Scientists have find a practical use for ping-pong balls in protecting against low-frequency noise pollution. When used in certain combinations as an “acoustic metasurface”, these Helmholtz resonators turn out to be very effective absorbers, with use as acoustic insulator, and more. The international rules of the game now specify a ball mass of 2.7g and […]
In my travels around the Internet, I don’t find many thoughtful others delving into conceptual understanding of music recording and playback, and I continue looking for interesting writings that assist understanding of my personal (subjective) experience when listening to recordings rendered by my equipment systems. Mastering engineer and audiophile Dave McNair reckons that most audiophiles […]
This short story from the Smithsonian Magazine reports on revealing research. It seems that Simon and Garfunkel were right! https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-can-hear-silence-like-a-sound-scientists-say-180982512/
The Collins Dictionary defines appreciation as the recognition and enjoyment of something’s good qualities. But, there’s another way of thinking. I discovered that Wikenigma is a source of questions about a wide range of knowledge, and this is what it currently says about the appreciation of music. Music psychologists are trying to understand the processes […]
Our ears are shaped to capture sounds, and we can give them a helping hand when we need to. When we don’t understand what we’re hearing ….. When we don’t like what we’re hearing, or don’t want to hear it ….. How about getting more from our music listening? The military application for auricles was […]
In trying to understand what I don’t like, I think I now know what appeals to me in other music. Organisation and tone. It has been suggested to me (by a very experienced improvisational jazz player) that atonal music requires the attentive listener to do much work in processing the high volume stream of information […]
I’m curious to understand what drew me to music listening and why I’m so driven to frequently and regularly listen with full attention to hi-fi music recordings. I’m intrigued by the effect music and serious listening can have on my mind. I’ve been reviewing my personality and the environment that I grew up in. I […]
The latest musing from Archimago is a review of some so-called scientific analysis of high-end hi-fi. He finds that it’s not high quality science. The researcher under scrutiny seems to have accepted the existence of high-end audio, and has set out to support his conclusion with experiments. It looks like he ‘knows’ the answer, and […]
Norman Varney offers experienced advice on nurturing discerning listening ability. His list of sonic attributes is especially helpful in recognising convincing sound quality. https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/experienced-listening/
This interested me, to understand how certain terms are used in professional audio engineering. The seven frequency bands are: Sub-bassBassLow midrangeMidrangeUpper midrangePresenceBrilliance For instance, ‘presence’ is discussed in audiophile circles, and it can be defined within the audio spectrum. I’m surprised that it’s not at much higher frequencies. I’ve also seen that above 5kHz defines […]
I’m an audiophile to the point of craving high quality music recording reproduction, and listen enthusiastically for several hours most days. But some days I want the peace of quiet. I don’t switch on my home audio equipment. I’ve endured the various symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) for at least 10 years, bring my premature […]
https://www.psaudio.com/copper/article/why-i-quit-buying-new-vinyl/ I sympathise with this angst in buying new records, as I’ve returned far too many LPs as the quality was disappointing and at the retail prices unacceptable. But why call disc wear damage “groove burn”? Abrasion and deformation is caused by stylus tracking of the groove, but no ‘burning’, even at the pressures of […]
This morning, my shower-time thinking has been about the reviews I scan-read over at Audio Science Review. I look carefully at the conclusions, but the detail of the measurements doesn’t interest me beyond knowing that they are done appropriately for a reason that matters to me. As a physics graduate, I appreciate the purpose of […]
Science can explain the human development and functioning that leads to true illusion in the audiophile mind. Stereophile article drawing on relational neurobiology by an audiophile clinical psychologist. https://www.stereophile.com/content/love-joy-and-listening-whole-brain
This peculiar statement is the opening to a review of an (expensive) hi-fi component from Europe. Visual attactiveness is a selling point, and looking at visually appealing equipment adds to the listening experience for some of us. But, there’s more to it than that. Close your eyes. It’s a well-known way to remove distraction from […]
A very apt way of thinking about music appreciation when scientists want to exlain its purpose and function. https://nautil.us/neuroscience-gets-in-the-way-of-appreciating-art-15863/
Listen ear to what TED has to say about how we hear.
Why are almost all hi-fi enthusiasts men? I don’t know the answer. Is it the technology? Boys toys etc. Or is there more to it? What about listening to music? Scientists in recent years have grown increasingly aware of the integral role cognition plays in communication, and this awareness has spawned a new field of […]
“Researchers Analyzed Folk Music Like It Was DNA: They Found Parallels between Life and Art” – Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/researchers-analyzed-folk-music-like-it-was-mutating-dna-they-found-amazing-parallels-between-life-and-art/#Echobox=1646804764
Researchers have identified brain activity that responds to singing but not to other sounds, speech, or instrumental music. This could lead to new understanding of music. https://news.mit.edu/2022/singing-neurons-0222
It’s all about the music, right? Except, it isn’t all. Music matters most, I am certain, but how it’s delivered to audiophile listeners is a big issue. It seems crazy that as the resolution of rendering equipment has increased and it has also become more affordable, most of the sources (mastered media… discs, downloads, and […]
While reading Earl Vickers’ paper, I spotted this interesting diagram identifying different listening by comparing sensitivity/tolerance to dynamic compression and subjective assessment of sound quality. Golden ears are audio engineers who can hear even the subtle negative impact. Car listeners need louder playback to mask background noise. Distortionphiles seek acoustic mutilation as part of the […]
These two terms turned up in an article I read, and what struck me is the several meanings that such words can be given in talk about audiophile sound quality. I see lots of mentions of musicality as a desirable feature of audiophile listening experience, and that seems appropriate, but as it is ascribed to […]
Here’s some research on how we process expectations and respond to the unexpected when listening to music. It seems that the uncertainty is good for us! The manipulation of surprise gives composers the power to play on our emotions when what we hear violates our musical belief system (i.e. experientally acquired schemas). Great artists create […]
Roger Skoff unveils the physical effect of pumping air in an enclosed space. http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0122/Your_Loudspeakers_Air_Pump.htm
Many of my posts are about the psychology / psychoacoustics of listening. That is, how the ears and brain turn sound into meaningful experiences. Auditory tinnitus is the condition of hearing music when there isn’t music being played nearby. The brain creates the musical experience without input of sound waves to the ear. https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/musical-hallucination The […]
More from the $2 crates. Spectrum Suite caught my eye. Dr Steven Halpern didn’t. Turns out he’s considered a father of new age music and pioneer of ‘health music’ for relaxation, which he called “anti-frantic”. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Halpern He plays keyboards and composes music that is in tune with the body, triggering automatic responses in cells and […]
I read this short piece with the expectation it was about diminishing returns, i.e. the more I pay, the less additional bang for each of my bucks. It’s actually about investing in equipment that performs approaching neutrality in presenting recorded music. The argument is that the cost to accomplish equipment performance that in no way […]
Music & Hi-fi Appreciations 