A few years ago, I had a problem with wax build-up in my ear (I know, it’s a bit gross, but I have no other way to clearly explain this). Anyway, after putting up with muffled sound in my ear for a few days and noticing it getting worse, I figured it was time to go to the doctor. The doctor made short work of the wax and I soon had squeaky clean ear canals again. So what’s that got to do with equalisers?
I noticed something amazing once my ears were cleaned out – I could hear better than ever before. This was not just a case of it seeming better than I was used to after a couple of muffled days, it was a significant improvement to the details I could hear in sounds. It was like everything had been turned up a few notches – I had bionic hearing!
Needless to say, the changes to my hearing soon passed, but it showed me something important – our brain and our ears adapt significantly over time. Having had the volume and detail levels of my hearing suppressed for a few days, my brain had adjusted its sensitivity to various incoming information, particularly in the upper frequencies that were more affected by the blockage. Once the blockage was removed, these higher frequencies remained more sensitive and gave me the sensation of super-accurate hearing.
When it comes to audio, this is important to recognise. If you’re listening to a new set of speakers or a new set of headphones, it’s important to give your brain time to adjust. Case in point was my recent purchase of some new headphones. Having decided to buy the Ultrasone HFI 680s as a closed alternative to my Audio Technica ATH-AD900s, I spent a lot of time listening to the 680s and I soon learned to love their sound. So much so, that returning to my AD900s left me a little underwhelmed – I suddenly really missed the bass of the 680s and longed for that warmer, fuller sound. And then I realised – I had adapted. My brain had said, “Oh, is this the new ‘norm’? I’ll just adjust to compensate.” Returning to the AD900s which have a more detailed, less bassy sound, my brain said “Where’s the bass gone – there’s a big hole in the sound!” But as I listened to the AD900s for longer, the bass gradually returned and my 680s then started to sound overly bassy when I returned to them.
The interesting and amazing thing is that, once I switched back and forth a couple of times, my brain got quicker at adjusting and I found both sets of headphones more enjoyable almost straight away after switching. It’s like the brain creates its own set of situational EQs that it can switch between when it knows you’re using particular earphones, speakers, or listening in a particular environment.
For music lovers, this is important to recognise. When auditioning new gear, be sure to give yourself plenty of time for your brain’s EQ to adjust. Also, be aware that someone else’s opinion on their favourite speakers or headphones will be coloured by their brain’s EQ settings. What they find warm, but detailed, you might find muddy, especially if you’re coming from a different sounding piece of gear. In time you might adjust to the new gear’s sound, but it may also be beyond the range of adjustment. Our brain still needs to be able to differentiate sounds so it doesn’t try to make everything sound equal, just to balance things out to sound how we believe it should.
Generally, I find it takes up to half an hour of listening to really adapt to a new sound depending on how different it is. Make sure you give yourself that time when auditioning or adapting to anything new or you might just miss out on something wonderful!
