What is listening fatigue?
- Thread starter Kevin64
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grillebilly
Empty Head
I fell asleep at a Rush concert back around '76. I was about 10 rows back. Small venue. I think it happens from having your head ripped off and crammed down your neck.
I think listening at moderate volumes is safe. When the wick gets turned up, no matter how clean it is, it can pummel your senses.
I think listening at moderate volumes is safe. When the wick gets turned up, no matter how clean it is, it can pummel your senses.
First check out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bKy02f1pD4&feature=youtu.be
The ear is a "bio-mechanical" device.
Fatigue begins when the nerves around the various moving parts become irritated from constant or excessive excitation.
Fatigue usually causes a loss of sensitivity, first to high frequencies, as exposure continues the loss of sensitivity extends to the middle then lower frequencies.
Continued exposure may induce temporary or even permanent hearing damage or loss.
You only get one set of ears, take care of them, they need to last a lifetime.
The ear is a "bio-mechanical" device.
Fatigue begins when the nerves around the various moving parts become irritated from constant or excessive excitation.
Fatigue usually causes a loss of sensitivity, first to high frequencies, as exposure continues the loss of sensitivity extends to the middle then lower frequencies.
Continued exposure may induce temporary or even permanent hearing damage or loss.
You only get one set of ears, take care of them, they need to last a lifetime.
To me listening fatigue is caused by distortion. After a while you just get sick of hearing the music because it is grating your senses (even if the effects is subtle). I personally find horn and metal domed tweeters to do this and after about half an hour I've had enough... I try and stick to silk domed tweeters as when they break up they do so much gentler.
Ah, so I should route my wifes complaints through some silked domed tweeters.
Thank you Sir!! You just saved my marriage
Various causes and kinds of listener fatigue:
- Boredom, from lack of variety in rhythm or tone content
- Iritation, from distortion or harsh content
- Irritation, from excessive amplitude or tonal imbalance
- Etc
A road trip in this when it had 2-chamber Flowmasters and dumps before the axle.
Dynamat and a bigger stereo should fix that.
Oh hell no...that's added weight. :nono:
How about an x-pipe and Dynomax bullets? Yep, that did the trick. :yes:
But with the recent engine x-plant and close to 600HP I might just go for the bigger stereo. :scratch2:
I've seen that car in another thread, I think..
Sweet ride. You no longer have it, do you?? Seems I remember reading that.
Sweet ride. You no longer have it, do you?? Seems I remember reading that.
I still have it...but I almost burned it to the ground last Christmas. A little fire damage under the hood and had to totally rewire the front half of the car. Thanks for the compliment, BTW.
In the old days, we would tame her down a bit with a nice set of glasspaks.
Enjoy,
Rich P
Enjoy,
Rich P
That's essentially what the Bullets are....glorified, flow-tuned glass packs.
OP....sorry I hijacked the thread. Maybe I can add something relevant based on something I often experience. Ever spend some time in a loud environment....power tools, concert, social gathering, etc and come home to listen to your system and it just doesn't sound as sweet? That's auditory fatigue...which is essentially what your system can do to you if you listen at high SPL's for prolonged periods.
My buddy's Ford Escort nearly burned up in my driveway, although that wouldn't have been a great loss.
My listener fatigue sets in when I'm in front of my JBL's. Epicure Model 20's, Marantz Imperial 6's, not so soon. The metal dome tweeters do it pretty quick. I have pretty bad tinnitus, and a general deafness in my left ear of a sort. A shotgun blast and several bad ear infections makes noise my enemy. Even when I WANT to listen, sometimes I gotta go where its quiet.
Sucks, because now I have more good equipment than at any time in my life, but my ears are for chit.
"Forget it, Rock....ya got the heart, but ya ain't got the tools no more." - Mickey Goldmill, from Rocky II.
My listener fatigue sets in when I'm in front of my JBL's. Epicure Model 20's, Marantz Imperial 6's, not so soon. The metal dome tweeters do it pretty quick. I have pretty bad tinnitus, and a general deafness in my left ear of a sort. A shotgun blast and several bad ear infections makes noise my enemy. Even when I WANT to listen, sometimes I gotta go where its quiet.
Sucks, because now I have more good equipment than at any time in my life, but my ears are for chit.
"Forget it, Rock....ya got the heart, but ya ain't got the tools no more." - Mickey Goldmill, from Rocky II.
Gang-Twanger
Resident Wharfedaliophool
Well, I think tomlinmgt just nailed it right there. Auditory fatigue. That's what everybody seems to be talking about (Lack of sleep will definitely cause your system to not sound it's best, but it's actually YOU who is not at your best). But I think the OP is talking about LISTENING fatigue, as in regards to speakers and other types of hi-fi gear. Some speakers are just not "listen all-day-long" speakers, and I try to avoid that. Gimme' a "listen-all-year" speaker, I say. And the same goes for amps/receivers. But listening fatigue is also caused by CD's that were overly-compressed at the mastering-stage. You notice how you can listen to some CD's from start to finish at a decent volume, and it never gets fatiguing? And then you have certain CD's that are mastered much-too-loud and compressed, and you find your ears get tired of it after a few songs? That's either the result of too-much mastering-compression or simply an overly-forward mix..... Or both.
My aim from day 1 of joining AK was to put together a system that can be enjoyed for as long as one wants, and I feel the same way about the music I play on it. I look for the well-mastered, non-fatiguing stuff.
