[Elegiac]

I get days when everything sounds too harsh. It kicked in last night and it's still going now.

Pain in the ass. When I guess that's what is happening, I switch to my most laid-back chain, and if it bothers me then I know for sure. It's not like short-term fatigue, when I simply can't concentrate anymore, and I know I'm done for the day. It's more like I'm suddenly treble sensitive. Music loses all colour, even the mids and bass. It all sounds 'white' to me.

You guys get this? Maybe it'll be worn off by tomorrow. Usually doesn't last too long.

 

[WorksUnit]

Switching out something in the chain is my go-to, plenty of those 5%-10% je ne sais quoi moments.

Music loses all colour, even the mids and bass. It all sounds 'white' to me.

Relate...
For me, a mix of podcasts, a quick burst of a terrible OEM car radio...and just going for a walk in nature is a great refresh.

Some music leans towards to the colourless too and plays into that contrast...

 

[Neweymatt]

I get days when everything sounds too harsh. It kicked in last night and it's still going now.

Pain in the ass. When I guess that's what is happening, I switch to my most laid-back chain, and if it bothers me then I know for sure. It's not like short-term fatigue, when I simply can't concentrate anymore, and I know I'm done for the day. It's more like I'm suddenly treble sensitive. Music loses all colour, even the mids and bass. It all sounds 'white' to me.

You guys get this? Maybe it'll be worn off by tomorrow. Usually doesn't last too long.

Sometimes, yeah, I think there are a lot of other anatomical factors that affect how well/poorly we hear things. I know feeling tired or stress correlates with 'bad' listening days. I'll often try to get some exercise to make it go away, or just give up for the day and do something else.

Gear itself can make a big difference, do you do headphones or IEMs? The 64Audio and FiR IEMs I own have a pressure-relief system that makes them fantastic for long listening sessions, like 5+ hours non-stop with zero fatigue.

 

[r343]

Check your ears, i had ear infection due earwax blockage in right ear and it was super sensitive to treble at that point.

 

[Elegiac]

I figured it for now. Other times, like I said in the OP, there doesn't seem to be a reason, except for my own physical/mental state.

This time though, it was bright tubes for a few days. I'm not very treble sensitive, so I can wade through it for a while without feeling that something is wrong. But in the end it's not something I want to deal with at all. So out come the Siemens E88CC's and back in go the Matsushita 6922's.

The Matsushita's really are lovely tubes. If there's an E88CC that really does sound a bit thick and tubey, it's these.

 

[iFi audio]

except for my own physical/mental state.

We have some nice setups at our office, but there are days when nothing sounds right to me, or as good as i.e. one day earlier. On the upside, one day I can be truly blown away by a well-known system that just 24hrs earlier sounded 'just' okay. From this I gather that weather outside, mood, good sleep etc. can really make a difference.

 

[Elegiac]

We have some nice setups at our office, but there are days when nothing sounds right to me, or as good as i.e. one day earlier. On the upside, one day I can be truly blown away by a well-known system that just 24hrs earlier sounded 'just' okay. From this I gather that weather outside, mood, good sleep etc. can really make a difference.

Yeah, everything. That's why I try not to be hasty.
Some things are obvious, a lot- or most things- aren't. In this case I thought the new tubes were already broken in after a few days, but when they actually finished breaking in, they were too bright. It wasn't so drastic that I immediately dropped them, but it was pronounced enough that I started to notice the change as I returned to certain music. Hell, maybe I was just into the novelty and they were too bright from the start.

 

[HWB3]

Sometimes taking a break helps. That's with a lot of things too.

 

[ra990]

I was having this issue recently and switched out the one silver interconnect I had with a copper one. That seems to have fixed my issues. Tinker till perfect.

 

[iFi audio]

Sometimes taking a break helps. That's with a lot of things too.

Indeed.

Hell, maybe I was just into the novelty and they were too bright from the start.

I can relate to this, at first most of us are biased about new stuff in one way or another. That's why it's useful to spend some time before forming any opinions. Not that early impressions don't matter. Rather, they're a part of a bigger picture I think

 

[Mhog55]

Sometimes, yeah, I think there are a lot of other anatomical factors that affect how well/poorly we hear things. I know feeling tired or stress correlates with 'bad' listening days. I'll often try to get some exercise to make it go away, or just give up for the day and do something else.

Gear itself can make a big difference, do you do headphones or IEMs? The 64Audio and FiR IEMs I own have a pressure-relief system that makes them fantastic for long listening sessions, like 5+ hours non-stop with zero fatigue.

Definitely. If I feel like crud, physically or mentally, my gear doesn't sound as good as usual. Though sometimes if I listen long enough to some of my favorite artists/recordings, I can start to feel the love. Music is supposed to bring some level of emotion anyways.

 

[BobSmith8901]

I get days when everything sounds too harsh. It kicked in last night and it's still going now.

Pain in the ass. When I guess that's what is happening, I switch to my most laid-back chain, and if it bothers me then I know for sure. It's not like short-term fatigue, when I simply can't concentrate anymore, and I know I'm done for the day. It's more like I'm suddenly treble sensitive. Music loses all colour, even the mids and bass. It all sounds 'white' to me.

You guys get this? Maybe it'll be worn off by tomorrow. Usually doesn't last too long.

Definitely can relate. Some days I've learned to just throw in the towel. Just...no. Complex combo of physio/psycho-neural/auditory state. For me it's generally just the music sounding bland and lifeless, not really frequency sensitive. Often music sounds the best after a few days without headphones and I realize that listening to music like this is an un-natural thing for the human brain and taking a break is very beneficial.

 

[iFi audio]

taking a break is very beneficial.

Word.

This really does the trick when nothing else works.

 

[Kishimotosan]

I agree about taking a break. Putting down the headphones and taking a walk outside helps get me outside of myself. It feels as if my ears need a break from time to time. It seriously feels like a rest when it's quiet and they aren't working trying to hear everything.

 

[kumar402]

Good night sleep, exercise is just as important as quality of power in the house. Some days the power is just too dirty making things bright and etched and same if we are too stressed due to lack of sleep.