Listener fatigue: What is it exactly? Myth or reality?

[Anderson]

*biggrin*

 

[steve_1979]

I think it has got to be a brain issue. There are times when I can listen to music for hours and enjoy it thoroughly. At other times, my mood will dictate otherwise. Sometimes, I can't face listening to music at all. If my head is full of life's cares and worries, I just find music too much, irrespective of genre. Fortunately, this happens only rarely. Bright or sibilant sound only shortens my tollerance , however!

I reckon Pedro2 and BlueBrazil have it spot on. I am listening to the same album this morning that I was listening to last night. Last night I was in music heaven. This morning this album is dead to me.

Trying to put my finger on the difference I would say that last night I was listening to the music but that today I am listening to my HiFi.

Yes mood and tiredness can make a huge difference when listening to music.

 

[SteveR750]

The only other difference is that last night there was a clothes horse that was loaded with drying socks and pants sitting between my speakers. This has now been unloaded and put away.

I suggested to my wife that they may have been acting as some kind of acoustic buffer. She scoffed, countering that my pants are anything but an acoustic buffer but she wished that they were.

I am trying to comprehend the basic concept of underwear as an acoustic buffer in any other situation other than the random act of drying clothes...!

 

[CnoEvil]

The only other difference is that last night there was a clothes horse that was loaded with drying socks and pants sitting between my speakers. This has now been unloaded and put away.

I suggested to my wife that they may have been acting as some kind of acoustic buffer. She scoffed, countering that my pants are anything but an acoustic buffer but she wished that they were.

I am trying to comprehend the basic concept of underwear as an acoustic buffer in any other situation other than the random act of drying clothes...!

A DD cup as a bass trap, might just work!

 

[SteveR750]

I wonder what the acoustic grilles are fashioned from?

 

[Glacialpath]

If all is quiet and I've not been around too much noise for a few days then I find I needto listen at lower volumes and in some cases I find I am turning the music down every few minutes when usually I would have it at a vlume I like.

Also you might get fatigue for having it to low and you don't realise you are trying to hear more than you can because you've lost the lower volume dynamics. You may know how a piece of music sounds a "normal volume" but it will sound different at a low volume.

Harshness can be fatiguing. No whether this is purely psychological or not. Since upgrading the interconnect from my DAC to my Power amp the harshness at high volume (about 10 o'clock on the volume knob, 11 for some older albums) has gone and I can now listen without wanting to turn it down. Where as before I just couldn't listen at that volume full stop.

I'd say there are many causes of fatigue. Be it mechanical, mood or what ever.

 

[Native_bon]

Watch one episode of The Voice and you'll fully understand what listener fatigue is.

your very right about that.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I get it from listening to headphones and home cinema systems that are wrongly matched up with amp and speakers.

Yes, but do you have any incling why? Is it too bright for istance?

Haider (of Sonneteer)

It could be bright, could be mis-match, it certainly becomes tiring to listen to.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Watch one episode of The Voice and you'll fully understand what listener fatigue is.

your very right about that.

Agreed too.

 

[Gazzip]

The only other difference is that last night there was a clothes horse that was loaded with drying socks and pants sitting between my speakers. This has now been unloaded and put away.

I suggested to my wife that they may have been acting as some kind of acoustic buffer. She scoffed, countering that my pants are anything but an acoustic buffer but she wished that they were.

I am trying to comprehend the basic concept of underwear as an acoustic buffer in any other situation other than the random act of drying clothes...!

The socks definitely affected the need for toe in.

 

[MeanandGreen]

It's all about your mood. If you're receptive to the music it's going to sound better, I can listen for hours if I'm in the mood for it. A few beers can improve the experince too! Last night I had my system peaking over 90db well past midnight (detached abode), becuse I was in the mood and a little tipsy shall we say... Loved every minute of it!

Today there is no way I'd want to play at those levels, I'm just not in that frame of mind now. I might not even play any music today, I don't fancy anything. It's all about our mindset and mood for sure.

 

[MajorFubar]

My understanding of what listening fatigue is completely different. Coming from a music production perspective, albeit an amateur one, what 'we' call listening fatigue is when you're trying to mix a song, you've listened to it for so long tweaking this and that to get the mix 'just right', and you lose track of whether the changes you're making are better or just different. Your ears grow tired of hearing the same thing and you can't judge the sound properly. So you put it away for a day or even just a few hours, then listen again and you're like "my god that's cr-p". Maybe these are opposite perspectives of a phenomena with exactly the same root cause.

 

[bigfish786]

From my arcam dv79 when I used it to play CDs.

It was a very digital sound, awful to listen to. The dv88 I'd had before that was so much better.

 

[pyrrhon]

The brain always try to position the sound source in space. I guess human as a specie would be instinct without it. Timing error, out of phases and redundant sound information will make it struggle and compute heavily. Another thing is that the brain also seeks information on the room we are in: im beside a cliff, im a cave, im in a restroom, etc.. Once it knows about a wall it can also position a sound emmiter better. Study bats!

