We live in an ever-demanding world full of distractions and diversions. Giving our full attention to something now feels like a luxury; hustle culture demands multitasking, hobbies that improve our cognitive abilities and make us fun to talk to at parties, and breaks that aren’t really breaks. Even listening to music can become filled with distractions.
It doesn’t matter if you’re obsessed with German death metal, or you’re listening to the same folk song on repeat as you watch the clouds soar overhead; high-quality audio sound can help you enjoy the moment. The following will explore a few things you might want to consider when you’re trying to get good audio quality.
What’s Bad Audio?
Bad audio is one of those things that you recognize when you first hear it, but you can get used to it. This means you might have no idea how bad your current audio setup actually is. If you can hear hissing, buzzing, humming, exterior sounds like lawnmowers, or other uncomfortable noises like pops, your audio might be bad.
Go Ad-Free
This isn’t to suggest that you should run out and pay for the full subscriptions to every music platform there is, but merely to draw your attention to the poison that advertising can be, especially in the middle of a musical montage. Consider installing an ad blocker on your computer. Typically, ad blockers come in the form of free extensions, but of course, there are paid versions as well. Not only will ad blockers help you enjoy advertisement-free music, but they’ll also make your entire internet experience more pleasant. Ads are designed to get your attention; they’re psychologically aware of audio-visual contraptions that know how to make you lose focus on what you want to focus on and draw your mind to the product or service being offered.
Drown Out The Background
Another fantastic way to take your audio experience to the next level is to seek out good-quality headphones. There are headphones that cancel out noise, allowing you to simply focus on what it is you’re hearing. This means you don’t have to listen to the people in the other unit argue or your neighbor’s dog goes ballistic every time someone bikes passed their house. Of course, when discussing noise-canceling headphones, it’s necessary to emphasize that in environments where you need to hear what’s going on around you for safety reasons, it’s best to avoid noise-canceling headphones until you’re in a safe and comfortable place.
Find A Good Speaker
Good speakers have two qualities. First, they release a great, natural sound. Second, they don’t send reports to data moguls every three minutes. That might seem like a joke, but it’s vital that you understand it isn’t. Smart speakers collect data and send reports of your behavior to data specialists, who figure out what ads to send you. These specialists might also be selling your data to those who are creating campaign advertisements, resulting in swayed political scenarios as well as a myriad of other corporations that don’t have your best interests at heart.
Check Your Receiver Settings
Your sound system tends to arrive at your home with default settings, and this means your receiver might be in a neutral state that doesn’t reflect your audio preferences. You might discover that you’re not in love with the default settings; indeed, there could be whole options for the sound you’re not aware of. Read through your receiver manual and take the time to learn about the different options available to you. A large portion of audio lovers tends to prefer the sound with EQ eliminated. Make sure to do an audio test where you completely remove each feature one at a time. This will help you recognize when there are features you don’t like.
Cable Quality
One area of weakness that is pretty common in sound systems is the cables. Poor quality cables can introduce noise into your audio, which you don’t want. You might also want to look into adding cables where you’ve gone wireless in the past. This is because Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections can add noise to your audio. The above information should help you improve your audio setup for crisp, clear sound. Of course, every ear is different. Don’t make any assumptions when it comes to audio. Some punk rock songs work because they’ve included that recording fuzz. Don’t shy away from what you like, but follow your own ears. Let them tell you what is working and what needs to change.
