Posted by Wayne Parham [ 151.193.213.23 ] on December 19, 2005 at 09:33:50:

In Reply to: Critical Listening posted by MWG on December 17, 2005 at 20:25:06:

When I'm evaluating a new piece of equipment, I'm clearly listening to the machine. When I build a loudspeaker from a new design, I always listen for things like bass note progressions, expecting those recorded at the same amplitude to be heard at the same amplitude, not one note exaggerated above the others. I listen to voices, to hear if they are shrill or distorted. And I listen for overall balance and things like that. I'm sort of listening in a reductionist fashion, evaluating the sound based on each component part.

After I am satisfied with a design, or if I'm using something that I've already found tried and true, I revert back to a more normal mode where I'm not listening to the machine anymore. I am just enjoying the music. It's a much more relaxed mode. That's the way I listen most of the time, listening to the performance rather than trying to find flaws. It's sort of like holistic listening.

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