Am I experiencing listener fatigue?

[Rit]

Or what you've been reading on audiofool sites/blogs/mags.

Dont know what your getting at but Bless your heart!

 

[Chrispy]

Dont know what your getting at but Bless your heart!

Where did you get the idea dacs make such a difference?

 

[MAB]

It appears the CEA2034 from Erin are different?

Thant's a different speaker, the bookshelf version.
It measures less bright, but still a bit so.

 

[Rit]

I realize that a lot is involved here, i will educate myself on the MiniDSP and go forward. Replacing old equipment makes me feel good, I have the time and money now. I know for a fact old equipment is not up to todays standards nor could they be expected to perform to todays standards without some help.

 

[Rit]

Thant's a different speaker, the bookshelf version.
It measures less bright, but still a bit so.

Yes, I have the 1961 bookshelf.

 

[MAB]

Dont know what your getting at but Bless your heart!

He's asking a rhetorical question, in a slightly unhelpful way. But he means well.

I can answer. We were told all through the '80s until present that DACs and digital music in general had harsh, fatiguing sound. It's bullshit, and it makes good decisions in diagnosing sound issues very difficult. People go out and buy cables, external power supplies, tube amps, and funky ladder DACs, all in the pursuit of non-fatiguing digital sound. (My old Adcom is a ladder DAC, and while it operates on a Rube Goldberg principle to accomplish the D/A conversion, it still does a transparent job.)

High end audio sales and mentalists at a carnival have direct similarities.

 

[MAB]

I realize that a lot is involved here, i will educate myself on the MiniDSP and go forward. Replacing old equipment makes me feel good, I have the time and money now. I know for a fact old equipment is not up to todays standards nor could they be expected to perform to todays standards without some help.

You can also download an PC-based EQ program, or if your music player has built in EQ or allows EQ plugins.

I use MiniDSP extensively for active speakers and love it, but it isn't the only way to apply PEQ!

 

[Chrispy]

I realize that a lot is involved here, i will educate myself on the MiniDSP and go forward. Replacing old equipment makes me feel good, I have the time and money now. I know for a fact old equipment is not up to todays standards nor could they be expected to perform to todays standards without some help.

What equipment particularly isn't up to snuff?

 

[Holmz]

It varies but over two hours.

OK. Thanks.

Fatigue is psychological, so who knows?
...

Or it is psychological in terms of brain power fatigue?

If there are early reflections, then that could cause the brain to work overtime to try and overcome some “processing” between the ears.
If they are “in a bookshelf”, then maybe try running them out in the room for a while to see if the fatigue is lessened?

I’d suggest any work with a microphone also be used to get the impulse response, as I did not see that plot posted on Erin’s site.
I’m not sure if that can also cause fatigue, but it should probably be included in a form of an Ishikawa chart of possible causal mechanisms.
Along those lines of thought, if there was something to ^that^, then maybe a DIRAC EQ would be a possible method to ameliorate it.

 

[Gary Toth]

Good day, love this site.
Im building a small 2.1 system and believe i am experiencing listener fatigue, at least the way I understand it. Equipment at hand, Yamaha AVR and OPPO dvd player both from 90's and new Arendal 1961 bookshelf speakers. Sounds ok, loud is not an issue, but after a while it seems bright and i just have to lower the volume. Initially i just thought it was the old DAC in receiver, switched things around to use the DAC in the OPPO, better but. So put in a new DAC from SMSL, the depth and darkness of the soundstage is stunning. I really enjoy the details in music like never before. Still listening at high volume but fatigued still affecting me after longer sessions.
So my thoughts are to purchase the Buckeye Integrated with the Purify modules when they come out. Could I just be listening at high volume on the Yamaha (85db) just to get into the depth of the music? Is it to much distortion? Or is it all in my head?

I'd say it's definitely not in your head. You are experiencing listener fatigue. A 90's era Yamaha AVR is hardly going to get you into the real HiFi realm. And lets face it. You've been bitten and there's no going back. You need good gear to satisfy your blossoming ears. The fact that you switched DAC's and noticed a tremendous difference identifies you as a budding audiophile and/or music lover. This is what you might try. Find a good used HiFi shop. The better ones have some really nice gear sitting on the shelf and some sell new gear as well. Chances are there's at least one person there who really knows audio. Find him and talk to him and see if he'd be willing to let you borrow or even rent gear for a length of time. Or just buy it, knowing that you can come back and trade it in on something better. At least give him the chance to profit a bit. You'll build a much better bond with someone you're trying to get good advice from. Tell him everything you said in your post. I'm not familiar with the Arendal 1961 speakers, but since they're new I'll assume they're at least decent. The first thing you want to try is a new amplifier/receiver. From what you've described, the Yamaha is your weakest link. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[kyuu]

I'd say it's definitely not in your head. You are experiencing listener fatigue. A 90's era Yamaha AVR is hardly going to get you into the real HiFi realm. And lets face it. You've been bitten and there's no going back. You need good gear to satisfy your blossoming ears. The fact that you switched DAC's and noticed a tremendous difference identifies you as a budding audiophile and/or music lover. This is what you might try. Find a good used HiFi shop. The better ones have some really nice gear sitting on the shelf and some sell new gear as well. Chances are there's at least one person there who really knows audio. Find him and talk to him and see if he'd be willing to let you borrow or even rent gear for a length of time. Or just buy it, knowing that you can come back and trade it in on something better. At least give him the chance to profit a bit. You'll build a much better bond with someone you're trying to get good advice from. Tell him everything you said in your post. I'm not familiar with the Arendal 1961 speakers, but since they're new I'll assume they're at least decent. The first thing you want to try is a new amplifier/receiver. From what you've described, the Yamaha is your weakest link. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Not just resurrecting a dead thread, but doing so with this nonsense?