It's hard to ignore other peoples views and opinions. We are all here researching and sharing our experience and opinions. But then when getting new gear its hard not to bring to the table what you've read. When auditioning its difficult to be subjective. Its often said to trust your ears....but your mind can trick you also. And of course everyone hears different. I recently acquired a solid state 500 watt amp to try out for 2 weeks. I have been using a a well respected and reviewed hybrid tube/ss amp that retails for twice as much and the auditioning amp. After 24 hours i'm blown away by how much i like the new amp. Very different. Its bright, and detailed, the bass is tight, and i feel like it removed a layer of fog from the sound. When listening at high levels listening to a live recording i had an experience like i was on the floor of the theater, it sounded way more live. BUT then I sat my girlfriend sat down to really impress her and she said when playing flamenco sketches it was "brassy, and harsh", and the high res Norah jones "didn't sound right". Is it likely that i've damaged my ears in high frequency range from too many concerts up close? And now i enjoy a bright cold harsh analytical digital sound because it sounds just right? I dont know. So its hard to set up a direct a/b. What are some good ways to subjectively test new gear? how do you do it?
