[SwedeSound]

I just returned to my rig after a full two months of NOT listening to it (summer vacations, the whine of fans and AC units kept me out of the sweet spot), and when I sat down to listen again, something rather strange happened. It seemed to sound better -- much better -- than I remembered it. And I did NOTHING to it (save for buying some new music) during that time.

Near as I can tell, it's merely a matter of my having MISSED listening to music for two months, and therefore I ascribed certain qualities to it that perhaps weren't really there. Or it could be that the music I did hear for much of the summer was from relatively inferior sources (rental car stereos, portable iPod speakers, headphones, etc.) I highly doubt there's anything to the notion of giving speakers, amps and CD players "a rest" that could have created this strange phenomenon, so I've ruled that out... unless, of course, there could be something to it. 

Anybody else have the same reaction after taking a long - intentional or otherwise - break from listening? Just curious...

-Jason

[superchad]

What time of day was it? If it was in the late evening that would probably sound great compared to during the day or it could be any number of your reasons from listening to crap and just missing the rig............either way dont fight it!

[Russell Dawkins]

I think your suspicions are correct - I used to have the same reaction when I used to listen to my "rig" very sparingly - only once a day late in the evening. Part of the formula was that I didn't hear any other form of artificial music through the day - I lived in the country and purposely listened to no music of any kind through the day - not radio nor anything else.

By late evening when I turned on my little Harmon Kardon tube integrated (maybe 10 wpc) the realism was exquisite - even on my AR 4xs and AR turntable.

The silence of the deep country didn't hurt, either.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Interesting.   But I have to say that I have the opposite experience. Somehow I always feels that my system don't sound as good as it could get after a week or more of resting.

   I know my system well and this is always the case for me with my system when I listen to it from cold start after a long resting. And usually it will feel right the next day or next listening session shortly after that.

   Maybe the system need to re-energize again after a long rest. 

   Interesting phenomenon with very different feel/reaction to it.

Take care,
Buddy

[soundbitten1]

Or it could be that the music I did hear for much of the summer was from relatively inferior sources (rental car stereos, portable iPod speakers, headphones, etc.)

Anybody else have the same reaction after taking a long - intentional or otherwise - break from listening? Just curious...

I find this true and have always attributed it to listening to inferior sources but maybe there is something else to it .

[Bemopti123]

Don't wonder why it is happening, but embrace the sound.

PS:  I am sure your system sounds good because about 99.999% of other systems you hear elsewhere are pretty much mass consumer oriented and not geared to critical listening like most systems here.   

[SwedeSound]

Believe me, I'm embracing it. I just found it odd that I would have had that experience. I was prepared to have just the opposite, figuring a fresh listen would reveal things I didn't like about my system. I chalk it up to absence making the heart grow fonder. And I have been enjoying every minute of it. Come December or January, I am sure there will be something that rubs me the wrong way... But until then, I'm all ears and all grins.   

[bummrush]

Part of it also is if you are thinking your system is not sounding good ,leave it alone for awhile don't listen to it,then come back to it and see if you feel the same as before,what you did is kinda the same,cept you were still satisfied and had other things that led you away,but came back happy as before which obviously is still a great thing.

[jazzcan]

I always enjoy being away for a while and then coming home to listen to music.   I find that my system is ALWAYS better then I remembered!   I think that when I listen everyday it desensitizes me to how good a set-up I've grown.

[zacster]

I've been in the same boat, and even more so.  I've been away a lot of the summer, the listening room is NOT air-conditioned and turning on a system with 15 tubes just didn't sound like it would make it any cooler.  I haven't bought any new music, I ride my bike in a lot of my spare time, the Olympics, a very busy work schedule, and most of all, I bought a grand piano back in January and have been obsessed with learning to play it since I never played before.  This all ate into listening time until there was none.  What I do hear is my kids playing music on the Mac, the car stereos.

So just this weekend I turned it on and put on a few CDs and records, and whaddya know, it sounds pretty damn good.

[jon_010101]

I experience the same effect - the longer I can go without hearing my stereo, the better it sounds.  All in the brain.   

[mattyturner]

After a 3 week trek with no music except for occasional Nepalese radio, when I got back to the hotel I nearly cried listening to my iPod. And it sounded like the best thing i'd ever heard ever.

[S Clark]

The old French saying "Hunger is the best sauce" is relevant.

[MaxCast]

I will be returning to my system soon after a 4 month rehab.  At this point I don't care what it sounds like    I miss my room and music too much.  With that said, I wonder how much expectations play into it or your mood for that matter.  I will be going in expecting it to sound better and improving as I add proper acoustical products.

[TheChairGuy]

The old French saying "Hunger is the best sauce" is relevant.

Poignant saying - so true 

[Imperial]

Static and magnetic build-up is something that I've always attributed to this rather strange phenomena.
However it may not be the full reason, or even the right one...

You also have electrical and magnetical duality, that is how the two or just the one can affect it self.
Then you have electro/magnetical "reluctance" ..
This is the ability to momentarily "store" energy... in form of magnetic force.. that can be back induced...into a voltage swing.

A flyback transformer can do this, as can some others...

Then we have static storage in insulators, producing ghosting currents. This dissipates after a while..
This must be one of the most missunderstood things in audio I guess.

Well, I'm just gonna link to a macrotype of this phenomena
http://205.243.100.155/frames/longarc.htm

It's a bit hard to grasp... but for those of you a bit in the electrical know how. This could open some eyes..

Imperial