Critical listening: Eyes open, or closed?

Eyes Open, Or Closed?


  • Total voters
    219
I find when my eyes are open the soundstage does not go much deeper than the speaker plane, or much wider. When I see the speakers it seems most left or right sounds eminate from the drivers or just beyond it, until I close them and realize they are sourced much further beyond the edges of the speakers and much further back.
out of sight, out of mind.

The downfall of this is many times I fall asleep.... :boring: so I tend to open them several times throughout a piece.
 
The poll is still open, so I'll continue it.

Eyes shut for sure. I just get too distracted with my eyes open and I can relax more with my eyes closed, which is important to me. It also helps me envision the instruments much better. Sometimes I find I take too many naps when I try to do this, but that just comes with the territory.
 
Both ... <blink> <blink> <wink>

Depends on what I'm listening to. More times than not, I let my gaze fall on a "focus point". That actually stabilizes the sound stage for me and makes separation more dramatic.
 
I voted in the "eyes closed" camp, but actually I tend to dim the lights, and keep my eyes open. As most folks here have said, it's just easier to mentally construct the stage.

I remember reading, many years ago, probably in High Fidelity, or Stereo Review that placing something visual, like a large plant, or picture between the speakers to give your eyes something to fix on, can improve perceived imaging. It sounds a little funny, but I've found that to be good advice. If I'm in a room with too much to look at, like say most dealer's listening rooms, I don't know where to look, and unless I close my eyes, I can't really listen into the music.
 
Closed so I am not distracted by anything. For non critical, eyes open because I am usually playing my guitar with the source
 
I would have liked to see another choice stating both. I sit in the sweet spot but while critical listening, I listen both with eyes open and with eyes closed.
 
When just listening, eyes open. When 'searching' for something specific in the sound I tend to squint/close my eyes sometimes. Although that may come from my work as audio engineer. Having people in front of the stage and flashing lights everywhere sometimes makes concentrating a little harder.
 
Never really thought about eye's open or closed but more of my mouth being open so much that my tounge drys out.
 
Eyes closed and lights off. The lights that are close/bright enough to be directionally perceivable through my eyelids really seem to mess the soundstage up for me. I don't really understand why. I'd rather have my eyes open than closed with some dim, perceivable light filtering through my eyelids, unless it's uniform.
 
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