Listening Tests and how length of time spent listening alters perception ex.

[3db]

I grew up on a farm nestled near the top of Steve's Mountain in NB. The house was so old it still had a water cistern in the basement on top of a dirt floor. Electricity was clearly an after thought when it was installed. Insulation if any was rock wool blown in behind slats covered with horse hair and plaster. To say the house was cold in the winter time was an understatement. Without slippers, my feet would get so cold they hurt. The house was barely warm enough to keep the water from freezing in the pipes when temperatures dipped into the -30s C without the wind. Sitting on top of the mountain meant there was always wind. Sorry for the preamble but I needed it to set the stage.

Well one day, the furnace konked out and my parents sent us over to the next door neighbours to keep warm and out of their way so they could fix the furnace and bring heat back into the house. After playing outside with the neighbour's kids, we headed inside to watch black and white TV. I was between 6 & 7 at the time and had no clue about audio. The first thing I noticed is how different everything sounded from our TV at home. Everything from the fully violent and uncensored Bugs Bunny Cartoons (Mel Blanc deserves a Pulitzer prize!!) to commercials. It struck me as odd that things sounded different because the source material was the same. However, after some time had passed, (I cant remember how much time), everything suddenly sounded the same as the TV at home. Being a kid, I never thought too much about it and just accepted my perception.

My point behind this story is that the human brain is very powerful and will shift or alter your perception of what you are hearing if given time. My immediate perceptions were indeed correct that the the neighbours TV sounded different (for a myriad of reasons which Im not going into) from my TV at home. But after long term listening, it sounded the same. I had no preconceived ideas about audio at the time. Audiophiles always poopoo controlled blind listening tests and one of the reasons they give is that the tests are too short to hear any differences. They require longer listening sessions to hear the differences. That longer time is when the brain steps in and begins to alter the perception of what they are hearing and report it as differences. For me, my brain made the two TVs sound the same.

 

[Golfx]

I grew up on a farm nestled near the top of Steve's Mountain in NB. The house was so old it still had a water cistern in the basement on top of a dirt floor. Electricity was clearly an after thought when it was installed. Insulation if any was rock wool blown in behind slats covered with horse hair and plaster. To say the house was cold in the winter time was an understatement. Without slippers, my feet would get so cold they hurt. The house was barely warm enough to keep the water from freezing in the pipes when temperatures dipped into the -30s C without the wind. Sitting on top of the mountain meant there was always wind. Sorry for the preamble but I needed it to set the stage.

Well one day, the furnace konked out and my parents sent us over to the next door neighbours to keep warm and out of their way so they could fix the furnace and bring heat back into the house. After playing outside with the neighbour's kids, we headed inside to watch black and white TV. I was between 6 & 7 at the time and had no clue about audio. The first thing I noticed is how different everything sounded from our TV at home. Everything from the fully violent and uncensored Bugs Bunny Cartoons (Mel Blanc deserves a Pulitzer prize!!) to commercials. It struck me as odd that things sounded different because the source material was the same. However, after some time had passed, (I cant remember how much time), everything suddenly sounded the same as the TV at home. Being a kid, I never thought too much about it and just accepted my perception.

My point behind this story is that the human brain is very powerful and will shift or alter your perception of what you are hearing if given time. My immediate perceptions were indeed correct that the the neighbours TV sounded different (for a myriad of reasons which Im not going into) from my TV at home. But after long term listening, it sounded the same. I had no preconceived ideas about audio at the time. Audiophiles always poopoo controlled blind listening tests and one of the reasons they give is that the tests are too short to hear any differences. They require longer listening sessions to hear the differences. That longer time is when the brain steps in and begins to alter the perception of what they are hearing and report it as differences. For me, my brain made the two TVs sound the same.

Oh I’m with you on the whole brain changes perceptions observation. I noticed it with the written word as well. I went into a Barnes and Noble to search their books for nearby colleges. My highschool son was a sophomore and was about to take the Pre SAT test. As I went by the sale table there was a book 50% off on PSAT Performance testing. I made a promise to look and perhaps buy it on my way out. Upon my return the book title had changed to PAST Performance testing. That shook me. That my preset mindset (bias) was set to my son’s college and upcoming PSAT test. Mybias actually changed my perception of what was written.


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[3db]

Oh I’m with you on the whole brain changes perceptions observation. I noticed it with the written word as well. I went into a Barnes and Noble to search their books for nearby colleges. My highschool son was a sophomore and was about to take the Pre SAT test. As I went by the sale table there was a book 50% off on PSAT Performance testing. I made a promise to look and perhaps buy it on my way out. Upon my return the book title had changed to PAST Performance testing. That shook me. That my preset mindset (bias) was set to my son’s college and upcoming PSAT test. Mybias actually changed my perception of what was written.


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I wouldn't sweat it. Its the sign of the times with far too much information swimming around in our heads. You do get used to it after a while.

 

[XEagleDriver]

In a similar light, my father immigrated to the US from Chile as an adult. He was an electrical engineer, very well educated and intelligent.

To many others, he had an accent they likened to Dezi Arnaz in I Love Lucy.

To me, he sounds the same as you or any other person not from the South or North Dakota, LOL.

So, either they are all wrong (a massive conspiracy) or it's an example of brain function on hearing.

You pick. I'm voting for conspiracy, for a much better bar story!
Cheers,
XEagleDriver


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