Adventures In Audio

Why your one perfect listening session should be your last

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@thomaslutro5560:  I just turned 54, and have already started thinking more about tweeters performing well in the lower end of their range. Larger domes, like the 34-35mm are far more interesting than the standard 19-25 ones of old. Add a well designed waveguide for dispersion linearity, and cross over as low as possible to linearize both vertical and horizontal dispersion. A 19mm diamond dome wit linear response to 60kHz? I could qoute Roger Murtaugh/ Danny Glover here, but will leave it to your memory. His son is a damn fine singer, by the way.

@MrDavidBFoster:  I'm 62 and my hearing hasn't noticeably degraded. I wish I could say the same for my eyesight.

@AudioMasterclass replies to @MrDavidBFoster: You may be singing in the same choir as me. I can see the tiniest leaf on the furthest tree in the distance, but I have reading glasses ranging from +1 to +4 depending on what I'm doing as I can't focus at all now.

@MrDavidBFoster replies to @MrDavidBFoster: @@AudioMasterclass I've got a 1.75 for just walking around in, and a 2.5 for sitting at the PC. If I need to get any closer, I just stack them up. lol

@veloxime:  I like your sense of irony.i really mean it. I'd probably fail an A/B test, too much pressure. But when I'm relaxed, sometimes even in the next room preparing dinner or breakfast, I often notice details in a recording I hadn't noticed before. Other factors than aging play a role, tiredness vs. Sunday morning rested state, worries vs. good news, the weather, humid or very dry, whatever. Still, you make a good point. but I'm curious : tell us about your current system, really.

@Popecody55:  Its the same with people who loves movies. The eyes and 4k 😅😅😅😅8 k. Led.oled😅

@multicyclist:  I have loved audio passionately since being a kid. I have owned dozens of amps, speakers, turntables, tape decks (reel to reel and cassette), CD, SACD, etc. However, I have never considered myself to be an "Audiophile". This is because I cannot hallucinate after listening to some audio and claim some magical différance or describe the experience in the form of food, or colors, or just about anything that is impossible for audio to be. Even though I lack these "special" Audiophile talent, I love audio and have an understanding of the physics and science of sound and sound reproduction, and love to listen to music regardless.

@gil3green:  Makes sense. Hearing gets worse, you need a better rig to compensate.

@AudioMasterclass replies to @gil3green: This is actually contrary to what I said in the video. It's a good point though and I may consider it in a future video.

@jjcale2288:  Sell the system and buy some quality hearing aids. Then start all over again.

@machavez00:  I’ve had music disappear from my Apple Music library from Buddy Holly and other big name artists.

I’ve also seen OG versions replaced by remastered versions, and 16/44.1 ACC replaced by 24/192 ALAC Apple Digital Masters.

@jimf2084:  I'm about to turn 68 and my high-frequency hearing loss is very real as is the ear ringing that loud volumes trigger. So now I listen at low volumes. Still, I very much appreciate the quality of well-made recordings, from the performance to the engineering to the mastering. It's more than just frequency response that makes a (relatively) high-end system worth having.

@pedrocols:  I am 53 years old and in the past few years I have sold my $4,000 dollar tube preamp and replaced it with a $150 passive preamp. I sold my $4,000 Bryston amp and replaced it with a $150 Class D chip amp. I have own the same speakers for the past 6 years and so far music is good. Keep playing and enjoying your favorites tunes my friends. Cheers!

@lights80088:  All this is a reason why I tell young people to protect their hearing. Hopefully in old age, your hearing will be better than those who don't protect their hearing.

@markconnell4898:  One important point not mentioned is the altruistic thrill audiophiles get from sharing their high end systems with others. "Listen carefully," you implore the guests you've graciously invited into your inner sanctum, "and you will actually hear the air between the violin and viola! No??? Oh well, Audio Philistines will always have transistor AM radios."

@fernandofonseca3354:  David, have you realized that with this video of yours, British comedy will never be the same again? 😂 And yes, by all means get that Harley Davidson asap! That will do wonders to your hearing, no doubt about it! 🤣 Plus, after that delicious faux-pas, which I am certain came out of absolutely nowhere, you understand that your 3% has now dropped to merely reflect your non-binary audience? 🤭

@tubefreeeasy:  As soon as my latest speaker wire change, I’ll reach my peak in two weeks. After my wires mature, fully.

My Christmas present to myself.

@ron5493:  Some flaws in the argument but love your sense of humor and scope of discussion!

@AudioMasterclass replies to @ron5493: You're right, I forgot to mention the one moment in time your cables are properly burned in and before they start to burn out.

@ron5493 replies to @ron5493: @@AudioMasterclass 🤪

@alexrichardson9125:  I love this channel. I am 83yrs old and find myself "thumbs up" for nearly every comment you have. You are right about frequency response of course, but what about dynamic range and simple clarity, and the huge differences of various classical recordings. I wont be upgrading my system,- my pension wont let me. However, what about a pair of quality hearing aids? Which I am considering. Thanks for a good time!

