listen for?

I think, for starters, look for what seems to be very realistic vocal reproduction. Then go from there is what I might say . . . ?

 

[Wannabubble]

This is also somewhat of a loaded question. Classical musicians sometimes completely alter the way they might record something. The extraneous noises on a string, or the very briefest interruptions of legato, are much more forgivable, if even perceivable, when they're simply just trying hard to "belt it out" for a large audience. Maybe that's like the difference between how an actor performs on stage, as opposed to in front of a camera.

Then sometimes the recording techniques are so different. I know very, very little about this stuff, but have picked an expert's brain on this subject here.

HOWEVER, the above will result in a moot point for many audiophiles, for the speaker should just reproduce what is on the recording; with the assumption that the recording is sufficient in this regard.

This is very true. Music halls are usually very unforgiving. In order for a string player to play louder, they must play harder, which in turn sounds scratchy the closer you are to them. But from far away it will sound normal.

Sorry to kind of get off subject.

 

[jostenmeat]

This is very true. Music halls are usually very unforgiving.

I actually think most music halls actually sound good, after all, that's what they were designed to do. Maybe not at all, but most. Where it get's hard is when the seats are filled, and you basically have hundreds of very large sound absorbers: humans.

I think recording, for difficult acoustic music, is where all the pimples show. But yeah the point was that the execution can be very different. Anyhoo.

I've been recently told that the Metropolitan Opera House was said to sound significantly better way back in the day. Why? Greater display of decolletage (low neck lines)!


Therefore, I advise that anyone who reads this to convince their wives/SO/dates to wear revealing blouses when you take them to a concert. It's all for the greater good of live acoustics!

 

[split0101]

Therefore, I advise that anyone who reads this to convince their wives/SO/dates to wear revealing blouses when you take them to a concert. It's all for the greater good of live acoustics!

Love the idea, but I dont know if I'll be able to focus on the music with all the you know what showing

 

[Wannabubble]

Love the idea, but I dont know if I'll be able to focus on the music with all the you know what showing

"Hey look! There's a concert going on! When did that happen?" LOL