For the first time ever, we showcased our line of premium in-ear monitors at CanJam London, the world’s leading audio exhibition show. All our models but especially our newest releases Wave, Flame and Avant impressed the crowd with their phenomenal sonic performance and supreme comfort. Thank you so much for your support!

Objective subjectivity.”

Provided you read last week’s entry, you will find the above opening paragraph quite
familiar. That’s how I decided to end the previous discussion concerning why audio
gear matters. So in this episode, objective subjectivity is the star of the show. Don’t
try to look it up online or in a dictionary, most likely you will end up empty-handed.
Let me offer some insight here and explain what this term I have coined stands for.

What I mean by objective subjectivity is that, objectively speaking, everyone has
subjective preferences when it comes to sound. This is not only objective since we
cannot deny it, but also subjective as we are talking about what we like and prefer.
Hence the notion of objective subjectivity.

A logical question you might have is “why don’t we all prefer the same sound?” To
find an appropriate answer, it’s safe to start by mentioning what science has already
proved: we all hear differently! Every pair of human ears has its own unique
interpretation of auditory cues, which means we all hear sounds with differences in
the perceived volume of certain frequencies, be it a few decibels up or down.
Ultimately, this affects the way we hear things or, to be more specific in our case, it
changes the way we perceive the low, the mid and the high frequencies. So the next
time you find two contrasting reviews of an audio product (exclusively in terms of
sound quality), keep that hearing variation in mind.

If we set the -objectively different- hearing perception each and every one of us has
aside, we can safely move on to the next part of the answer: preferred sound
signatures. There’s no doubt that if we conducted a sample survey as to what sound
profile a small group of listeners prefers, the results would be totally different, to say
the least. Some would choose a warm, easy-on-the-ears sound with elevated bass
and smooth treble, others would opt for an analytical, brighter presentation with
elevated treble but less bass, and so on. Apparently, what I may find bass-heavy or
hot treble, you might find bass-light or smooth treble for the sake of your own tastes.
It all comes down to personal preference and what sound signature your ears feel
right at home with. But how can we know what is the sound signature of a product
beforehand? Well, frequency response measurements as well as reviews are your
safest bet. When done right, measurements can illustrate the frequency response of a
product and give you a sneak peak on what to expect in terms of overall signature,
however it isn’t the end-all be-all parameter by which one should judge audio
equipment.

Given the fact that not every human being hears the same and that sound preferences
vary wildly among listeners, it comes as no surprise that sound quality can easily
become a hot debate, especially when reading product reviews. For example, a
reviewer may dislike a warm headphone because they actually prefer a brighter
signature, or vice versa. It is for such reasons that we should take everything we see
or read with a huge grain of salt whenever stumbling upon audio reviews; just
because somebody is dissatisfied with an audio product, this doesn’t necessarily
mean we will relate to their experience.

So how can we eliminate some of our bying options like I mentioned too many times
already? The answer is simple: discover the sound signature you enjoy the most. If
for example, you are a fan of warm sound, you know in advance that bright
sounding gear is out of the question for you. This way, it’s safe to say that based on
our listening preferences, some products will suit us more than others, and the means
to find this out is either by demoing or doing our research on finding different
reviews or opinions. Demoing is definitely a difficult path to take and is solely based
on where you live, but researching can easily be done online. We can read reviews,
gear measurements and, in general, spending time to carry out a market research
helps us purchase something which will meet our audio expectations in the end.
Think about it like this: would you rather buy something blindly and then regret
having spent your money because the product turned out to be far from your cup of
tea, or would you prefer to make your research carefully and then end up with a
satisfactory purchase?

Ultimately, the deciding factor is what you hear, so trust your own ears. After all, if I
were to describe music listening as a hobby summarized in a phrase, that would be
different strokes for different folks.

… Supposing that you actually followed my advice, sat down and thoroughly
listened to a recording in your precious free time, it’s entirely possible that all these
flamboyant adjectives or descriptive expressions I employed last time to describe the
listening process seem like a gimmick to you. And to your surprise, they may surely
be just that. You may not have perceived any differences in your listening
experience. But hear me out, because there’s much more to this procedure than meets
the ear (well, it’s “more than meets the eye”, but I couldn’t resist).

When listening to music, the audio gear plays a vital role in the final outcome our
hearing perceives. By “audio gear” I mean the device(s) used to play the recording.
These vary from -you guessed that right- mobile phones and mp3 players to
dedicated DACs and amplifiers*; from free earbuds included in your phone
accessories to serious in-ear monitors; from tiny laptop speakers to full-range studio
monitors, and so on. Suffice it to say, the result you get from each playback device is
without a doubt vastly different.

Let’s face the truth, if you have high expectations from your phone to carry out the
task, it won’t cut it. Can it play audio files? Surely. Can it faithfully reproduce the
audio signal or offer an experience comparable to other, dedicated solutions? Not
even close. I’m not bashing this valuable device you paid for with your hard-earned
money, I’m merely claiming it’s not enough. Allow me to showcase an analogy. In
terms of audio playback, the difference gap between a mobile phone and -let’s say- a
dedicated portable audio player is comparable to the difference gap between a phone
camera and a dedicated DSLR or mirrorless one: No matter how hard the former
tries, it will never manage to capture photos of the same quality as the latter.