@AudioMasterclass replies to @alexrichardson9125: Audiophile hearing aids are a thing. I wouldn't expect them to be cheap though.

@EricB256:  A fun video indeed. I vividly remember the day when I was sitting at home and I could hear some rather high frequency beeping sound coming from outside. It was at dawn time, so I went outside onto the balcony, and then I saw what I had heard: it was a bat that was navigating its path of flight outside of the house. 5 years later when walking underneath some trees at dawn time, I saw bats again but could not hear them anymore. I'm not sure if I miss it, so probably, I don't.

If I had the money you mentioned to spare on the music hobby, I would probably invest it in albums instead, even though my old bass reflex speakers don't lend themselves too well to albums from the mid-00s onwards that were mastered rather bass-heavy with earbuds in mind. With those speakers, you have to turn down the bass when playing those masterings.

@danielandersson7485:  Your face is MAKED for a mustaché, kids would have to lock in their single mothers!

@fser7496:  excellent arguments 🙂 however even if I don't hear anymore hi freq sounds that younger people easily can... I appreciate that 90% of music is about midrange frequencies and still have a lot of time above 50's to enjoy and be surprised by artists performances before the hearing loss will reach that threshold. Audiophile is more touching the tech details of recording than enjoying a 'real' musical performance: very rarely a recording can be considered close to the real event because of the layers of processing applied to render the sound usable by an average level system.

@theformerbuttler:  New subscriber. Decent keying job. (Post professional) unsolicited tips. Reduce the background blur. When you switch to a CU, you need to scale the background plate to sell the effect. The key itself is pretty good. 😊

@AudioMasterclass replies to @theformerbuttler: You're not wrong but this is the way I like it. I don't want to seem to be trying to fool viewers that it's real. You probably also noticed that the lighting on my face conflicts with the lighting in the 'room'.

@sch117sch:  I recently learned that hearing shifts spectrally with age. This means that you can hear higher frequencies less well, but lower frequencies better. Perhaps that's why older folks are often annoyed by bass-heavy music younger generations enjoy.

@AudioMasterclass replies to @sch117sch: Transmission lines rejoice!

@polarbear3427:  audio quality is more than resolution. from my young years onward, distortion, noise and dynamics were much more important to me. Being able to hear the difference between rubbish stereo and real hifi will not decrease as much as being able to distinguish hi-res from mid-res.

@carlitomelon4610:  BRILLIANT!
I hate to burst your bubble old chap, but the Harley might be out too in one's twilight years.

I just visited my friend Larry and commented on his three dusty Hawgs. He said that since his knee surgery he can't hold them up at lights. Too heavy.
My other friend Mike said that his Harley was gathering dust too, due to neuropathy issues.

Unfortunately for these two they were never audiophiles, nor did they look after their hearing. Both wear hearing aids 🥺

Fortunately for audiophiles music appreciation is more than just listening to frequency sweeps!

🎵🎶🤫🎶🎵

@AudioMasterclass replies to @carlitomelon4610: A long time ago a friend said to me never buy a bike that if it falls over you can't pick it back up.

@JorgedeLumiarFerreira:  Advice for the aging audiophiles: Just save up money on your high end system and buy music instead! I've been doing it since my 30's just to be sure :)

@laika25:  This 1 made me laugh at many different parts. Thanks

@laika25:  Hahaaa, love your posts "ol chap" 😅

@kristianlarsen7694:  You are trolling aren’t you?
I like to make things clear. If your theory is right, there should be no mixing or mastering engineers past their age of 40. Their retirement will commence at the age of 30 where they will edit talk radio and past the age of 40 doing the dishes at radio or studio canteens. If not dismissed as ballet dancers are at that age. Herbert Blomsted at the age of 96 is hired to conduct 24/25 DR Symphony, will be a total failure.
At the age of 14 I was taping radio on 9,5 cm/s mono tape from the family tube radio. I copied my friends tapes and was thrilled listeningto the Beatles on my Hosiden earphones. S/N ratio probably 45 db.
I know nurse that in 1960 rural Kenya enjoyed Beethoven on 78 rpm records.
That’s it. Music is about what is inside it. Understanding George Orwell 1984 doesn’t get better if you acquire a glittering deluxe print hand bound copy. It’s what’s in the words that count.
As amateur recordist I asked a double bass player what was the lowest note he would play. Event was in a room flooded with bass. He named a note (F was it?) I asked what frequency, as I was dialing a filter. The look I got in return told me that he couldn’t care less. That’s what music is about, tonality, melody rhythm.
So what do I do? Should I go back to the 9,5 cm/s mono tapes. No, but in an emergency they will do. I enjoy music while driving with the cars standard radio/loudspeakers. I guess 95% of what music gives us comes from the music itself. Not the recording quality.
So what are hifi pundits listening for? Separation, stereo with, depth and instrument placement. But these are not what you get in a concert hall. Maybe the conductor gets some of it. But much of that is cooked up due to recording technique. There is really a gap between hifi pundits and musicians. Most musicians I know have crappy HiFi systems.
I keep my medium level hifi and at the age of 68 consider it a hearing aid. Now and then HIFI freaks recognize that they have been on the wrong trail. They sell their stuff. They call it down - sizing. Not because they can’t hear the outermost frequencies, but because they have realized that the last batch of investment didn’t get them closer to the music.

