Where are the dynamics...

[Matt S]

On Sunday morning I settled down to enjoy a couple of hours of listening. But, at just 30 minutes in, I wasn't particularly enjoying myself. My system can sound absolutely incredible, but on this Sunday, fatigue was definitely setting in quickly.

This was probably based on my mood to a certain extent and living in London, background noise likely also contributes.

I decided to watch and listen to some live music via KEXP (one example of a few live studio channels I enjoyed) and suddenly, the system sounded amazing. Now I know that YouTube is not giving me lossless audio, but to me, it was far more enjoyable than streaming from Tidal. At least on Sunday.

The music seemed more dynamic, yet there was definitely more noise. It was less compressed, with more dynamic range.

Don't get me wrong, there are many other occasions when I sit back and enjoy streaming from Tidal, it sounds fantastic.

I feel that so much music has just been ruined by how it's been mastered. Pushing loudness to the limits, leaving no 'space' around the sound - everything is so 'full-on' - and this is the case for a fairly significant amount of music. The live music via YouTube seemed so much more dynamic and enjoyable.

Just wondering if anyone feels the same. Moods change, sometimes we are tired and sometimes our minds are not at rest. This definitely has an impact.

I am of course aware that we've lost dynamic range thanks to the loudness wars and I guess modern preferences/listening habits.. at the expense of some musicality.

My music is streamed from Tidal/Roon into a MiniDSP SHD feeding some Genelec 8030C speakers and a Kef subwoofer. DIRAC takes care of the room.

Anyone feel the same sometimes?

 

[Somafunk]

Just wondering if anyone feels the same. Moods change, sometimes we are tired and sometimes our minds are not at rest. This definitely has an impact.

Sometimes, yes. I have spms and on my mri brain scan it looks like someone has taken an eraser to multiple areas of my brain so I guess I have a valid excuse to suffer irrational auditory experiences.

I can usually listen to music for days at a time and it all sounds fantastic and occasionally if I’ve been tired/stressed or suffering from a bladder infection it seems as if I cannot process the audio and i don’t want to listen to anything.

It’s not my room as it’s fully treated and speakers are all set up with rew/peq so it’s just how my brain/auditory system process the signals.

At the moment everything is A1 and according to roon I listened for 48hrs last week- all electronic/techno at healthy volumes. (I live alone so 70db to 90db at times)

Like with hallucinogens, set and setting along with mood makes all the difference

 

[norman bates]

Very true.
I rock old equipment, so I expect it to act up.-

But every now and then it sounds like crap.

Sounds fine next day

 

[antcollinet]

Some days I'm startled how amazing my system sounds.

Other days it is just meh.

The sound quality is not what is changing.

 

[staticV3]

My music is streamed from Tidal/Roon into a MiniDSP SHD feeding some Genelec 8030C speakers and a Kef subwoofer. DIRAC takes care of the room.

The solution for high DR streaming, at least currently, is music mastered in Dolby Atmos:

Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound

What is the best edition of an album, vinyl, cassette, digital (CD, SACD, Streaming), in stereo, 5.1, Dolby Atmos or Sony 360 RA? Who has never asked this question?

magicvinyldigital.net

E.g: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olo-dmp-a6-streamer-review.44198/post-2078312

 

[majingotan]

My physical condition is always better at night where there's no distraction between me and music, hence why my system sounds superlative at night yet still excellent during the day. I NEVER experience perceiving varying dynamic range of the same track throughout the day/night. I hear the same dynamic range 100% the same regardless of whether it's early morning, lunch, early afternoon, early evening and late night but I connect more emotionally at early to late night due to less distractions overall.

 

[DSJR]

When I listened to music daily, I'd have occasional off days, so I'd switch off and watch telly or read instead. Other days when I just played music for hours. Our mains varied terribly too and back then, I'd say the immunity of some system components wasn't as good as gear today.

Our 'hearing perceptions' are so dependent on our health, mood and so on as well, I'd not worry too much

 

[Matt S]

Thanks all for replying and confirming that I'm not alone!

 

[Matt S]

The solution for high DR streaming, at least currently, is music mastered in Dolby Atmos:

Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound

What is the best edition of an album, vinyl, cassette, digital (CD, SACD, Streaming), in stereo, 5.1, Dolby Atmos or Sony 360 RA? Who has never asked this question?

magicvinyldigital.net

E.g: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olo-dmp-a6-streamer-review.44198/post-2078312

I did read this post, thank you.

I'm not sure my system will be able to do much with Dolby Atmos streams from Tidal. Tidal simply switches to the stereo version of the song when playback is via a device which isn't compatible with the source. As I understand it.

 

[solderdude]

Just wondering if anyone feels the same. Moods change, sometimes we are tired and sometimes our minds are not at rest. This definitely has an impact.

I am of course aware that we've lost dynamic range thanks to the loudness wars and I guess modern preferences/listening habits.. at the expense of some musicality.

We listen with our brains. The brain's 'performance' is dependent on many factors. I'm quite sure it isn't the electronics leaving only the human perception.
Sometimes when I listen to a song it sounds 'poorer' in quality. I switch it off and the next day, or a few days later switch it back on (where I left of) and sounds great again.
Brains are funny that way ... sometimes.

 

[goat76]

I’m definitely not an expert on this so I mostly speculating here, but I think there are many things at play besides the daily mood like stress or calmness. It can probably be a light cold sometimes that causes some sensitive parts in the ear to get a little swollen, and maybe there are sometimes small changes with the body liquids affecting the balance in the hearing. I also think everyday sounds can put different amount of stress on the hearing which may lead to easily ear fatigue.