 

[Jota180]

No one likes listening to a moaning wife. Listener fatigue is like that with accompanying tunes.

 

[BenLaw]

I get it from listening to headphones and home cinema systems that are wrongly matched up with amp and speakers.

Yes, but do you have any incling why? Is it too bright for istance?

Haider (of Sonneteer)

Surely it is anything that doesn't suit the individual's ear? Anything that grates on them which is purely subjective/personal.

Yes perhaps, but doesn't the experience you are describing suggest this is not an Ear issue? I may be wrong but I am convinced that when I do experience it, my ears ache. I hence I make a great effort to design it out. Good design practice, which we have developed, seems to ultimately eliminate it. We have a lot of theroy as to why, but outside of probable cause, effect, eliminate, we have nothing to say it is no more than a secondary or by product.

Haider (of Sonneteer)

p.s. someone missus needs an upgrade ;-)

So as you have eliminated the issue, this thread is about free advertising rather than free market research?

 

[SteveR750]

The only other difference is that last night there was a clothes horse that was loaded with drying socks and pants sitting between my speakers. This has now been unloaded and put away.

I suggested to my wife that they may have been acting as some kind of acoustic buffer. She scoffed, countering that my pants are anything but an acoustic buffer but she wished that they were.

I am trying to comprehend the basic concept of underwear as an acoustic buffer in any other situation other than the random act of drying clothes...!

The socks definitely affected the need for toe in.

Yes, otherwise it might sound pants.

 

[haider]

I think it has got to be a brain issue. There are times when I can listen to music for hours and enjoy it thoroughly. At other times, my mood will dictate otherwise. Sometimes, I can't face listening to music at all. If my head is full of life's cares and worries, I just find music too much, irrespective of genre. Fortunately, this happens only rarely. Bright or sibilant sound only shortens my tollerance , however!

It could of course be much simpler than that. In the morning the whole world has its Kettle on, Toaster charring their seeded bread, and DAB radios torturing their ears. These all leave their mark on the mains supply which is part of your system. Often this makes things just sound a bit rubbish. Oh and a lower than normal ambient temperature can crispen up the ambience so to speak.

But this is just disliking what you hear rather than fatigue surely?

When I am tired I can put on 'Physical Graffiti' just as much as 'Under the Pink' to relax and unwind. Music is supposed to be relaxing too is it not? Anything other would suggest the reproduction system you have is just not doing its job.

I find Y fronts better than slips at dispersing over eager treble.

haider (of Sonneteer)http://sonneteer.co.uk

I reckon Pedro2 and BlueBrazil have it spot on. I am listening to the same album this morning that I was listening to last night. Last night I was in music heaven. This morning this album is dead to me.

Trying to put my finger on the difference I would say that last night I was listening to the music but that today I am listening to my HiFi.

Yes mood and tiredness can make a huge difference when listening to music.

 

[haider]

It could of course be much simpler than that. In the morning the whole world has its Kettle on, Toaster charring their seeded bread, and DAB radios torturing their ears. These all leave their mark on the mains supply which is part of your system. Often this makes things just sound a bit rubbish. Oh and a lower than normal ambient temperature can crispen up the ambience so to speak.

But this is just disliking what you hear rather than fatigue surely?

When I am tired I can put on 'Physical Graffiti' just as much as 'Under the Pink' to relax and unwind. Music is supposed to be relaxing too is it not? Anything other would suggest the reproduction system you have is just not doing its job.

I find Y fronts better than slips at dispersing over eager treble.

haider (of Sonneteer)

 

[haider]

My understanding of what listening fatigue is completely different. Coming from a music production perspective, albeit an amateur one, what 'we' call listening fatigue is when you're trying to mix a song, you've listened to it for so long tweaking this and that to get the mix 'just right', and you lose track of whether the changes you're making are better or just different. Your ears grow tired of hearing the same thing and you can't judge the sound properly. So you put it away for a day or even just a few hours, then listen again and you're like "my god that's cr-p". Maybe these are opposite perspectives of a phenomena with exactly the same root cause.

Yes I am very familiar with this. Having worked in a recording studio environment in my yoof I do recall end of day mixdowns were a waste of time really. I always advised clients not to just book one day to record as they would regret the result of the final mix. My other advice was not to use the NS10s but that's another story.

This however is more akin to Auditory fatigue I think which is aknown medical phenomina and is more due to bombarding the ear with sounds louder than one should over a longer period of time. This can have lasting negative effects if care isn't taken. I used to often wear wax ear plugs for long parts of the sessions to avoid this. Not on critical listening of course!

Haider(of Sonneteer)

 

[wilro15]

The only other difference is that last night there was a clothes horse that was loaded with drying socks and pants sitting between my speakers. This has now been unloaded and put away.

I suggested to my wife that they may have been acting as some kind of acoustic buffer. She scoffed, countering that my pants are anything but an acoustic buffer but she wished that they were.

I actually just lol'd for real

 

[haider]

Thank you, pants and all. I have to say the difference in reactions and responses on this forum is quite marked when compared to, how shall I put it, more aficionado led ones. All valid just the same.

Haider