@simonclark8290:  The whole point of audiophile Hi-Fi is to make it sound more realistic and more like the instrument or voice is in the room with you. Until you can't tell the differernce between a real intrument in front of you and a recording of the same then there is value in better (not necessarily more costly) reproduction equipment.

@JeffWardMusic:  62 here. My hearing's perfect, but nobody seems to speak with any treble in their voices these days...selfish lot. Same thing's happening to my hifi. And the tv. 😊

@joeyveloso9124:  This video is probably the worst video I have seen.

Someone saying lower your bitrate as you get older? So I’ll just download all my mp3 again just so I can lower the resolution? All while storage is getting cheaper?
That is the worst recommendation I’ve heard on a YouTube video of all time.

@Planardude:  As usual a great "Masterclass" - always informative and provocituve. Having been provoked :_) I would humbly offer a somewhat different perspective. Firstly I am an nonaudiophile. The term suggests a quest for audio that perfectly reproduces the original performance- unobtanium. It also suggests a "golden ear" that is capable of detecting the subtle differences in equipment - if there is a difference by defination at least one has to be inaccrate. So I self classify as a "speaker guy". Speakers are unquestionably the most inaccurate part of the listening chain (even phono cartridges and turntables are arguably better)
So it gets worse - not only am I a nonaudiophole I am old and have terrible hearing. How do I know - I have had multiple hearing tests. Hearing aid tests generally cover 2-400HZ up to 8K - not exactly audiophile territory. You can self test with ~CD test tones but these are again dependent on the quality of your transducers. So the question arises - why am I the speaker guy when I readily admit this is the low hanging fruit of the audio chain. Speakers like people have different personalities. So as they are the "weak link" you can appreciate them on diferent levels. I have the luxury of speakers collected over the years - Sanders 10e's , Soundlab electrostaics, Magnepan 3.7s, Paradigm towers, as well as Dynaudio and Yamaha nearfield monitors and quite a few more.
So back to the original question - why keep these old speakers when you are old and half deaf - in spite of my well docmented hearing loss - each of these speakers have a readily definable sound signature that trascends old and deaf and is still readily apparent. The differences in listening is readily apparent. (Now don't ask me to compare cables or amplifiers as I fear I would fail miserably but that is a different topic.)

@robertcarpenter6800:  something to consider is that we can become more skilled listeners as we get older, and appreciate subtleties and aspects of the sound that we might of missed when younger...

@johnstewart7181 replies to @robertcarpenter6800: Loved the video- great way of approaching the problem of upgrading of equipment vs downgrading of the human capability to hear due to increasing age.
Agree with your comment about becoming more skilled listeners.

@paulduggan5323:  Also, any idea why all members of all these groups failed to alert us years ago that MOFI included a digital stage within their all analog process as they must have heard this from the first introduction of this curious hybrid, but still all analog production. Could it be that they didn’t want to upset us aspirational audiophiles (though that would put pay to their pomposity). Do you have an update on which is better? Analog, digital, digilog of anatal, this would enable me to buy the best type of system should I grow up to be an audiophile of sorts. Finally, is it true that we have audiopiles in the world? My mate told me that they exist and that they are audiophiles with piles. According to him they claim that their piles contribute considerably to a much higher level of sound quality than those experienced by mere audiophiles. I wondered if this is true, whether it has anything to do with the fact that they talk out of their a***s. For total transparency “my mate“ was actually a guy in the pub last night who claimed to be only on his 7th pint. He heavily resented the fact that he has acute hearing loss and piles. Presumably he is the exact opposite of an audiopile which would explain his red faced anger and why he is still listening on a FidelityUA7

@paulduggan5323:  I never realised there were so many subcategories of audiophiles. Having read through the comments, I have spotted 4 different flavours of Audiophiliacs.

Audiophiles, “audiophiles”, young HIGH_AGED audiophiles, young HIGH_AGED “audiophiles”. Any idea how they differ? It would be fun to know if any of these groups are more deluded than the others. Presumably the ones with quotes are less in denial with a sense of realism ranging from “not at all pompous” to “slightly less pompous”. Would the hi-fi community be served even better with a fifth group? Perhaps one that I could fit into? One that suits my own qualifications perfectly. Those being: modest, non-narcissistic in fact self loathing, 61 years old, prefers to hear music in as good quality as possible, attended 5 Motörhead concerts and with a very cheap system that only cost me £13.5K. I’m guessing the answer is “not a chance”

@Schnauzer-2:  😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@Simbosan:  I'm 62 and the thing I most enjoy out of my big JBL studio monitors is the solid bass, it thumps with such chest denting purity compared to any smaller/cheaper speakers. My point, it's not ALL about top end. Regarding MP3, when I am mixing I will regularly listten to the delta of the MP3 conversion. I can hear the delta therefore the audio difference is in my audible range. Would I notice the difference? Maybe, but at least subliminally my ears are definitely 100% hearing the difference.

