[Early B.]

Have you ever thought your system sounded great, but the next day, it doesn’t?

Most audiophiles blame their gear. However, we have no idea how our own moods, perceptions, predilections, and hearing impacts our ability to accurately describe  our systems.

There could be a lot of other factors at play. For instance, does room temperature affect sound? Seems preposterous, at first, but we know that sound is affected by heat, hence the concept of "warm-up time." Also, we know that the speed of sound is also significantly affected by temperature.

We assume that our ears are 100% the same every day. They're not.

What about your state of mind?? If you study psychoacoustics, it’ll make your head hurt.

Here's the hard truth – the problem with your music might be you.

[twitch54]

yes indeed but I will assert that 'knowledgeable' audiophiles know and understand this. 

[Elizabeth]

It depends on the type of personality of the audiophile. Some people are strongly self aware. they understand their body and it strengths and limitations. Others seem to be incapable of self insight.
Different situation but a clear example: In the indoor parking under my building another tenant I was friends with started complaining about his brakes. He was in his late 70s?early 80s.. From his description I told him the problem was his feet. lack of feeling and circulation. He should do foot massages. This was repeated to him numerous times. still he refused to believe it could be his own feet as the problem. He actually after complaining about the brakes for months and getting the brakes rebuilt etc.. went and bought a new car. And gee this new car was defective (according to him ) as it had even worse brakes.. Repeating he should get his feet checked, usless.
Suffice to say here was a guy incapable of insight. Even being told repeatedly the problem was his own lack of feeling in his own feet.
Living with total blinders on ? anyway I am sure there are Audiophiles with the same sort of problem in their hearing...

[Letitroll98]

Interesting question.  I don't have a fit if the system varies day to day, I'm much more interested in long term performance.  But when daily changes occur I do blame the room, the equipment, electric grid, etc before myself.  Since short term changes don't affect my perception there's no reason to blame it.  But I will be mindful of that variable from now on.

[MttBsh]

In my experience, system upgrades always bring a fresh appreciation of how great our systems sound, but it doesn't take too long for us to get used to that new, better sound (weeks? months?).  That's the point when it is no longer THAT extraordinary and we start thinking about what we could upgrade.   

[Early B.]

It depends on the type of personality of the audiophile. Some people are strongly self aware. they understand their body and it strengths and limitations. Others seem to be incapable of self insight.
Different situation but a clear example: In the indoor parking under my building another tenant I was friends with started complaining about his brakes. He was in his late 70s?early 80s.. From his description I told him the problem was his feet. lack of feeling and circulation. He should do foot massages. This was repeated to him numerous times. still he refused to believe it could be his own feet as the problem. He actually after complaining about the brakes for months and getting the brakes rebuilt etc.. went and bought a new car. And gee this new car was defective (according to him ) as it had even worse brakes.. Repeating he should get his feet checked, usless.
Suffice to say here was a guy incapable of insight. Even being told repeatedly the problem was his own lack of feeling in his own feet.
Living with total blinders on ? anyway I am sure there are Audiophiles with the same sort of problem in their hearing...

That's a good story and certainly applicable.

There are a few guys on this forum who noted that they have tinnitus which effects 15 - 20% of the population, according to the Mayo Clinic. I would imagine that perhaps some days are better than others, daytime is better than nighttime, etc. 

Here's an interesting quote that I picked up from a hearing loss blog:

The truth is that we are hearing equally well (or poorly!) at all times of the day, but we are understanding better in the morning, when our brains are fresher. Perhaps the term “hearing loss” is a misnomer and we should be calling it “understanding loss” instead.

[Folsom]

Why not put some blame on the recording? They are maybe the most limiting factor.

[Early B.]

Why not put some blame on the recording? They are maybe the most limiting factor.

The purpose of this post is to press the pause button before we blame our system, including the recording. You can choose to play a good recording or not, but you can't choose another "you."

Someone on this forum -- perhaps tongue-in-cheek -- mentioned that before he sits down to critically listen to his system, he cleans out his ears. That's probably the best free tweak you can do.   

   

[Tyson]

I used to be an avid Scotch collector/drinker.  One thing I noticed was the variability of flavor in the scotches on a day to day (and week to week basis).  Eventually I realized that the variability in flavor was actually variations in my own biology.  So, based on what was going on in my body on that particular day, a certain Scotch might taste 'amazing', or "meh" or "terrible". 

I suspect similar phenomenon affect listening/hearing.

[mcgsxr]

I’d admit some kind of effect that mood has.

It can make amazing sound just OK once in a while.

But I’ve never had the experience that just OK sounds amazing some nights. 

I’m never sure if it’s the mains power, relative humidity or relative sobriety!

[SET Man]

Hey!

    Is both actually. Sometime me,  sometime my system and sometime both!

   My system haven't change much over the past 10 years. So, I know it well. But yes I sometime noticed some differences. I live in NYC and I do enjoy my system more in winter than in summer. One theory is that in winter I have a quieter room without winder A/C unit running. And perhaps in winter the air is drier so the paper cone Fostex drivers don't absorb moisture as they would in summer? That's from season to season. As for from day to day, I don't noticed any change much enough to kill my enjoyment of musics.

   Another factor is well... me! Yes, my mood definitely effect how I perceived the sound. Maybe even more so. I do have a light tinnitus in my left ear, it is very light I only noticed it when in a very quiet room. One thing I noticed that when a strong storm roll in and/or the air pressure changes the pressure in my ears will be effected and sometime my ears would pop. And this probably have effect on my hearing and sometime notice the different in the high changes a bit.

   Anyway, that's my personal experience and observations.

Buddy

[rollo]

It depends on the type of personality of the audiophile. Some people are strongly self aware. they understand their body and it strengths and limitations. Others seem to be incapable of self insight.
Different situation but a clear example: In the indoor parking under my building another tenant I was friends with started complaining about his brakes. He was in his late 70s?early 80s.. From his description I told him the problem was his feet. lack of feeling and circulation. He should do foot massages. This was repeated to him numerous times. still he refused to believe it could be his own feet as the problem. He actually after complaining about the brakes for months and getting the brakes rebuilt etc.. went and bought a new car. And gee this new car was defective (according to him ) as it had even worse brakes.. Repeating he should get his feet checked, usless.
Suffice to say here was a guy incapable of insight. Even being told repeatedly the problem was his own lack of feeling in his own feet.
Living with total blinders on ? anyway I am sure there are Audiophiles with the same sort of problem in their hearing...

  You can bring a Horse to the water, good try.

charles

[wushuliu]

It depends on the type of personality of the audiophile. Some people are strongly self aware. they understand their body and it strengths and limitations. Others seem to be incapable of self insight.

Oof. There it is. Doesn't get any more real than that.