The three second rule

Mark Jones

Mark Jones

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This was something David, a good friend of mine has spoken about for years. He finally put pen in hand and wrote about it:

Some time ago I realized something that quickly became my most valuable tool for the aural evaluation of high end audio equipment. I thought I would share it with you today. I call it my “ Three Second Rule".
Many years ago, I brought home a new set of elaborate mono block amplifiers with matching preamplifier from a very well respected high end manufacturer. These pieces were very expensive and beautifully made. One of the most expensive combinations of the day and certainly very expensive for me!
I was so excited! My listening room was large and properly treated. The setup of all the equipment went perfectly! I had Magnepan Tympani IV loudspeakers and a Roksan Xerxes turntable and the new equipment … well that will remain nameless for the purpose of this story! Setting up the amplifiers took much physical effort due to their weight as you can imagine. I let everything warm up … as we audiophiles do … making sure everything settled in and achieved thermal equilibrium. For that hour I waited what seemed like the longest hour of my life! Time was now upon me … to lower the stylus into that music rich groove and bask in this new sound experience - which had to be great, right, as all the reviewers adored this equipment. I listened for a few songs not knowing how I really felt … then got up to change the record. During the silence my wife called to me and said: “What did you do to your stereo system, something has changed … and it sounds awful”?
I was dumbfounded. How could this be? This system is all the rage … and lets not forget all the reviewers loved these. I can’t believe this, she must be wrong! Now Marilyn has incredible hearing and has spent thousands of hours with me enjoying all of my systems so the possibility of her being wrong is very remote. So what was happening for her to think this? It needs more time to break-in I surmised - so I will leave it for another four hours, that should do it! Then Marilyn will hear the potential of this system I am certain!
Four hours later I invited Marilyn to the listening room with me to witness the transformation from the system she thought was awful to the beautiful music making system it has to be. She was upstairs last time so this will make a big difference I thought! The stylus hits the groove and within maybe one or two grooves she says: “This just isn’t working David” … she leaves the room! What the heck (I said to myself)!
Well, with Marilyn now gone, I sat alone and listened to two, maybe three, more songs. I then realized what was happening. Marilyn was absolutely right! Much to my chagrin, this very expensive improvement was not an improvement at all! What is wrong with me?
I know nothing was wrong with my hearing - it was my conscious brain miss-firing! Truth be told, I wanted to adore these new products so much that I was listening past the disappointments. I wasn’t really listening properly at all! Deep down I knew what I was hearing and it was not good at all - but I just needed to like it so much! After all, I had just spent a small fortune buying this highly rated system and it had to be great right? Wrong!!
Hence my audio epiphany which I call: “My Three Second Rule”. The first three seconds of listening to any system is all one needs to judge how good the system is! Longer than this and the brain starts to fill in the blanks to make up for short comings. Statements such as: “I really like the woody cello sound … listen to that detail … or the imaging is spectacular”! All elements that are probably true but brought to prominence as a result of deficiencies elsewhere in the presentation so you go looking for the goodness. The longer you listen, the greater your conscious mind attempts to rationalize or adapt to the deficiencies. Perfection is perfection nonetheless! Using your knowledge bank of learned sounds, my thesis dictates absolute truth is known in not more than three seconds. Beyond that your brain is just trying to justify your purchasing prowess.
The ‘Three Second Rule’ is worth its weight in gold and I highly recommend it. It may take some time and initially feel somewhat cavalier but after a few attempts you will learn to trust your “gut feel”! I have been purchasing serious high end audio equipment for more than 15 years before I finally learned the hard way. As I reflect back, I realize I could have saved so much money over all those years and avoided all those audio detours - not to say all the great listening I sacrificed as a result! All I need now is three seconds and I know whether this is a musical system or not! I don’t even bother to rationalize why … if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!
My best advice is: “The clock may be still ticking for some, but old dogs can learn new tricks … it just took me 15 years … but that was 25 years ago and a lot of great equipment and beautiful music along the way”!



 
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my initial reaction to gear is similar to Mark's but it takes a little longer than three seconds. this of course flies in the face of comments by many that a new component needs 200, 500, or 1000 hrs for it to settle into the system. many listeners can fall into this trap trying to justify their recent "upgrade" when they finally have a come-to-Jesus moment and realize it devolved their system back several steps. the question then becomes, how many hours will you give it before its gets traded in, sold or whatever.
 
I'm sure Mike has been using this 3 seconds rule all the time. Other wise he wouldn't have so much gears. Lol
 
This was something David, a good friend of mine has spoken about for years. He finally put pen in hand and wrote about it:

Some time ago I realized something that quickly became my most valuable tool for the aural evaluation of high end audio equipment. I thought I would share it with you today. I call it my “ Three Second Rule".