@DesertRat332:  I'm over 70 and my listening habits have changed from what they were when I was a young man. Now I listen to the music I like at my computer, through some small speakers, and while driving in my car. I no longer sit in a chair and listen to music while I read something because I am always watching YouTube!!! 😂

@Douglas_Blake_579 replies to @DesertRat332: Oh man do I hear that!

@ssks1979:  A late elderly friend, 30 years older than me, loved to show off new equipment purchases by playing and comparing multiple versions of some classical piece. He truly knew his hobby and would state how that new purchase allowed him to hear the difference between the orchestras, recording companies, recording eras, etc. I enjoyed his demos and music room but could never really hear what he described, but it was all good. I wonder if during his last years the equipment changes was an attempt to blame his hearing loss to not having the latest "new and improved". Luckily he had the means to chase the Holy Grail, or at least his version of it.

@humanitech:  Like many hobbies or personal interests...music and hifi is often a subjective compromise of choices, options and variables...backed up by neverending promotional speal and spin claiming "the next best thing" or " the new and improved" to keep us confused, frustrated, drooling and dribbling for the next ultimate bit of kit or bling! r simply to get trapped in the neverending flux of never quite being happy or content...and when we do we still then doubt etc...as our fickle minds, senses and tastes can fluctuate and change on a daily monthly and yearly basis 😂

...While others happily only buy once and change when things fails or cost too much to be repaired and fixed...who happily accept and live in blind bliss of their compromised choices 😂😂😂

@mimofi:  A few years back (just about when I turned 50), I took an appointment with an Audiologist with the specific goal of understanding my level of "hearing loss". What I learned from the doctor is "hearing loss" is not about literally not being able to hear (specifically at higher frequencies as you age, not as it relates to "damage" from excessive exposure to loud sounds without protective gear). What I was explained is there is a "roll-off" in sensitivity at higher frequencies and the doctor demonstrated by playing 18khz and even 20khz and with some gain I was able to hear both and given gain required was not excessive I was informed my hearing was excellent .. for my age 🙂 (I later experimented at home with test tones and pumping volume with speakers). Luckily this can be offset and/or compensated for by selecting headphones and speakers (gear to a lesser extent) with a stronger frequency response in the treble region. Not to mention, eq can also be a very effective tool (e.g.one of the many parametric eqs available like in the USBAudio phone app that cost $10 w eq that I use to stream to external DAC dongle for wired IEMs). So I am glad to have my better/pricier equipment as it can also take some eq and maintain low distortion and has a great frequency response across the full Bass/Mids/Treble range. I've also used this knowledge to better interpret reviews depending on who (i.e. how old) the reviewer is. I have often noticed reviewers in the late 20s / early 30s find certain headphones or speakers I enjoy to be "fatiguing" and too "spicy" or "hot" in the treble while I find some products they enjoy to sometimes be a bit "dark" and too warm. So I guess no need to sell gear (good news as even in the best of cases you're gonna loose out a lot). I'll just keep boosting that treble and enjoying the best sound I can for as long as I can 🙂 Great topic and upload! Thx

@naturalverities:  Pure genius! I am a 68yo music lover with tinnitus and significant hearing loss in my right ear, yet can readily detect when an update to Amazon Music Unlimited has defeated my HD-only setting and is streaming compressed audio. A friend who wears hearing aids also hooked his phone up to my best system to play an originally well recorded track from Spotify and I immediately detected the inferior quality. Streaming the same track in lossless format from Amazon, we both readily heard significantly better sound quality, to his great surprise. I believe this is due to the extreme resolving power of my DIY DSP-driven multiamped system, which was scrounged from secondhand sources for well under $1000.

@NicolaDiNisio:  My second daughter already asked to get my main system when I'm dead 😂

@AudioMasterclass replies to @NicolaDiNisio: Mine turn off my amp driving my B&W 801's and prefer the TV's soundbar.

@NicolaDiNisio replies to @NicolaDiNisio: @@AudioMasterclass maybe you have still a thing or two to teach to her 😅

@johantheron4282:  I say keep what you’ve got and appreciate what you CAN hear.

Also, if you play music to your children/grandchildren, they will certainly hear the difference between your system and whatever they are used to. They will be blown away! They might even consider upgrading whatever they’ve got.

More aspiring audiophiles is good for the industry, right?

Johan (52)

@solarionispirit2117:  You have good points but you say it with so much bitterness which is almost mean if not. Probably this third video was the peak in listening your channel.

@terryhifiangler:  There is more to listening to music than ultimate frequency range. An audiophile is will also want good sound stage depth and width with obvious distances between instruments, low distortion and good,rich bass. In theory, the better the equipment, the better these things become. I'm 63 and worked in heavy engineering all my life and can still hear great differences in these things.

