Do you guys trust your first impressions when listening to a system or a component? How long does it take you to evaluate?

[caesar]

Many members of this site use people use live, unamplified music as their reference. Other audiophiles, who are not Platonists, know what they like. Considering people know what real, live music sounds like or confidently know what they like, is the response to listening to a system or a new component an immediate, sub-conscious response that can takes all of a few seconds?


And if everyone knows what real music sounds like and is confident in their taste, why do some audiophiles and reviewers vacillate and need to keep their component in their system for weeks or months before drawing a conclusion? Is such deep cognitive analysis necessary to tell if a component or system is right?


And is it also true for the subtler tweaks?


So can one evaluate a system in a brief time or can snap judgments be wrong?

 

[spiritofmusic]

I know what I don't like often in seconds. What I like? Can take a lifetime.

 

[Dr Tone]

I don't trust my first impression, I need time to get the bigger picture. I spend a week with the new component and then go back to the old component for a week and then back to the new. Sometimes repeat that more than once.

 

[SuperDave]

Every component compared will have strengths and weaknesses. changing out a component will doubtfully be better in all aspects, i'm just looking for the overall picture. For example, I'd sacrifice and little resolution for more musicality and better flow. Many may see it differently.

 

[dan31]

First impressions are usually right on the money. I usually have a reaction within a few seconds. I then think of my own system as a reference.

 

[Lagonda]

I rarely trust first impressions, to many variables. Depending on what the new
gear is, setup is crucial. Speaker placement can take month to get right, even if
they are simple with no adjustability. If there are adjustable crossovers involved
it is even more difficult. Electronics need experimentation with fase grounding
and cabling for best result. And sometimes rearranging of defusers and absorbers can make all the difference between god and bad.
And don’t get me started on TT’s, i have had days where a change in temperature
resulted in different air pressure, and loss of magic a result.

 

[Woofer and Tweet]

You're walking down the street and hear music coming from a house. You instantly know if it is live or recorded. I think that's much the same with first impressions of an audio system. That being said, every time you play around with speaker location, things change, so I'd spend my time on that element. Just sayin'

 

[JackD201]

I trust my impressions on full systems. There may be niggles here and there to zoom in on but general performance can be easily categorized into needs lots of work, needs a bit more work, and I can live with that after a few tracks.

It's getting a handle on individual components that takes time with me as they require broader contexts to fully appreciate then later deploy properly.

 

[tima]

Break-in.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I think I can assess pretty quickly the overall realism and believability of a system in terms of how it compares to the overall realism and believability of other systems.

 

[bpape]

Depends on the situation. At shows, many times its new, green gear that needs some times. If it sounds really good at a show, chances are it's broken in a bit. I would agree with the above that I know something I can't live with in about 5 seconds. Something I can, takes a lot longer.

 

[Hipper]

These days I'm aware of the impact of the room, positioning, and other factors that affect what I hear. For this reason I would now never buy an item without trying it out in my system and room - or at least make sure that if I buy it I can return it for a full refund if it's not suitable.

So the likely scenario is that I would go to the dealer to listen to the equipment in his set up. I assume he will arrange it to sound its best as he hears it. I would want to play some material that I've put on a CD, say, to get an idea of its capabilities. This material would include percussion detail, one or two of my favourites, and some difficult to reproduce songs.

Once at home in my system I would again try my tests, but mostly I will just play and try to relax and enjoy the music, and see where that goes. If it sounds different, perhaps better, I should notice. I will also remove it and put my original back in to compare.

One month would be a fair time but ideally I think three would be better. Ultimately it must play my music well (mostly studio bound recordings, not all of which are the best quality).

 

[NorthStar]

Me too; the room I'm in.

Sure the first impression we have is generally the right one.
But it is in that particular room @ that particular moment in time.

I think we constantly evaluate and reevaluate, and that's a very good thing...very smart.

 

[TooCool4]

I can always tell what I don’t like immediately. For me I like testing in my home system first or after I have listened to it at the dealers. Testing in your home system is the only way to really know if it works for you or not.

At the moment I have put some Symposium Roller Blocks under my tape deck, immediately I heard a better improvement. I have had them under the deck for weeks now to really get used to them, I will eventually remove them and see if I can hear anything missing. From what I hear so far, they are here to stay.

 

[Folsom]

First impressions are important. Once you sit for awhile you get a little use to something that may not be good. If you stop and come back you'll dislike that first thing again.

When making changes in audio components for design, first impression is best to be used or long term impression. The middle ground is useless. And even with a long term one, you need a first impression to evaluate it.

 

[DexterMiller]

I can always tell what I don’t like immediately. For me I like testing in my home system first or after I have listened to it at the dealers. Testing in your home system is the only way to really know if it works for you or not.

At the moment I have put some Symposium Roller Blocks under my tape deck, immediately I heard a better improvement. I have had them under the deck for weeks now to really get used to them, I will eventually remove them and see if I can hear anything missing. From what I hear so far, they are here to stay.

View attachment 49993

If there was a flutter problem with the deck's transport vibrating and/or the speed seeming unstable, it would still be a maintenance issue inside the deck itself and not something an outside accessory would change the effect of.

 

[Sharp 1080]

For me I use my first impression. I try and listen without any bias at the beginning and If I'm not liking it upon first audition why am I going to somehow change my mind listening to it again?

 

[TooCool4]

If there was a flutter problem with the deck's transport vibrating and/or the speed seeming unstable, it would still be a maintenance issue inside the deck itself and not something an outside accessory would change the effect of.

The is no problem with the deck and it’s not a flutter issue, the deck goes in for a service every 2 – 3 years so I know the deck works perfectly. The Roller Blocks improves the sound maybe it dampens out some unwanted vibrations or something i don't know.

I would say the Roller Blocks under the deck does a similar job to putting a HRS plate on to of electronics, with regard to sound quality anyway.

 

[DexterMiller]

The is no problem with the deck and it’s not a flutter issue, the deck goes in for a service every 2 – 3 years so I know the deck works perfectly. The Roller Blocks improves the sound maybe it dampens out some unwanted vibrations or something i don't know.

I would say the Roller Blocks under the deck does a similar job to putting a HRS plate on to of electronics, with regard to sound quality anyway.

Well, then, it may have an influence upon a twenty-or-so pound cassette deck; but I wouldn't suspect it would cater much to the performance of a sixty pound reel to reel.

 

[Believe High Fidelity]

All too often I have heard systems that do not sound good at first and then sound lovely after warm up, break in, or a few weeks down the road when the system is more dialed in. Shows are one of those funny things that you never know what you are going to get. You could be fighting with the room all three days to get the system to sound its best.

Best to always give it time when possible