When I have an off-day like that, I do something else just like @DSJR mentioned, and usually the next day is back to normal and the sound system sounds awesome again.

 

[Axo1989]

I can't speak for people who have health conditions that strongly influence listening experience of course, you have my utmost sympathy. So the variations in subjective experience that I attribute to moods etc are maybe less severe, but they certainly happen.

Something that puzzles me at times about discussions here re subjective experience is the expressed belief that the subconscious is a black box. It isn't of course. People sometimes conflate the unconscious with the subconscious. The subconscious is accessible with practice and appropriate therapeutic and cognitive methods. For example, it's a basic tenet of Buddhist philosophy and meditative practice to step aside from the personal emotional experience and its colourations.

When we experience the music differently even though nothing external has changed significantly, there is nothing to worry about. Nor do we need to be attached to momentary beliefs about how it sounds, when we realise it's just a change in how we are listening at that moment.

 

[beagleman]

• I say Mood.

I know my set ups sound wildly different if family is at home or if they go out.

I weirdly will play it louder when they leave (makes sense of course) but I get so "Used" to the louder sound, that it seems normal to me. When they are home, about 6-8 db less seems normal and loud enough, odd how our brains work.

 

[Looneybomber]

Blood pressure has an impact on hearing.

“There is a significant association between hypertension and increase in the hearing threshold. Hearing loss in the population under study suggests that hypertension is an accelerating factor of degeneration of the hearing apparatus due to aging.”

Effects of Hypertension on Hearing - PMC

To determine the likely association between hypertension and hearing loss. 150 cases and 124 controls, both genders, aged 45–64, included in the research after sample estimation. Hypertension was verified through blood pressure readings and was ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Blood pressure also fluctuates throughout the day and from day to day. While I’m not blaming blood pressure for changes in people’s hearing, I am saying it’s something to consider.

 

[norman bates]

So then, the best sound would happen when gently petting your purring cat curled up on your lap ?
If you aren't anti-cat, that should lower your blood pressure.

 

[krabapple]

I feel that so much music has just been ruined by how it's been mastered. Pushing loudness to the limits, leaving no 'space' around the sound - everything is so 'full-on' - and this is the case for a fairly significant amount of music. The live music via YouTube seemed so much more dynamic and enjoyable.

OK, yes, dynamic range compression varies a lot.

Just wondering if anyone feels the same. Moods change, sometimes we are tired and sometimes our minds are not at rest. This definitely has an impact.

OK, yes, no one says otherwise..

I am of course aware that we've lost dynamic range thanks to the loudness wars and I guess modern preferences/listening habits.. at the expense of some musicality.

OK, good to be aware of that, it's been complained about for decades.

My music is streamed from Tidal/Roon into a MiniDSP SHD feeding some Genelec 8030C speakers and a Kef subwoofer. DIRAC takes care of the room.

Anyone feel the same sometimes?

? about what?

Nothing you've reported is at all unusual or uncommon, if that's what you're wondering.

as for : Where are the dynamics...?
They are either in the recording, or not.
They either survive the production/mastering/playback processes, or not.
(They aren't changed by your mood.)

Not sure what the point of this thread is....

 

[Axo1989]

So then, the best sound would happen when gently petting your purring cat curled up on your lap ?
If you aren't anti-cat, that should lower your blood pressure.

Haha, our cat purrs extra-loud, definitely masks any noise floor.

 

[krabapple]

My boy-cat prefers to settle near me when the music is loud.

His sister wants no part of it, she's out of there right away.

 

[izeek]

On Sunday morning I settled down to enjoy a couple of hours of listening. But, at just 30 minutes in, I wasn't particularly enjoying myself. My system can sound absolutely incredible, but on this Sunday, fatigue was definitely setting in quickly.

This was probably based on my mood to a certain extent and living in London, background noise likely also contributes.

I decided to watch and listen to some live music via KEXP (one example of a few live studio channels I enjoyed) and suddenly, the system sounded amazing. Now I know that YouTube is not giving me lossless audio, but to me, it was far more enjoyable than streaming from Tidal. At least on Sunday.

The music seemed more dynamic, yet there was definitely more noise. It was less compressed, with more dynamic range.

Don't get me wrong, there are many other occasions when I sit back and enjoy streaming from Tidal, it sounds fantastic.

I feel that so much music has just been ruined by how it's been mastered. Pushing loudness to the limits, leaving no 'space' around the sound - everything is so 'full-on' - and this is the case for a fairly significant amount of music. The live music via YouTube seemed so much more dynamic and enjoyable.

Just wondering if anyone feels the same. Moods change, sometimes we are tired and sometimes our minds are not at rest. This definitely has an impact.

I am of course aware that we've lost dynamic range thanks to the loudness wars and I guess modern preferences/listening habits.. at the expense of some musicality.

My music is streamed from Tidal/Roon into a MiniDSP SHD feeding some Genelec 8030C speakers and a Kef subwoofer. DIRAC takes care of the room.

Anyone feel the same sometimes?

ive found tidal to sound rather lacking in vibrancy.

 

[goat76]

ive found tidal to sound rather lacking in vibrancy.

Tidal doesn't have a sound, the content they provides is the same and measures the same as the same releases on CD. If you think an album sounds bad, blame the record company.