@hostrow:  I easily hard the difference when I upgraded my speakers. I have both tinnitus and plenty of high end losses. My ability to hear changes in dynamic range and detail remain. As for people spending money what is point.

@GoldenGateNum9:  Hey one min, what if you sell up and then technology or herbal supplements come out which helps enhances your hearing ability back to optimum levels?, ain't there already herbal supplements out there like French Maritime Bark or Ginko Bilboa?? 🌿

@AudioMasterclass replies to @GoldenGateNum9: I find that English breakfast tea works very well.

@mlopezcol:  Touche!

@glennlove461:  So my "Close n Play" is gonna sound much beter soon...

@Sonnell:  As someone who is working in the pro audio business, developing such technologies, and also in to audiophile systems, and who is not hearing like a 15 year old, wondered a lot about this.
My experience is that frequency range is not directly connected to the quality of human hearing. There are lots of other factors of a listening device than its frequency range... like its distortion, type of distortion, distortion in regard of the frequency, its volume, etc.
An other very important factor is that human hearing does not only consists of our ears, but our brain is a huge part of it. Learning to hear well, takes a lot of time and effort. Probably this part is also different for every person.
Meaning, an older audiophile who has spent a lot of time learning to hear, will be able to distinguish between high end audio systems, regardless the highest frequency it can hear. Obviously we are talking about normal hearing loss here...
So, if that person, claiming to be an audiophile, has well trained hearing, will be able to appreciate a higher end audio system, even when having older ears.

But, I agree, that a high amount of "audiophilism" is baseless in general. A lots of gears and practices are useless money wasting things, because no one can hear any difference using them, and most of them do not even produce any measurable difference at all. But I can count on one hand how many times I read that people did true blind A/B tests to find out what makes and what does not make sense.
So hearing the difference between an MP3 and WAV is difficult for any person, regardless of age or audio system. Of course, with a well done MP3 encoding of course :)

@matthewfrazee3352 replies to @Sonnell: Listen on iems on quieter sections switching quickly between files to compare otherwise there is little difference. It has little to do with hearing and knowing where in the track to listen and switching quickly and repeatedly to pick out the differences. It is usually a higher noise floor on lossy tracks.

@nara4420:  Just use it and enjoy the music - don't worry about your hearing-capabilities!
... and btw. you are not alone all the time. Imagine how you feel if you claim to be audiophile and someone younger tells you your system sounds bad ?!

@kevincheong1516:  Most audiophile would like to be validated by bragging rights; so I don't think they will downgrade their system.

@michaelb9664:  Well it’s an interesting concept, only equipment frequency response has no correlation to price point.

@ac81017:  High end audio gear is NOT an investment, quite the opposite. If you buy something new and sell it the day after you'd be lucky to half to 2/3's of your money back, especially cables! Say you pay £50000 for a system and sell it a year later, you'd be lucky to get half of your money back. The high end audio industry is a very very dirty business, i know from experience 🙂

@AudioMasterclass replies to @ac81017: I said 'classic' which definitely does appreciate. The two Leak TL12's I bought for £15 in 1980 will never be seen at that price again.

@pjo1964 replies to @ac81017: My vintage receivers didn't cost me over $150 each and I can get $1200 each for them now, but they're not for sale.

@ac81017 replies to @ac81017: @@AudioMasterclass Sorry, my bad!

@TheGurner1:  Ah, good thinking that man! At 68 I'm thinking of upgrading my monitors to Swiss PSI - I can tell the difference, but what I'd really like is a $50,000 room with floating floor and built in bass traps! ( I have bought 'wife' some apple toffee crumble and paid her taxi to work ;-) )

@adrianinnavan3910:  I am 64 but I was able to pick WAV over 320kbs in over 80% of recent blind tests.
I'm not an audiophile but I am someone who loves music.
My love of music results in high standards when it comes to audio quality but not audiophile fanaticism.
I count myself lucky to have decent hearing and still find my ancient Rotel amp, DAC and CD transport producing great sound even today.

@crazyprayingmantis5596 replies to @adrianinnavan3910: If you care about audio quality you're an audiophile.

There's just different levels, most people look at the high end lunatics with 10k cables and think that's what an audiophile is.

No, that's what a sick person is.

@ademason8975:  I have a lot of fun with DIY audio stuff and I have pretty damaged hearing
I don´t feel that I am missing much - a lot of the quality in music is in the balance between lows and mids and that is difficult to perfect
You largely listen with your brain anyway so that does compensate a bit for lost information
Active crossovers can really help your listening

@RustyMFTruck:  There is no such thing as a perfect listening session.

The point is to enjoy yourself and the equipment you have invested in.

Untrained or inexperienced ears will have a much less immersive experience with an "audiophile" grade system than the person that assembled it on their journey.

As far as discerning audio quality as you age, that again will come back to training and experience through these listening sessions.

