Jafreeman
Interesting thoughts.
I suspect the new phase of A/B-ing Red-Black-Red-Black we’re entering will be more problematic than the revelatory first hearing of the Red. I think the vagaries of A/B occur because we tend to overlay what we’re hearing with what we previously heard, so instead of being an insightful measuring device, the brain is singing along, blending memory of sound with what’s being currently experienced. It’s also true that our minds make us conscious of something newly perceived, but can ignore something that fades because memory can fill in what fades. If we’ve been hearing “The girl with colitis goes by”, but the Red reveals the lyric is actually “The girl with kaleidoscope eyes”, then we’re going to hear “kaleidoscope” regardless of whether we go back to old fuse, or forward to the Black. So what we hear is often cumulative, and what is lost is often ameliorated with memory. I think this is why A/B tends towards “can’t tell the difference” when switching back and forth.
In my case, my initial perception was that the Reds were presenting more information through a clearer window, which turned singers into imperfect humans—sometimes struggling, instruments with more of the discordant overtones, and percussion with more “hitting something hard with intent.” I can understand why some systems would portray the effect as “lean” or “cold,” but I think most systems are warmer and more resonant than reality. I really couldn’t go back to the less revealing sound, but I was aware that in choosing the Red, I was choosing a more naked portrayal where I perceived things as sounding authentic, but sometimes less “easy listening.” I found that there was a different pleasure from the realness of the Red portrayal versus the pleasure of pleasant sound such as tube glow or accentuated punch. Naked can be off-putting, but also euphoric :-)
I’ve heard tubes change, but in general, I’m not confident I have the ear to discern burn in, or can attribute changing perception to a physical object, so the initial perception of the Black being “hard” is a cautionary tale for me.