Similarly, it goes without saying that a laptop can never trade blows with an external
solution such as a dedicated DAC. Yes, the laptop will get the job done, but it can’t –
even remotely- do the recording justice. Let’s turn our attention to TV’s for an
instance: Just as a 1080p display cannot match a 4K screen in terms of sheer
resolution, a laptop’s sound card cannot match or surpass an external audio source
when it comes to audio fidelity. I hope you get the point: audio gear innately
designed to excel at one thing (playing music) is far superior to any device designed
to play music but simultaneously do hundreds of other tasks. It comes as no surprise,
especially when taking into account the R&D costs and how these are allocated in
each case.

Ultimately, in what ways can the audio gear improve our listening experience?

Such a question deserves another analogy! Yep, you heard that right. You see, “analogy”
is my middle name. Alas, I digress. To the matter at hand: Imagine yourself staring
outside your window through a dirty glass. Although your eyes are definitely able to
label what they see, something is lacking. Everything appears to be blurry and hazy,
and even if your eyesight is doing its best, you will find it hard to focus or make out
more than what’s barely visible. Fast forward to the next morning, when the last
night’s rainfall has made the window crystal clear. Finally, the image has become
sharper than ever! You can easily distinguish each and every aspect of it and
appreciate the scenery in all its glory.

Everything now seems much more pleasant.

One would argue that, in a broader sense, audio improvements come in a similar
fashion. The better the audio gear, the more transparent the “window” into music
becomes; it’s like lifting a veil that previously hindered the audio reproduction and
made everything sound muddy in comparison. Dedicated audio devices provide a
clearer picture and a deeper insight into the recording. Of course, the more you
invest in said gear, the more you feel that you aren’t actually using any medium to
listen, but it’s as if you are transported right into the very studio where the recording
is made, as if your favorite artist is singing exclusively for you in a private
performance you don’t want to miss; an illusion, but a mighty compelling one.

At this point, I hope such analogies helped you understand why audio gear matters
and what somebody can expect out of it. Understanding that our listening experience
benefits from a dedicated solution is crucial, provided that we aim to take our first

step into the audio world or simply upgrade our setup. Should you crave top-of-
the line solutions, that will surely cost you an arm and a leg. After all, every pleasure

has its price. However, audio gear has come a long way and you can achieve quite
stellar sound quality without breaking the bank these days.

Given the ostensibly infinite options when it comes to buying audio components, it’s
totally natural to feel overwhelmed in case we can’t decide what gear to purchase.
There is yet one method to eliminate some of our options; there is one way to -more
often than not- end up with a decision that will ultimately satisfy our needs; and
that solution is what I will henceforth name…

Objective subjectivity.

Oh yes, a notion of paramount importance.

Curious to find out more? Don’t miss next week’s entry in the series.

•
* A digital-to-analog converter or simply DAC is a device in the
form of a chipset that receives digital signals and changes them into analog
format so that we can hear them. An amplifier is a device that increases the
the amplitude of electronic signals, thus affecting the sound volume that we
perceive.

For more information, do visit https://www.soundzcustom.com/

Welcome to my blog series, a weekly attempt to talk about all things audio. Having been an avid music lover for as long as I can remember myself hearing sounds -inevitable hyperbole detected- I couldn’t but see myself expressing my views on one hobby to rule them all; a hobby not only overlooked, but also quite unfamiliar for many: listening to music. 

Let’s be honest, when was the last time you sat on your comfy couch, far from any kind of distraction -be it others or social media- and listened to a whole album from start to finish with zero pauses whatsoever? Or simply shuffled your playlist without caring about anything else?

That question perfectly summarizes my taste, as I often find myself doing exactly that. If you deem such a question too irrelevant to answer or you might never have thought of such a way to spend your time, you’ve come to the right place. Let us delve deeper into why someone may take up this admittedly addictive hobby. But first, one must understand that critical music listening is what we are after.

The most appropriate way to describe this is that you have to stop doing anything else and listen to the actual recording. Pay attention to every tiny detail, each intricacy, follow specific patterns observed in the track and ultimately, appreciate what your ears are exposed to. But one might be skeptical and claim “Sure thing, I do these daily when casually using my earbuds while commuting or studying”. And my counter-offer is “Do you watch a movie as an afterthought or do you actually sit down and watch the damn thing?” Most people seem oblivious to the fact that it takes two naked eyes to appreciate a picture, but it takes two finely trained ears to actually appreciate a sound. 

As important as following a plot is for our understanding of a film, music also has numerous stories to discover and mysteries to unravel. To achieve that, one must have patience and devote some time to listen -and do only that. Suddenly the whole procedure becomes much more appealing; the details jump on you from all directions, details you have never heard before or even thought they might have been there in the first place. And it all ends with the most refreshing grin on your face (apart from vacation days, that is).

Once you embrace the idea of devoting your mind to listening, you find yourself picking up new elements in songs you have listened to numerous times, yet you previously failed to fully grasp. It is such miniscule observations that exercise our brain differently, expand our imagination or even contribute to a different mindset altogether. And I haven’t even mentioned the therapeutic impact that music therapy has on our quality of life, an aspect unanimously and universally supported  by many, let alone by scientists specialized in such matters. So there you have it, listening to music has far too many benefits to simply ignore.

During the pandemic, the opportunities to find time and carry out some serious music listening are greater than ever. So, how about playing your favorite recording while meticulously paying attention so as to start acknowledging the experience it has to offer? Only then will you start realising that music is here to guide your soul and lead it to unprecedented yet extremely captivating paths. No matter what genre, album or songs you pick, one thing is for certain; you won’t regret it.

Next time we are going to be more specific as to how you can elevate your listening experience to a whole new level… 

Hint: we’ve barely scratched the surface.

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