Critical Listening Training Document

Excellent article. Thank you. Folks should stop "upgrading" when the answer to #25 is YES (to the enjoying part).

Judsauce, Thanks! A great post from a kindred spirit. That hypnotic groove machine zone is an indescribable state of musical nirvana for musicians. How lucky are we to have experienced that in this life, huh?

Dpac996, #25 is the punch-line to this crazy audiophile life we lead. Last night, my wife and I were casually listening to all kinds of vinyl as my new KT88 tubes were burning in on my amp (only have 4 hours on them so far, and I won't do any critical listening until they hit 100). The music sounded wonderful, even at low volume. We were enjoying ourselves thoroughly, both reading (she's reading a novel on her iPad and I was absorbed in the latest issue of TAS) and completely relaxed, exempt from the rigors of critical listening until the tubes are cooked.

I have a lot of LPs. One record that I haven't heard since before my major system upgrade is the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack from "The Mission" by Ennio Morricone. I forgot how much I love this piece, especially side two. It has everything, sweeping orchestral arrangements punctuated with masterful drumming, both classical and indigenous, and soaring sopranos warning the missionaries of their upcoming trouble.

I'm telling you all this because we were in #25 land for hours, completely open, relaxed and not listening to the gear (which had disappeared anyway) but allowing the music to wash over us. Then, in the latter part of side two, in the midst of a quiet, contemplative passage, a tympanist showed up in our living room and practically blasted us off the couch with a single beat of that enormous drum. Like I said, I hadn't played this for a long time.

I believe that not being in Critical Listening mode allowed us to be surprised by the sheer power of that experience, both noting how we felt the music reaching us and having its way with us... and delaying, albeit not for very long, my need to comment, compare and analyze the reproduction. In that delay lies the magic of musical appreciation... when you're not trying to capture the experience with thoughts and words (to be shared on A'gon, maybe?).

And yes, even at low, WAF approved volume, that first single beat of the tympani (I believe he was using soft mallets. Judsauce, Question #8 is all you, feel free to chime in) was the most life-like, "it's in the living room with us" experience I can remember! The attack and subsequent long, gorgeous decay of that strike transported us to the hall where this magnificent recording was made.

If I was in CL mode, I don't believe my active mind would have allowed me to experience that moment so fully. For me, the main objective of being an audiophile is to be present and open to those moments when we are surprised by music.

Alonski wrote:

"That hypnotic groove machine zone is an indescribable state of musical nirvana for musicians. How lucky are we to have experienced that in this life, huh?"

Yes, very lucky indeed. I miss those Nirvana moments. Sometimes during a guitar solo, I'd tip my head back, close my eyes, and literally hop into another universe. And I'm talking sober as a church mouse, just pure music magic.

Alonski, Regarding your well written description of your listening session when you described tympani blasting you and your wife off of the couch (I hope it was a soft landing), I had a similar experience when I was new to this hobby. A friend handed me a cd of Bela Fleck and the Flectones. On it there is a playful meandering track called "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo". Like you and your wife, I was half zoned out sitting on the couch reading a magazine. About three-quarters of the way through the song I heard this blasting that shook an old window, rattled the floors, and made me hop up quick and look to see if someone was trying to break down my door. Well, it was Victor Wooten's bass melody making its way through my sub-woofer and into the floors and beams of my house! I could not believe it. He was playing at least a full octave lower and it sounded as if he was right smack in front of me. It had the same transporting effect that the tympani and the orchestra had on you.

Moments like that are fun and magical and sure make this hobby worth all of the trouble we go through to finally "get there".

Judsauce, well... it's critical listening night at our house (I just decided). Our first selection was.... you guessed it, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo! Your anecdote was so compelling I had to get that track and hear it for myself.

Wooten is just a magician with the bass. I love how he can keep his time and groove going seamlessly while casually dropping down what sure sounded like a full octave! I don't think I've ever heard bass quite that far down on my system, except maybe a few sub-terrerian notes played by that Swedish Pipe Organ dude on Cantata Domino, the reference LP of choral Christmas music.

Putting on my Gear Guy hat, I'm happy to report that the twins (a pair of REL Sub-Bass units) shook the house without compromising Wooten's superb line. No boom, no flab... just great.

Because you prepared me for it, I wasn't launched off the couch... but I thoroughly enjoyed attempting to duplicate your experience. Thanks!

Anyone else have a cool Critical Listening moment to share?