Do some not hear surround?

[HomerJAU]

I’ve played some of the best surround tracks, including discrete and swirl effect quads to many visitors here over the past few years with all sorts of reactions from positive through negative.

Recently I’ve started to wonder if some people can’t hear sound location/direction. Occasionally I’ve asked ‘what do you think’ about a specifc effect after a song and sometimes I get a blank look, like ‘WTF are you talking about?’.

Anyone have similar experiences. Do some just not hear ‘surround’?

 

[4-earredwonder]

I’ve played some of the best surround tracks, including discrete and swirl effect quads to many visitors here over the past few years with all sorts of reactions from positive through negative.

Recently I’ve started to wonder if some people can’t hear sound location/direction. Occasionally I’ve asked ‘what do you think’ about a specifc effect after a song and sometimes I get a blank look, like ‘WTF are you talking about?’.

Anyone have similar experiences. Do some just not hear ‘surround’?

Well, unfortunately, unlike myself....most people ONLY have TWO EARS!

 

[MCDave]

Somewhere I heard that white people can't hear Jimi Hendrix.

Don't know about surround.

 

[LizardKing]

Yup most people don't get it...

Or are not listening properly - and just treating it as background music

 

[Tornado Red]

Interesting topic. I’ve had people here listening to surround music that just don’t get it/hear it as well. Most of these folks don’t care about surround sound in movies either. And the same can be said for video as well. A lot of us know people who have bought or received blu ray players in the past who continue to buy DVDs, not for financial reasons, but because they just don’t see (or care to) a difference in pq. I dunno, maybe we’re the strange ones! Or perhaps we of this ilk have heightened senses to this stuff. All I know is I’ve been chasing great (surround) sound and video quality for enough years to come to the conclusion that very few understand why. That’s why I hang out with like minded lugs like youse . Of the billions of people in the world, notice how few hang with us... and I even showered and put on fresh deodorant this morning.

 

[haikubass]

I've heard that one before! Reportedly, there's similar percentage of people who can not watch movies in 3D as the effect does nothing for them.

My own experience is limited, as for some reason I'm not able to lure many mates to my sweet spot (but I try, and I try!)... One fellow musician told me that there was "too much information" for him, yet he battled through the whole evening and confessed only months later. Yes, it certainly helped when I played him tracks he was familiar with, like Long Train Runnin' ("Hey, we used to play that one!") or couple of songs by Sita, covered by one of local SuperStar winners.

Also, my guests get often distracted by how warm and lively the music sounds...

 

[leevitalone1]

It's what the brain is giving attention to. Because we here have this disease where we hear it, and it thrills us, others like my buddy could care less, like the tenants piling all the 5.1 speakers up in front. And they are happy with it.
With us, it's the chronic illness we carry around with us, to work, in the car, at the store, etc. affecting our life and those around us. (those who "surround us")
I have one idiot buddy who says all he hears is tink-tink-tink.

 

[leevitalone1]

Well, unfortunately, unlike myself....most people ONLY have TWO EARS!

Who said we were most people? This is QQ after all!

 

[timothyemerson]

Yep, I've had that too. Play someone something and they they're like, "huh?".

Probably a bunch of reasons for it but I reckon there are hearing issues going on too. I've heard (and smelled) things in my own vehicles (e.g., the start of pistons knocking, a loose wire arcing on a steel frame) and other people's (e.g., muffler rattles) that others can't seem to hear but when investigated, there is actually a problem that is thankfully caught early. There's a fair amount of hearing loss around though, particularly in my own family, which insidiously creeps up on people so that they don't notice there's a problem until it's well underway. Similar to spine problems, but I digress.

I've also had the opposite where you play someone something and they're all, "whoa, that's awesome!" Nothing seems to motivate them to get their own hardware so they can enjoy it at home though, but that's fine.

And then there are those times when someone asks you about surround or sound quality, so you give them the quick and dirty version, and they get all huffy like you're telling them they're listening to their music/movies wrong (which they are, let's face it). If someone wants to come round and have a decent listen, they can but now I just tend to shut up about it.