I will leave you with this, we have all heard Michael Jackson's Thriller. We know the song that is committed in memory.

Listening to that same song on a truly resolving system and hearing the details pop out across the Soundstage will completely alter that memory through a new experience.

@djlafg58:  I loved your mix of science and humour in this vid. Well done Brit!

@xiaokang8692:  There is a website with hearing test on few pieces of music. You can compare WAV with MP3 (different bitrates). Even I am after 50 I could recognize most of WAVs but I have learned there is no difference between MP3 160, 240 and 320. MP3 is MP3.

@pierreterracher3911:  the brain reconstructs the sound using the memory of previous concerts and listenings. The effect is twofold: on the one hand you hear everything that is missing from your system so that it is this magical musical instrument that resembles a piano or a trumpet, on the other hand as soon as you listen to the music and no the system the brain gives you what is missing. A bathroom radio can give you a lot of pleasure and energy because you only listen to the music. the ear loses frequency. I don't hear anything after 9000. Do the test with a child next to you it’s fun ! and this guarantees you that it is not your system which is responsible for the reproduction of the higher frequencies.

Analog telephones had a bandwidth between 200 and 3200 Hz. And what emotions hearing a voice recognized in a thousandth of a second! You knew the person's mood from the first word, and it was their voice. it was her. Hearing aids will bring us back to this world 🤓😬

The only thing you need as you get older is a house to be able to listen very loudly, a tube preamp for life and stereo image, 2x400w power amp and 50kg speakers !😂

@cucumberforest:  In the last phase, we put a vibrating adult toy in our diapers that vibrates to Shine on you crazy diamond. Not bad either, in my opinion.

@atoptip6193:  I just read (well…skimmed) the 129 comments before mine and I am surprised one simple matter does not come up at all: where do you find music much above 8kHz let alone in the mid-teen kHz? It does not really exist. Even if it did, it would need to be very loud to overcome the much higher human hearing threshold at those frequencies. And it is a good thing it does not…those are not attractive sounds to hear. Yes, humans can hear higher frequencies but except for avoiding vampire bat attacks, they may not be of much use.

@Dr_Girthly_Baggington:  listen to me fella... I got some tidy stuff I av.
I was 40 this ear I was.
Add my years tested I did, turns out i CAN still year above 20khz, still year CRT's wineing n stuff.
I dont have a liceense to drive a car only a motorbike, been riding all my life (25 ears)
Sew to put age as a definative numba as two what you can year is bow locks.
To me an audiofyle is a person that trys to get the best sound they can,

SOMEONE WHO WILL BUILD AND ASSEMBLE THEYRE OWN STUFF COZ THEY CANT AFFORD IT UVAWISE...

Nelson Pass did not share the skeematics for his amp, the furst watt so he would look ard down the pub.
Ee shared so that peeple like me cud make one four them selfs and experience the sound.
So whats you problem fella ?
Why do you think this audio masterclass guy cant year propa ?
Its not like ee is condmin anyone or theya hobby/intrest. Ee only trys to explane and make fings relative to peeple like me and uva peasants.
My 75 ear old boss, Sir Green Carpet is deaf in won year, only listens to Aqua, his £1,200,000 system in a sealed box filled with nitrogen, with the speakers facing the rear wall coz they shy. Ee did haave tha box filled with helium but said it caused the sound signature to be far two lite.
He is renowned in the HiFi world, his opinion taken as fact, won of the top 10 fyles in the world.
The real question here is " what is a fyle ? "
Is a fyle a snob that spends more money on bananna plugs the your entire family tree has ever earned,
Or is a fyle someone trying to get the best sound they can ?

EVERY SINGLE COMPANY THAT MAKES FYLE EQUIPMENT STARTED LIFE IN A BEDROOM/GARAGE/SHED AND DUE TO POPULARITY THEN BECAME A COMPANY.

I doubt many of these people were, or are in they're listening prime. Are you saying these peple should just give up...
Mc ntosh, Pass, Sugden, Quad, Krell, Dangostino, Luxman, Linn.... " Sorry n ah fellas bu your old an a. ewe can evun year tidy. just giv up"
ULTIMATELY... does it matter if this man or that man has not the hearing of the next man. Or that your amp is £25 made from bits out of maplins ?
Surely its about enjoyment ? The enjoyment of the time invested into your listening, not the money or ego ?

The thing is see fella, I would love to be able to listen to the world through your years BUT I dont think my head will also fit within your colon....

Take care all, keep on lissnin keep on lovin !

Yors, A peasant tha stole Green Carpets fone. xx

@oliverlotus:  Fascinating. The brutal truth.

@cave1958:  It's way more complicated than just human hearing frequency response!

@hughkleinsc8949:  As long as you hear a difference when you upgrade that’s all that matters.you are talking rubbish, you can still hear the difference from a cheap system to a good one .I am 67 and have got linns top system .you should like a old man

@X_Marks-u7r:  On my last day, Lock me up in a room with a killer audio system with coke and whores.

