|
Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
|
|
|
Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
|
In Reply to: DBT or not DBT posted by Ozzie on December 2, 2014 at 19:07:52:
The problem is…
We have a “learned system”, by that I mean we hear through two inputs and yet our hearing system can take all of the difference between the right and left ear and our brain interprets and makes a single spatial image out of it. That is why two ear spaced microphones do not produce anything like a real stereo image but one measurement mic in mono, 1ch can sound very real.
The system also can ignore a great deal of noise and can fill in the blanks in the famous “cocktail party effect” or listening intently with headphones to a distant signal in the noise on the short wave. It does these things largely without our knowledge or awareness and it is that “automatic part” which is also the real problem.
Worse or maybe just a side effect of a learned system is that actually what our sense of taste and hearing share is that the subjective impression of each are both strongly affected by what you see and know.
For example, nearly always when judging two wines, the one in the fancier bottle is thought to taste better even though it may have originated in the same bottle as the lesser grade.
Our hearing is like that too, it is affected by what we know and expect AND in addition to what we see.
Sounds crazy but it’s true, in fact our sight can completely over ride what we hear (google and watch the mcgurke effect) and what we know can shape what we hear as well.
So, when you have your hearing tested, they limit the stimulus to one domain, your auditor channels, there is no red light that goes on with the tones, if there was one, your hearing would be much better, the person running the test can’t give you any clues, if he winked or you saw him press a button. Your hearing would be much better, even if you weren’t consciously aware of seeing it. So in the hearing test, it all depends on what your ears alone can detect.
Just like with wine coinsures some hifi enthusiasts have an extraordinarily high opinion of their own capabilities and are very proud (and welcome any suggestion along this line, like a country welcomes an asteroid strike).
In scientific testing methodology, for some things blind testing is the norm however. It is the only or at least best way to minimize bias .
To be scientifically rigorous, one must follow all the rules and protocols and use the appropriate math for analysis. To satisfy the nth degree of precision, is far outside of what is done in hifi. In fact, I am not sure people generally understand the connection between what we see, know and expect and what we hear but it is an overriding principal too. We also interpret anything new based on what we already know and understand.
To break the connection between what you know, expect or see and what you actually hear (by hear I mean the air pressure changes entering your ears, all one needs is to arrange a situation where you compare two things without knowing or seeing which was which.
In an informal test like this, do this when you’re comfortable with music you have selected at your leisure and usually with a silent friends help (or use a SBX relay box etc), go back and forth between A and B where you don’t know which is which. When you find musical snippets where you hear differences and then just go back and forth with those snippets.
Often, people find what they had previously heard as a large difference in sighted comparisons becomes a smaller one, once “the knowledge of which one was which” is removed as then your judgment is only based on what reaches your ears.
Do this A VS B comparison as often as you want, whenever you want until you are sure of your conclusion.
I think the reason some don’t like the idea is because that pretty often, once one has heard the big difference disappear, the magic of it usually doesn’t return. The up side for the diy'r is, if you have just made something that does sound better, it is likely to sound better to most everyone else too even when they don’t know what it is.
Hope that helps in a general way
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- The problem is… - tomservo 09:44:30 12/05/14 (6)
- RE: The problem is… - middleground 06:19:14 12/07/14 (0)
- And, if you want to be taken seriously... - E-Stat 11:04:10 12/05/14 (4)
- RE: And, if you want to be taken seriously... - Tony Lauck 18:52:24 12/05/14 (3)
- Why not make it easy enough - E-Stat 09:15:35 12/06/14 (2)
- That's how to train. - Tony Lauck 09:43:42 12/06/14 (1)
- "That's how to train." - E-Stat 08:12:50 12/07/14 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