On the bright side though, one of my friends recently bought a soundbar that came with surround speakers which he's happy with. I did my due diligence and warned him that soundbars are gateway speakers and it's a slippery slope.

 

[MCDave]

I think the thread is supposed to be about whether or not people CAN hear surround, not whether or not they like it or care about it. Read the OP's post again.

 

[Q-Eight]

Some humans have poor spatial cognisance; walking around bumping into things; unaware of their surroundings or even people standing right next to them.
These people also tend to be poor drivers as they are seemingly unaware of curbs, signs, other vehicles, etc. surrounding them

I'll go out on a limb and say these are the very same people who are probably not capable of hearing things behind them. We should do a study. I bet there's some kind of correlation.

I am not one of those people. You can't sneak up on me. I'm convinced it's impossible and I love surround sound/Quad.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Probably the same people that HATE 3D have no use for

 

[Clint Eastwood]

The common response I get is that they notice it's "different"....and they "like it"....but beyond that...not very much on the details

 

[jimfisheye]

I find that people who actively listen to music appreciate/notice/are impressed by both excellent fidelity and surround sound.
People that are much more casual (those that turn on whatever pop station for background and their hi-fi set if not their phone or stock car system is a "soundbar") might not even notice surround depending on what's on their mind. The same kind of people that you try to play a song for (maybe say a little bit about it first even) and 5 seconds after you hit play "Yeah, so this sports team bla bla bla..."
Notice surround? They can't even be made to notice music most of the time.

Extreme examples there but interest in surround seems to follow interest in music.

There are still some people who are genuinely impressed by both fidelity and surround but... not enough to invest and take it home with them.

I have one or two people that seem perpetually confused like they think surround is some weird thing I dreamed up and unique to me. "So. did you mix this like this?" No man. I um, wasn't involved with Pink Floyd making Dark Side of the Moon. One guy I've told a dozen times "This is the officially released surround mix." and I still get a blank stare.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Listening to surround properly requires sitting in a sweet spot and actually listening to the music.....a commitment many aren't willing to make.

 

[jeffko]

I firmly believe that with what we are witnessing on the world stage nowadays we are seeing with our own eyes that people will only see what they are trained and expected to see. Until the marching orders are reversed.

With audio there just a certain percentage of people who no matter what you do in presentation they are not going to “hear” anything but something more than nothing.

They would be completely confused in 95% of museums. The 5% that are adult in nature though...

The special feeling we inhale when the perfect space the perfect sound fits into perfectly is something I to have tried sharing.

For the most part I am willing to continue sharing, but I am not expecting much anymore. The blood pressure and pulse are what I need to focus on. And a big part of that is relaxing. I live in a Rarified ATMOSphere and east to stay there. For a lot longer. [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Some humans have poor spatial cognisance; walking around bumping into things; unaware of their surroundings or even people standing right next to them.
These people also tend to be poor drivers as they are seemingly unaware of curbs, signs, other vehicles, etc. surrounding them

I'll go out on a limb and say these are the very same people who are probably not capable of hearing things behind them. We should do a study. I bet there's some kind of correlation.

Darwin would suggest that these people are not likely to be repeat customers anyway.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I just find it most gratifying that with all the antipathy toward higher res AND Surround Music in general that we are being rewarded with so many thrilling surround releases in 2018!

 

[4-earredwonder]

Darwin would suggest that these people are not likely to be repeat customers anyway.

Or, as we like to call it Kal......Music in the Round.....run aground! https://digitalyacht.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/boat-aground-1.png

 

[kap'n krunch]

I've always said that us MCH folk are smarter than people who "don't get it" cause we process more information and ENJOY it... for the non MCH people, it's like WORKING HARDER to enjoy it, but it comes naturally to us!!

And I do not mean it in a bad way..as many other members have noted, many people nowadays are not aware of their surroundings , especially now with the attention span of a mosquito (apologies to the mosquitoes), some just can't process all the info and , well, it takes all kind of folks in all walks of life to make the world go round...
And AS IT IS, we are all different and appreciate all kinds of MCH, some don't like swirling effects or early Quad, others like JG DSOTM mix (ugh!) and others just like..WHATEVER!!!

I am just happy I found a corner of the internet where we "strange folk" converge...