@dbootle:  One interesting aspect of the Human Condition is that the older and wiser you become the less you are able to physically perceive reality. Even the extent of the Known Universe is relentlessly dissipating over the expanding horizon. Tomorrow is always worse than today.

@arnavgautam319:  I am 20 years old, and I thought you'll do some math and figure out the ideal age when the best equipment and top hearing intersect (for the perfect listening session) but I am left horridly scared now....

@ChiefExecutiveOrbiter:  $$$$ For your Harley, that will make you Deafer even faster

@jimhines5145:  AT 57, I'd say my hearing is still pretty good. My hearing is completely dead at 15khz, but good above it. There is a reason for this. Having worked half my life in analogue broadcast television (before going digital), the sub-carrier of color burst is at exactly 15khz (NTSC). Having a hundred plus analogue CRTs around me 5 days a week for 8+ hours per day apparently made my brain ignore it (at least that is what my audiologist suggested. She also suggested it may return someday).

While not really an "audiophile", I do appreciate great sound and those who spend $50k on an audio system are simply wasting their money. I don't care how good or bad your ears are. WASTE OF MONEY (just cool bragging rights)! Common sense prevails here. If I had $50k to put into audio, I would most certainly do a huge upgrade to my recording studio. But that's not happening. My Pioneer SX-780 with home made speakers (12" three ways) sounds as good to me or better, than any set of Bose (cough) speakers I have heard (of course I have a HD-DAC plugged into it). Not including their stage PAs (of course). Those do sound pretty incredible in smaller venues.

@stephennarayan:  The Harley will reduce the audiophiles hearing further

@1974UTuber:  I really enjoy a good full range sound and have always enjoyed music.
At this stage in my life, I would pay a kings ransom just to fix the constant ringing in my ears. Even if it meant I could only afford to listen to my music on a $350 system put together from garage sale items.
I can guarantee I would enjoy it far more than any audiophiles $250K system if I didnt have to listen through the constant ranging and humming I currently endure. 😢

@glennlove461 replies to @1974UTuber: I only hear the ringing when i'm reminded of it, Thanks alot.

@petertimp5416:  Mine drops off at 11.2khz 😢 trying (testing) to train my hearing(brain)to push its recognition/sensitivity higher with an oscilloscope.

@straymusictracksfromdavoro6510:  Brilliant, you may have missed your calling, perhaps you should have set up a financial planning service advising those soon to retire that the best investment plan would be to outlay half their retirement nest egg on top quality classic audio gear. They could then, as you suggest, downgrade it incrementally, sometimes with the value having appreciated, to provide themselves with a sort of ongoing AFA (Audiophile Funded Annuity), very clever indeed. As to the deterioration in hearing as we get older, honestly while I’m fully aware it has happened and continues to happen, unless something dreadful has happened to my system or my audio files in the meantime, I really can’t recall exactly what a piece of music I listened to say 10 years ago (or maybe even 1 week ago) actually sounded like in detail then compared to now, I just enjoy it now even though I know I’ve got to be missing something. I’d certainly notice if some noticeable deterioration happened on a daily basis or while I was getting another beer out the fridge, but maybe us old codgers are just fooling ourselves and just yearning for those heady days of youth when we thought everything must have been better including the experience of enjoying the music.

@GoFlyYourselves:  Rich audiophiles will be able to afford bionic hearing

@texascoonkiller:  ouch!

@georgeswanson9483:  It's useful that as I've gotten older I've realized that the frequency extremes aren't all that important and I think that's likely why a lot of experienced audiophiles get into low watt tube amps and high efficiency loudspeakers. Getting older sucks but it beats the alternative.

@1999zrx1100:  In my 60’s and finally can afford my dream system, ya I wish I could hear like I did in my 30’s but too bad I’m still going to enjoy my wonderful system while I can.

@ghostnoterboomboom9119:  Can't upgrade, if yr broke!

@brianmoore581:  The highest note on a piano at its fundamental is 4186.01 Hz. Even if you can't hear much above 15 kHz, you can still hear the majority of even the harmonics of your music. Also, and more importantly, high end doesn't mean high frequency, it means high performance. If the music you can hear sounds better, it's worth it.

Stay away from those Harleys, though. They will destroy your hearing!

@tonydigregorio3806:  Ironically it’s the young people with impeccable hearing that often choose to listen to music that has no dynamic range due to the Loudness Wars (look it up) or listen on terrible ear buds or cell phone speakers. The appreciation for high fidelity is just not there. Convenience and mainstream popularity takes precedence. Also, good listening requires intention. Understanding what you’re listening to is just as important as having good hearing. I have tinnitus, and 55 but I can identify compression attack and release times or the difference between plate, hall and spring reverb. I can tell when a bass plays is using a pick or fingers. I can appreciate the difference between an analogue synth or wavetable. I know who Glynn Johns is and the roll he played in rock music, the shuffle style of Bernard Purdy, the groove of James Jamerson, the dexterity of Horowitz and the imperfect but passionate delivery of Maria Callas. Listening to good music requires no effort but identifying good recordings is an acquired skill. Personally I can appreciate music much more now than I did when I was younger. Love your videos btw, cheers!

