Check this out for an interesting alternative way of testing your music system

[Grayson Dere]

I stumbled upon this rather interesting method for testing/listening to system components etc... in a music system. The article comes from Swedish brand, Lejonklou.
Here's a quick excerpt:

" It is also strongly recommended to stay away from audiophile recordings and records that are supposed to sound sweet and nice. Music that is noisy and/or has been recorded with low quality can often be much easier to compare with. This is because your focus then shifts from the nice sound to what the musicians are trying to communicate."

Full guide: https://www.lejonklou.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tune-Method.pdf


I'm going to try out the process laid out in the guide to see if there's anything interesting I haven't noticed before when performing the usual A/B audiophile recording listening exercises.

What are all your thoughts on the Tune-Method?

 

[DanDan]

Here Be Dragons...... Daft Circular Thinking.

 

[ddude003]

I have not read the guide you reference... And after reading your above quoted excerpt I am not sure I want to... Using noisy and/or low quality music seems wrong minded when comparing stereo system components... I think noisy and/or low quality recordings would _not_ be what the musicians are trying to communicate... I also don't think short term a/b testing would tell the whole story about comparing system components... I wonder what the author's definition of audiophile recording(s) is/are... And isn't an important point of any stereo system to sound sweet and nice with sweet and nice music as well as rough and rowdy with rough and rowdy music... I also found the Lejonklou website lacking in technical details about the various products they make... Their focus seems elsewhere...

 

[Grayson Dere]

I think what the author was trying to aim for in this way of testing was listening to the music without having the nuances and details getting in the way of the emotional connection. I know it sounds kind of strange, though, because doesn't the quality of the recording have a huge impact on the musicality of the song(s)? Anyways, I did try out this method, including the instructions that I try listening outside the room, and I couldn't really come to any conclusions yet. Definitely interesting methodology!

 

[Philker]

The article to which you refer reminds me of days of yore and the panjandrums of Hi-Fi snake oil.
The maxim garbage in, garbage out, seems appropriate here.
Let us not go down any more rabbit holes, eh.

 

[cvanc]

I don't think sommeliers develop their skill set by drinking beer.

 

[BenToronto]

I think the basic question is how to combine mic testing (such as REW) and human auditioning. Common to hear unjustified narcissism of how good your ear is but then also unjustified wannabee-engineer faith in acoustic measurements.

I have a bunch of recordings that I've replayed for 50 years or more as soon as I've cranked up a new system evolution. Sorry kids. They help me sense shortcomings in various ways. With tone colour as a handy example, your ear is just no good at identifying where the freq response valleys or peaks are since - Toole has shown - you can't distinguish weak bass from excessive treble. No kidding.

I'm sure that will raise lotsa posts from narcissist golden-ears. And proto-techies.

B.

 

[Philker]

I think the basic question is how to combine mic testing (such as REW) and human auditioning. Common to hear unjustified narcissism of how good your ear is but then also unjustified wannabee-engineer faith in acoustic measurements.

I have a bunch of recordings that I've replayed for 50 years or more as soon as I've cranked up a new system evolution. Sorry kids. They help me sense shortcomings in various ways. With tone colour as a handy example, your ear is just no good at identifying where the freq response valleys or peaks are since - Toole has shown - you can't distinguish weak bass from excessive treble. No kidding.

I'm sure that will raise lotsa posts from narcissist golden-ears. And proto-techies.

B.

Agreed.
This then is a question of the subjective and the objective. And I use the word 'and' meaningfully here. For I believe the two are not mutually exclusive.
So, on the basis that any purely subjective assessment can be unhelpful or even deliberately misleading, we should always strive to measure and quantify that that can be measured and quantified and use the results as a baseline - a 'jump off point' - that informs our subjective foibles.

Regards.
Phil.