Home Isolation Ward

From ebony pucks to magic foil, mystical and controversial tweaks.

RE: Ponderings


> > > "So are the plastics or the RF emitting wireless and digital products to blame, as both seem to have moved into modern homes hand in hand? Or maybe it is simply the fact that population densities have increased significantly in the past 60 years. Since employment has gone up since the Great Depression Years, maybe work is creating all this stress....

Another aspect to be considered is that since the 50's we have seen a steady proliferation of television sets, signals, and stations. The same can be said for radio broadcasts.

There are many options in the modern world, but a simple test would be to test your hypothesis in a third world population and country. Would live acoustical music played sound better in the wilds of the Amazon or maybe in the jungles of Southeast Asia? " < < <

*********************

ABSOLUTELY. My answer would be EVERYTHING you mention. I don't rule anything out. Going back to my parallel with the Dr Lister story - it is like asking Dr Lister "WHICH germ is in the air, or WHICH germs are you talking about which might be in the air. And, WHICH antiseptic might be the best to treat WHICH germ ?"

Looking at the audio industry we have gone from the narrow belief structure that 'sound' can only be changed by 'something' affecting the audio signal travelling through the audio equipment or 'something' affecting acoustic air pressure waves in the room to now, 2008, where so many things are now being described as 'changing the sound'.

Through the late 1970s with Jean Hiraga's "different cables sound different", the early 1980s with reports of some cables and wires exhibiting "directionality", again in the mid 1980s "cryogenic freezing improves the sound" and "colours affecting sound" (marking the edge of CDs with the colour green) and as an undercurrent to all that was Enid Lumley's (what she referred to as) "Gremlins in her environment affecting the sound" and so on - with all those reported things still causing controversy i.e. still not having been resolved. And, now, so many of the subsequent 'tweaks' causing controversy. The 'tweaks' are showing that there are so many things 'going on' which affect the sound !!

I would also agree with you, unclestu, in including stress as a factor, wherever that stress comes from. Whether stress at work, or stress with deadlines or stress with the boss permanently being foul tempered or financial stress or stress from the polluted environment.

But, once you get onto the subject of stress affecting sound, unclestu, you get into a minefield because you now have to explain HOW stress can affect the sound !!! The 'sound' is supposed to be the air pressure waves which reach the ear drums !! Whereas, in reality, the 'sound' is the END information which reaches the working memory, which allows the working memory to construct a 'sound picture' to present to the brain. And, if the END information is in any way different from the information which had reached the ear drum, then it has to be explained where any changes might have taken place. So, if you are going to bring stress into the equation - as also changing the sound - then you have to begin to explain just WHERE and HOW this information is changed, and WHAT is actually changed. You can't just willy nilly say "Oh, we know that stress can affect sound." Of course it can !! But you can't leave it there - dangling in the air - particularly if you are a 'professional working in the audio industry'. But now you have to struggle to explain HOW and WHERE !!!!! Which is what Peter and I have been struggling to do for the past 25 years, - ever since Peter made his initial and quite revolutionary discoveries.

We believe that it is far more than stress caused by a bad day at the office, or caused by a lucrative deal falling through. We believe that because of all the things you have listed, present in the environment, we (human beings) cannot do what we were programmed to do by evolution - that is to 'sign off our environment as safe' by constantly checking it ( i.e reading/sensing it every second of every minute of every hour of every day of our lives)..

Going back to your last paragraph. Supposing you, unclestu, find that when such tests were carried out and supposing the results were that live music (or even recorded music played on some battery powered equipment) 'sounds' incredible when played in the wilds of the Amazon or in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Then what are you going to do when you return home ? Are you going to realise that the equipment you had been hearing sound incredible in the jungle was, actually, already technically brilliant but, when listened to in the modern environment it does not sound anywhere nearly as good ? Where would you concentrate YOUR research ? On concentrating a high percentage of your time and energy in attempting to make the equipment yet more technically brilliant or, saying, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, there is something going on here, in the environment, which needs seriously investigating." Which is exactly the point I was trying to make to rick m. What percentage of time and effort are you going to put where ?

Regards,
May Belt.


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  VH Audio  


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
  • RE: Ponderings - May Belt 02/4/0808:39:19 02/4/08 (0)

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.