How Important is the Ear?

fas42 · Feb 10, 2012

In light of all the questions being asked at the moment, this part of the "system" may need to be considered a bit.

This post was provoked because we've just had a massive rain storm, hail was hammering down fit to burst the roof, there's a layer of hail "snow" carpeting the garden and patio. Before it started I had on a classic Cleo Lane album at a good, normal listening level: then the rain started, and it began to crash down, harder and harder. Not deafening, but very intense. And what happened to the music? It was getting softer and softer, I wound up the volume control more and more; but it was still sounding as quiet as a bedroom transistor radio.

Well, the ear's automatic gain control, AGC, cut in, it reduced the sensitivity of my ear/brain completely automatically to "cope" with the onslaught of sound from the storm. But nothing changed the volume of sound playback: it was just that my ear was "cloaked" by its inbuilt mechanism so that it was operating in a gain range that was suitable for making sense of the outside noise.

And my belief is that a lot of the "mysteries" of good and bad sound reproduction, and perception, is tied to the ear playing its own little games, adjusting always to suit the circumstances ...

Frank

Phelonious Ponk · Feb 10, 2012

And my belief is that a lot of the "mysteries" of good and bad sound reproduction, and perception, is tied to the ear playing its own little games, adjusting always to suit the circumstances ...

Frank

My belief is that most of the mysteries happen between the ears. YMMV.

Tim

NorthStar · Feb 10, 2012

The EARS are the most important aspect of Audio.

Without them Music simply ceases to exist!

And the cleaner & larger they are the better ... :b

* Luv these kind of threads.

P.S. If you only have one ear operating because they other one is caput;
you are then listening in Mono. :b

Steve Williams · Feb 10, 2012

Without them Music simply ceases to exist!

Not entirely correct

NorthStar · Feb 10, 2012

Ok Steve, shoot! :b

...Yeah, Music is still playing, but for the guy without his set of ears, it ain't playing no more.
It still exists of course, but you knew that it was simply a way of speech ...

Johnny Vinyl · Feb 11, 2012

Phelonious Ponk said:
My belief is that most of the mysteries happen between the ears. YMMV.

Tim

I can tell you that the mileage ain't varying much here either.

Steve Williams · Feb 11, 2012

NorthStar said:
Ok Steve, shoot! :b

...Yeah, Music is still playing, but for the guy without his set of ears, it ain't playing no more.
It still exists of course, but you knew that it was simply a way of speech ...

I said that yesterday in passing inasmuch as I recall a thread started here several months ago that I just cannot find. Essentially it was a video showing a deaf woman teaching others how to listen to music. I thought Bruce posted it but I haven't found it anywhere. Any help finding it would be appreciated

microstrip · Feb 11, 2012

Steve Williams said:
I said that yesterday in passing inasmuch as I recall a thread started here several months ago that I just cannot find. Essentially it was a video showing a deaf woman teaching others how to listen to music. I thought Bruce posted it but I haven't found it anywhere. Any help finding it would be appreciated

With the best compliments of advanced search in google

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?2938-The-Art-of-Listening-Hi-rez-music

Steve Williams · Feb 11, 2012

Thanks Francisco

NorthStar · Feb 11, 2012

Yes! Now I remember very well that video of that fantastic lady.

And that was clever from you Steve, thanks! :b

P.S. Microstrip = Francisco; good to know. :b

treitz3 · Feb 11, 2012

IMO, the ear isn't worth a damn in this hobby unless one knows how to listen. Otherwise, it's all just noise.

BTW, I enjoyed that video in it's entirety. Thanks for remembering that, Steve...and thanks to Fransisco for finding it again.

JackD201 · Feb 11, 2012

Let's not forget what Beethoven and others have accomplished despie serious to total hearing impairment.

There are also studies that show how people have been able to adapt to gradual hearing loss.

To me this underscores a very important but underplayed, especially by the audibility zealots, that hearing is a sensory phenomena that isn't all about the ears. The senses of touch and yes, sight, play great parts in total perception and appreciation. As processed both consciously and unconsciously by the brain of course.

treitz3 · Feb 11, 2012

We had this discussion at an audio event and the best quote I recall was the following...

"Debrox, some folks need to use it".

With some that were there, no amount of ear cleaning would help. They just didn't know how to listen.

Steve Williams · Feb 11, 2012

treitz3 said:
We had this discussion at an audio event and the best quote I recall was the following...

"Debrox, some folks need to use it".

With some that were there, no amount of ear cleaning would help. They just didn't know how to listen.

IMO the use of a cerumenolytic cane be a dangerous thing if used by a layperson because often the net result is the softening of ear wax which then rolls into the canal and onto the tympanic membrane which can make for even worse hearing acuity

treitz3 · Feb 11, 2012

What would you recommend, Steve?

NorthStar · Feb 11, 2012

treitz3 said:
IMO, the ear isn't worth a damn in this hobby unless one knows how to listen. Otherwise, it's all just noise.

BTW, I enjoyed that video in it's entirety. Thanks for remembering that, Steve...and thanks to Fransisco for finding it again.

I would say 'how to love & appreciate' is how you listen well first.
Then comes all that 'audiophilia jazz' jargon from the addicts ... :b

"If it ain't in your soul, it ain't anywhere nEAR your EARs." - Bob

Steve Williams · Feb 11, 2012

My recommendation is a solution of warm water and hydrogen peroxide with a proper syringe for flushing the canal

I remember many years ago using Cerumenex and after inserting it into the canal I turned my head in the wrong direction and not surprisingly my TM became occluded and I truly could only hear muffled sounds until I had the canal properly irrigated

BTW, ear canal irrigation is a very simple thing in a doctor's office. I personally won't use a cerumenolytic

NorthStar · Feb 11, 2012

treitz3 said:
What would you recommend, Steve?

Syringe and hot water? ... Works well for me. :b ...Been doin' it for ages.

* Steve is absolutely right! No wonder he's a doctor.

P.S. By the way, I read his above post only after I posted mine (this one right here).
-> I have the habit to reply to all posts that I'm interested in, without reading what's below.
Only after the fact that I look; and if I find my post obsolete (perhaps 0.0000000000001% of the time), then I simply delete it. Very seldom it happens ...

Steve Williams · Feb 11, 2012

warm water Bob, not hot water. You just need it warm enough to soften

NorthStar · Feb 11, 2012

Yes, as hot as you (your ears) can handle (warm/hot), because too hot it hurts indeed.

Good point sir! :b

How Important is the Ear?

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