Why does a system sound great on some days and mediocre on others?

Maybe this thread rather belongs into "Human Hardware" or "Human Psychoaudio Conditions", I'm nor sure...
I've foudn that on some days thw same system can sound really nice and detailed with wonderful soundstage and really good on the ear, while on other days it just seems to be muffled and boring and the whole procedure of checkign speaker plaxcements and cleaning the stylus begins. i've read several people on another forum comment on this.
now i wonder if it is just a psychological thing, as in.. when the listener feels a bit bad the system sounds a bit bad, or if people actually hear in a different way on different days, maybe because of physical exhaustion after a particluarly long and stressful day at work. what do you think?

 

I have never witnessed this phenomena. Perhaps I just don't play music when I am unreceptive. Whenever I choose to listen to music it always sounds great to me.

 

I've had this sort of thing happen before. When it does, I turn the amps off and find something else to do. Sometimes, it's just a matter of not being in the right mood. In fact, I experienced this phenomenon just last night. I put on a CD, listened to a couple of songs and hit the stop button. I wasn't feeling well to begin with, so I went to bed early. State of mind has a lot to do with it, I think.

I remember house sitting for a friend a couple of years ago and living with his home theater system for about a month. I had never heard in-wall speakers before and the ones he had sounded very tinny and trebly to me. Then when I got back to my own place and listened to my own stereo, I couldn't believe how good it sounded. I couldn't stop listening to music.

 

I have also experienced this as well, I have read that (electricity consumption) could have something to do with it. Sometimes when you are listening the demand may not be as high as others and this can have an effect on it.

I also feel that one's receptiveness to hi-fi alters as well. Sometimes when you are completely relaxed you can be amazed by the sound coming out of your speakers, and other times when you go in with the intention of enjoying your hi-fi it doesn't sound as good.

No! You are not going mad, you are human after all!

JG

 

Atmospheric conditions? Relative humidity and such can affect how pianos sound; maybe speaker cones, esp. if paper, too? Just sending up a trial balloon. Yeah, I know: "Dangerous work, them lead ones."

 

Thank you. I thought I was crazy. When it happens, I check the usual suspects. If that doesn't do it, I find something else to do.

 

Hi,

Speaker cones are as sensitive to their environment as any piano in our experience. When humidity is higher, the stereo doesn't sound as good to us either. Your mileage may vary.

 

Different day = different mood = different response/emotion to the music.

 

This is true. I don't know how well most people could actually pick up on it but I suppose it is just like the ability of many hi-fi enthusiasts to hear higher frequencies and more clearly than some that are not so interested. Hearing ability is not all its about though as it still takes interest. Many people who appreciate music and can appreciate a hi-fi system do not have the best hearing. It just helps them enjoy more what hearing they do have.

Humidity and barometric pressure effect the density of the air and so the ability of sound waves to propagate. Also the temperature of the gear and the quality of the electrical line have an effect. So can the radiation of RF and EMI. Those are physical properties that can effect the sound and electronics. Most set-ups are not effected on an periodic basis with AC line condition or RF, or EMI, however humidity and barometric pressure do not remain so constant in most situations.

These can also effect the body as far as sinus conditions and so have a physical effect on the listener's ability. Other physical problems for listeners can include a cold which also effects the sinuses. Probably even other things such as hormones and blood sugar (eating or not eating) and other chemical reactions in the body affect or help to create moods. So it could be psychological too I suppose. Some people are obviously more prone to depression, etc and that must have an effect on their perception although it is difficult to quantify that without sharing the same experience.
-Bill

 

How does altitude effect HiFi? For example, even though my profile says I'm in Denver I actually live about 30 miles away, approximately 2k feet higher in altitude than the mile-high city. Would my system sound differently at a different altitude, ceteris paribus?

 

Same here! I was having a drab day when a friend decided to nag and debate me on a job I had recently completed. I worked extra hard to get it done right and was in no mood, even if he might have just been kidding around. At that point, I was so Pi-double-S'd (well, you know), I just had to turn it all off! Sometimes it just happens that way.

 

Yeah, it's all psychological. We have ups and downs. See my "Are tings getting worse" thread. There's no way that atmospheric conditions or electrical consumption will make a difference. but our own minds and bodies will.

 

Yes, higher altitude has the same effect as low humidity and high barometric pressure. It means the air is less dense and so sound waves travel through it more slowly and with less effectiveness. This might effect frequency balance somewhat as well, I am not as sure but would presume that low frequencies would benefit from higher density air.

Even temperature effects air density, so you have humidity, pressure and temperature as variables in air density. They all interact and one can offset the other in some situations so it gets rather complex. How well folks can hear any difference is the real question. The science of air density is not.
-Bill

 

Why are there days when even your favorite RECORDINGS don't seem to do anything for you? I think it depends on mood, intent, surroundings, and a host of other things...

 

Might be. I guess it just depends upon who you are. Emotion can certainly be more powerful than the weather on some days. Other days, not so much ;-).
-Bill

 

Sinus pressure. My own voice doesn't sound right to me on some days.

 

I think that sometimes the negative crap moving around in our heads prevents us from totally connecting to the music.That's why sometimes it sounds bad.

 

I can't say for sure why this happens, but it also happens to me from time to time. When it does, I just walk away and do something else. The drag was when I had to listen for work and this would happen. Usually listening to music is a lot of fun, but when you have to do it and you're not in the mood, it can be a chore.

Back in the 1979, I did something pretty stupid. I was in a studio, repairing their headphone amp. Apparently I left a sine wave plugged into to it's input with the volume turned way up. I put the phones on and plugged them in. This was one of the most awful things I've ever done to myself. I must have jumped 10 feet crashing into a drum set.

I ended up with a tone in my head for months. I thought I was toast. I could not do any criticial listening for this whole period. Things sounded horrible and listening was no fun at all. Fortunately, after a few months my normal hearing came back.

 

It's interesting to read these comments on humidity affecting soundwaves. I was wondering about this same thing with my system just last night. Last week I had repositioned my front channel speakers and fixed the connection of my subwoofer which had gone out completely. Through most of the week I consistently amazed at how much better my system sounded. Then last night I got home and it sounded a bit muddy, like the highs were struggling to come out of the speakers, almost underpowered. I wondered what happend and if I was just overthinking things. The weather had also changed that day from dry and cool to warm and really muggy.

 

I've guessed it could depend on the electric, and its quality (or lack of)...

 

It happens with the human condition usually nothing to do with the sound system.

 

The same thing happens with food.Somedays it tastes flat and other days great.It's all in your head.

 

That is awful.

A year ago I had a vintage mixing console spontaneously going into self-test mode, sending a sine tone to all outputs and hitting a bass player's cans while he was overdubbing.
It's still nauseating to think about it. He's alright though, luckily...

 

I like to get massages from time to time. Same things happens there. One time it's the best feeling in the world. Next time I go to the same masseuse and it's mediocore at best. Hard to imagine that the masseuse is doing much differently, but I guess that's always a possibliity. I always assumed it had to do with my mood or something.

 

Oh yes, and OT, I also believe it's psychological.

And, on a brighter note, it can also be the other way 'round.
Recently I found myself in tears listening to Smells Like Teen Spirit.
And I'm not even a Nirvana fan, not at all!
Just the sound of those drums during the intro, I dunno...it just got to me.