@NotTheOnlyMattAround:  Most people in their 20s could sell their $50,000 system (if they're so fortunate), spend $5,000 (or much less), and not be able to hear the difference either in a blind test. There's only so much we can hear. I'd argue $500 is probably overkill for most, particularly when we're talking about IEMs or headphones.

@fredfox3851:  Just as I reached my peak success and earning years, my wife became a fat old shrew. : )

@adotopp1865:  I've peaked but still enjoying my listening sessions. I'm 63. I'm male. I've had a stereo system since I had my first house when I got married (to a girl) age 20.

@stevengagnon4777:  It sounds like I won't need to spend much more then. Not that I did..its all old and thift store/trash picks...being a bicycle mechanic...well most can infer. I like what I have so I'm good to go. Except for finding that elusive Stanton 680/681 stylus replacement.

@matthewhall6288:  I'm not sure I buy this argument. It's pretty easy to tell the difference between listening to live acoustic guitar and listening to an MP3 of an acoustic guitar playing on Alexa. For me the ultimate stereo would make me think I'm listening to the live guitar. My hearing would have to be pretty shot in order not to be able to tell the difference. It's not really about being able to hear the highest of high frequencies.

@BruceGrembowski:  When I got my first iPod, I did A-B testing of various MP3 rates. I found that 320kbps was about 98% of the quality of the CD track, using the DG Beethoven symphonies directed by Von Karajan as my source for classical. 256kpbs was about 95% to my ears. Switching to rock, and using Heart's Magic Man as the source, I found 256kbps was enough for the lower dynamic range.

Of course, that was 25 years ago, and now my tinnitus is louder than some of the more subtle cymbals and high hats on Kind of Blue.

But as you have said in a previous video, the best musical quality comes from a live performance. Nothing beats the Jethro Tull concerts I attended, listening to the Grateful Dead jam at the Greek theater at UC Berkeley as the sun was setting, and being entertained by John Denver alone on the stage with his guitar.

@joelcarson4602:  Eh? What did you say, sonny?
I'll be 70 in a little over a year, and I can no longer hear that 19 khz FM stereo carrier frequency for certain, and there is a certain amount of smear going on with my ability to discern fine detail and I'm certain there's a difference between one ear and the other. Thankfully I can still enjoy the music I'm still hearing. I can still hear things my S/O can't, and she is twelve years my junior.

@tarp-grommet:  It's not a tautology, merely a redundancy.

@alunjones2550:  I think the only thing you're more capable of affording and fully enjoying once you're past 50 are whisky and cigars..........

@dangerzone007:  A lot of people really enjoy a good mid-range. That's why the HD600 is so popular.

@dangerzone007:  Your theory doesn't apply when you make your own speakers and amplifiers and active crossovers. As you get older you can modify your speakers to adjust for your hearing. Also low frequency doesn't degrade as you get older.

@AudioMasterclass replies to @dangerzone007: As other commenters have touched upon, it seems sensible as one gets older to concentrate more on the low end. Transmission lines and pipe organ music perhaps?

@phillipkelly736:  Yes your right we are a pack of deaf buggers valve amp make up for the dispagement 😃

@malcolmpercival5266:  Interesting video (as ever), but I think there’s more to enjoying music (and therefore owning a nice hi-fi) than resolving the finest of details that our ears (and an MP3) may mask. Can still hear tonal quality through the lower treble, midrange and bass - and it’s the quality rather than fine detail that will keep me clinging to my system (and maybe even improving it) way beyond my current 51 years. (Oh, and no other half asking for a new kitchen!)

@JohnZolla-bp7tl:  I'm 73, and my hearing peaked back in the 1970s. Far too much live rock concerts and clubbing without any ear protection. Currently I'm maxed out at about 5 kHz. But that hasn't stopped me from enjoying my music.

@AudioMasterclass replies to @JohnZolla-bp7tl: You still have eight octaves left out of your original ten so there are plenty of frequencies to enjoy.

@payamgh5143:  I could never get tired of hearing your gracious voice and content. I'm happy I found your channel. We need this quality.
I guess I have at least 15 more years to experiment with mid-level equipment before I start losing some of my hearing

@josexavierjr.5633:  Fun video, indeed! I’m soon to be 63, and have some tinnitus in my left ear. Despite that, I can still the high end details pretty well(at least I think I can!). I feel if you can’t hear the high end details as well, just turn up your Treble a Db or two…..or get some sort of Equalizer to adjust accordingly; or maybe that’s an unaudiophile thing to do…….😮

@glennlove461 replies to @josexavierjr.5633: If I pop my ears up a bit, I feel like I'm 25 again.

@robw3000:  Invest in media. Mastering of that can make ore break your perfect listening session.

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Thursday January 4, 2024

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David Mellor

David Mellor

David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.

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