We don't hear the same

Today I had to conclude we don't hear the same.

Age comes into it. Although my hearing is still quite well aged 56 - either because of the trained ear compensating for age, or I may just have been lucky - we don't all hear the same tonal range and that's down to age.

Around 35 to 45 I guess hearing is just about an average of our younger years compared with our older years, and this would explain why something designed "flat" often sounds a bit toppy to the young and a bit dull to the old.

I'd just finished the Leak Sandwich loudspeaker mods the other day and a neighbour who'd heard my system using the Usher 520's just a few days ago, and loved the sound, nipped round for another listen. He wasn't as pleased listening to the Leaks as he was with the 520's. He didn't have time to explain what he felt was missing but he knew something was missing - I knew - it was the highs! My neighbour is in his 60's.

Our youngest engineer who's 35 however, thought the tone really well balanced. The acoustical test gear also agreed.

At 56, I can just make out that the sound stage (dependent on the highs being the "right" balance) seemed a little vague. A bit more top and I'm sure it'll be OK, but for who? Me.

Perhaps my 60 plus neighbour will find it still slightly lacking, and then our young engineer would say it's too much on the brighter side - in fact we had a conversation headed in this direction.

And the above may well explain why some prefer bright and others cannot stand it... age.

Maybe tone controls will one day resurface when we realise we're not really all the same in the hearing department.

Having said all this, one thing I think most of us share is an appreciation for equipment that goes the extra mile. My neighbour who's not really into Hi-Fi certainly appreciated what he heard here, even though the little 520's scored and the modded Leaks didn't.