My aim from day 1 of joining AK was to put together a system that can be enjoyed for as long as one wants, and I feel the same way about the music I play on it. I look for the well-mastered, non-fatiguing stuff.
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musichal
poet emeritus
Almost twenty years ago I sat in an insurance claims center and hammered out a negotiation on a claim of home audio stolen from me. Walked outside, check in hand and got three steps when I realized the black Escort with the windows smashed while firemen ran water into the passenger compartment was my white Escort. Did a 360 turn-around and hammered out another claim, getting a good bit more for the car than its market value, and the lien long since paid off. Left by cab with two large checks and was quite pleased - the car had been on its last legs. Some days which may appear on the surface to be bad ones are sometimes - not often, but sometimes - very good ones.
For me, listening fatigue directly correlates to higher SPLs. Also, I sometimes see people I'm talking with get a certain glazed look in their eyes and realize I've been talking too much and STFU as a result - a different type of listener fatigue.
For me, listening fatigue directly correlates to higher SPLs. Also, I sometimes see people I'm talking with get a certain glazed look in their eyes and realize I've been talking too much and STFU as a result - a different type of listener fatigue.
:lmao:
You guys are killin' me tonight. Two different Ford Escort burn to the ground stories in one thread. Great stuff.
markn2wae
Mark T N2WAE
My experience with "listener fatigue"\tube VS SS. (Long)
Years ago (when I was small enough to crawl INSIDE a big console stereo to undo the bolts holding the amplifier!) I got an amp.that had two output tubes (one per channel) and I really enjoyed the sound of it even when it was relativity low powered.:thmbsp:
At a later time, I got some type of amplifier that had 7591A tubes in PP stereo, it had a white\gold front and green and orange lights at the right end (one of our members has it for his avatar).
I enjoyed this amp. also (putting a fan on a wooden base extended the tubes life to a full year, I did not know about biasing or coupling caps. at that time, (the tubes would start red-plating after a year).:sigh:
Several years later, thinking that tube amps where "just old school", I pursued MANY SS receiver\amps. and was just not "really satisfied" with the sound but could never "quantify" the reason for my lack of satisfaction with the what I was (was not) hearing.
My last SS effort was some type of BPC 5.1 setup using the TV as part of the overall setup.:thumbsdn:
My symptoms with most SS gear-
I would sit down to play music and when it was playing, my mind would WANDER- "Did I pay that last bill, should I call a friend back, is the lawn to wet to cut, do I want to fix that last project I built, etc."
It drove me nuts, it was like my brain was telling me "I don't like the sound, do something else!", NO outstanding fault present but just an irritation to what was being heard.:scratch2:
Now at a time about 5 years ago when I got a free (curbside) Sansui 1000A tube receiver that I restored to health, my first listening session was "WOW, I never heard music this way before", I pulled several albums and played them totally through, still wanting more.:yes:
NOW with this receiver, almost any other accessory\source sounds good.
I (too often, sadly) DON'T play the Sansui for "fear" of "getting into it" and leaving more important things go undone! :nono:
Some speakers mid-range PAPER speakers are noticeably "shout-y" and harsh, I fix that with a dampening coating of diluted water soluble silicone caulk (works for tweeters too!)
Sorry for the long post, and the UN-clear distinction between "listener fatigue" and liking "tube amps. better".
Mark T.
Years ago (when I was small enough to crawl INSIDE a big console stereo to undo the bolts holding the amplifier!) I got an amp.that had two output tubes (one per channel) and I really enjoyed the sound of it even when it was relativity low powered.:thmbsp:
At a later time, I got some type of amplifier that had 7591A tubes in PP stereo, it had a white\gold front and green and orange lights at the right end (one of our members has it for his avatar).
I enjoyed this amp. also (putting a fan on a wooden base extended the tubes life to a full year, I did not know about biasing or coupling caps. at that time, (the tubes would start red-plating after a year).:sigh:
Several years later, thinking that tube amps where "just old school", I pursued MANY SS receiver\amps. and was just not "really satisfied" with the sound but could never "quantify" the reason for my lack of satisfaction with the what I was (was not) hearing.
My last SS effort was some type of BPC 5.1 setup using the TV as part of the overall setup.:thumbsdn:
My symptoms with most SS gear-
I would sit down to play music and when it was playing, my mind would WANDER- "Did I pay that last bill, should I call a friend back, is the lawn to wet to cut, do I want to fix that last project I built, etc."
It drove me nuts, it was like my brain was telling me "I don't like the sound, do something else!", NO outstanding fault present but just an irritation to what was being heard.:scratch2:
Now at a time about 5 years ago when I got a free (curbside) Sansui 1000A tube receiver that I restored to health, my first listening session was "WOW, I never heard music this way before", I pulled several albums and played them totally through, still wanting more.:yes:
NOW with this receiver, almost any other accessory\source sounds good.
I (too often, sadly) DON'T play the Sansui for "fear" of "getting into it" and leaving more important things go undone! :nono:
Some speakers mid-range PAPER speakers are noticeably "shout-y" and harsh, I fix that with a dampening coating of diluted water soluble silicone caulk (works for tweeters too!)
Sorry for the long post, and the UN-clear distinction between "listener fatigue" and liking "tube amps. better".
Mark T.
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