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How Long Should One Wait Before Switching When A/B ing

Evening All,

          Ive been having quite an indepth and somewhat involving on going disscusion with an audiophile aquiantance regarding what would be considered the "Ideal" waiting time before one should switch from one component lets say,to another to actually appreciate in its entirety,a devices personal signature,Nuances,or its overall sonic portrait..One against the other.Its been said that our auditory memory as far as retaining information on a whole is in effect the poorest of all our faculties.This individuals personal school of thought is that you should give at least a solid week of listening to a given peice of equipment,and than and only than,switch to the "Other" device to be able to fully appreciate this phenomena of A/Bing,and capture all the information that each individual components features may or may not be readily available to us! I,on the other hand,beg to differ of this approach.Soley basing my self of this "Limited Auditory Memory" we all have! So my findings and resolute conclusions on which component do what,and how it will behave being compared one to the other,will in MHO be discovered in a matter of an hour,or maybe two.Switching from one to the other all the while! I firmly believe that THE component in question that is to be evaluated against another will not reveal themselves more in lets say a weeks time,than when you first did the initial A/Bing that first day you began this process of possible illiminations or the reverse for that matter!

I wholeheartedly invite whomever it may be to share your own experience on this matter.
zyac39
cd318
404 posts
 
The problem with long term listening is that your brain will adjust to the audio signature of the sound. A bit like some people living near train lines being able to shut out the sound whilst others becoming increasingly intolerant etc.

The advantage with long term listening is that you get to know if you like the sound, if it grows on you. A bit like meeting someone you didn't like initially but becoming a good friend later. You can also learn about yourself in the process. 

For comparison purposes you can't beat direct immediate switching. Of course volume levels need to be matched closely etc. But the results can be night and day.

In a perfect  world all dealers would offer this facility.
jbrrp1
215 posts
 
I think short term comparisons can more confuse than help, in that it gets you focusing on the "audiophile" aspects of sound reproduction, whereas long term listening gets you discovering how much musical enjoyment the change in gear brings you - - and isn't that the end goal?  Do you get drawn into the music more, do you stay engaged and just want to keep putting on the next record (possibly at the detriment to your sleep schedule!)?  That's what long term listening reveals.

Short term highlights the highlights (wow, those smooth highs! that punchy bass!  that creamy midrange!).  These individual elements might contribute towards a better musical experience, and then again, they might actually detract from it, drawing your attention to hifi details as the expense of emotional engagement in music.  So, give it all time to soak in.  That is the process that absolutely works best for me.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
To me the key issue is: listening to music you absolutely know and have heard many times.Hearing strange music just does not work for me at all. One plus I have always seen as a great thing when auditioning is the discover something I never noticed before n the music.                                   
So with a test, having the recording be utterly familiar would be my #1 priority.With the well know music, goes first impression. When I listen to a different setup, what is my first impression? And how does that compare with longer listening?So actually, and depending on the musical passage.. Some long, some short. More dependent on the Music than the theory.
douglas_schroeder
1,824 posts
 
Ah, one of the classic divergences of opinion. Good thing it's the only one in audio! ;) 


cd318
404 posts
 
Is musical appreciation a cerebral pastime, or one primarily concerned with the senses?

For me the goal is to forget about sound quality and immerse myself in the music.

To do that, OK to get close, it's best for me not to think too much. Analysis almost always kills enjoyment for me, but others may differ. 

Whether it determining how something tastes, how beautiful someone is, or whether one system sounds better than another 9/10 my immediate impression is the right one. The other 1 time is usually so close it doesn't matter either way eg who was more attractive, Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn?

If only they'd starred in the same movie - then it wound have been obvious!
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