Got Ears?

Anybody else use this expression?

As in “I think Joe has ears”. Or “So many reviewers don’t have ears”.

We use it to characterize the ability to ‘hear’ the differences, the subtleties, in music reproduction.

Perhaps people without ears can hear, but can’t tell which is better or worse when given two different sounds?

Kind of feel sorry for dealers without ears – but they can always fall back on their sales techniques and what the ‘reviews’ say.

Kind of feel reviewers without ears are being dishonest and should go get a real job.

Kind of feel people without ears are lucky – they can be happy with a Bose clock radio.

Kind of feel that people with ears and don’t know it got it the worst – the vast majority of them aren’t enjoying the music and don’t know why.

Personally, I feel that if people cared more, they ALL could ‘have ears’. Even reviewers and dealers. 🙂

They just gotta put some effort and quiet time in. Treat the discipline with some respect. And let themselves do some introspection.

We think we have ears. Most people we meet up here do. Some have really good ears – and some are just faking it

[this is all similar to mathematical ability. Everybody has it, but most people don’t respect it as something worthwhile. I consider myself pretty good at math – my dad being a math professor didn’t hurt. But there are people I have met who are so good at it that I wonder if they are human… or Vulcan.

This is all to say that there is a gradient, a continuum of people skill with ‘having ears’ – but it is one of the most disrespected disciplines ever, even lower on the totem than mathematics :-)]