Many years ago, I brought home a new set of elaborate mono block amplifiers with matching preamplifier from a very well respected high end manufacturer. These pieces were very expensive and beautifully made. One of the most expensive combinations of the day and certainly very expensive for me!

I was so excited! My listening room was large and properly treated. The setup of all the equipment went perfectly! I had Magnepan Tympani IV loudspeakers and a Roksan Xerxes turntable and the new equipment … well that will remain nameless for the purpose of this story! Setting up the amplifiers took much physical effort due to their weight as you can imagine. I let everything warm up … as we audiophiles do … making sure everything settled in and achieved thermal equilibrium. For that hour I waited what seemed like the longest hour of my life! Time was now upon me … to lower the stylus into that music rich groove and bask in this new sound experience - which had to be great, right, as all the reviewers adored this equipment. I listened for a few songs not knowing how I really felt … then got up to change the record. During the silence my wife called to me and said: “What did you do to your stereo system, something has changed … and it sounds awful”?

I was dumbfounded. How could this be? This system is all the rage … and lets not forget all the reviewers loved these. I can’t believe this, she must be wrong! Now Marilyn has incredible hearing and has spent thousands of hours with me enjoying all of my systems so the possibility of her being wrong is very remote. So what was happening for her to think this? It needs more time to break-in I surmised - so I will leave it for another four hours, that should do it! Then Marilyn will hear the potential of this system I am certain!

Four hours later I invited Marilyn to the listening room with me to witness the transformation from the system she thought was awful to the beautiful music making system it has to be. She was upstairs last time so this will make a big difference I thought! The stylus hits the groove and within maybe one or two grooves she says: “This just isn’t working David” … she leaves the room! What the heck (I said to myself)!

Well, with Marilyn now gone, I sat alone and listened to two, maybe three, more songs. I then realized what was happening. Marilyn was absolutely right! Much to my chagrin, this very expensive improvement was not an improvement at all! What is wrong with me?
I know nothing was wrong with my hearing - it was my conscious brain miss-firing! Truth be told, I wanted to adore these new products so much that I was listening past the disappointments. I wasn’t really listening properly at all! Deep down I knew what I was hearing and it was not good at all - but I just needed to like it so much! After all, I had just spent a small fortune buying this highly rated system and it had to be great right? Wrong!!

Hence my audio epiphany which I call: “My Three Second Rule”. The first three seconds of listening to any system is all one needs to judge how good the system is! Longer than this and the brain starts to fill in the blanks to make up for short comings. Statements such as: “I really like the woody cello sound … listen to that detail … or the imaging is spectacular”! All elements that are probably true but brought to prominence as a result of deficiencies elsewhere in the presentation so you go looking for the goodness. The longer you listen, the greater your conscious mind attempts to rationalize or adapt to the deficiencies. Perfection is perfection nonetheless! Using your knowledge bank of learned sounds, my thesis dictates absolute truth is known in not more than three seconds. Beyond that your brain is just trying to justify your purchasing prowess.

The ‘Three Second Rule’ is worth its weight in gold and I highly recommend it. It may take some time and initially feel somewhat cavalier but after a few attempts you will learn to trust your “gut feel”! I have been purchasing serious high end audio equipment for more than 15 years before I finally learned the hard way. As I reflect back, I realize I could have saved so much money over all those years and avoided all those audio detours - not to say all the great listening I sacrificed as a result! All I need now is three seconds and I know whether this is a musical system or not! I don’t even bother to rationalize why … if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!

My best advice is: “The clock may be still ticking for some, but old dogs can learn new tricks … it just took me 15 years … but that was 25 years ago and a lot of great equipment and beautiful music along the way”!
 
Interesting thread. If we can be honest with ourselves, much of how we react is based on anticipation and first impressions. When I got into sales, one of my mentors taught me that you only have one chance to make a first impression, so make it good. High end car dealers know this well, so do top tier luxury goods retailers. Walk into Gucci, Cartier etc and virtually everything has been designed to a T. Very little is left to chance. The obvious and subtle impressions we form create the image they want us to have. Costco does the same but for a different image.

Speaking only for myself, I know I like well made, beautiful objects. Sonus Faber, Jeff Rowland, D'Agostino, the early Primare 200 series...the first time I saw the Jadis 200 amps; 4 chassis of chrome and gold. Wow!

When the performance equals or betters the visuals, I go nuts and find every excuse to have it.

When the performance betters the visuals AND it is far more affordable than I thought (based on years of experience comparing similar products), I tell everyone. Literally! For example, the first EAD Dac around 1992/3. This thing had a beautiful, thick face plate in flawless gold finish, heavy, and sounded amazing. I saw it at CES, with a little card on top that said $2,000. I honestly thought it was a misprint and should have said $20,000! We sold truckloads of it. Same with original Sonic Frontiers line, SFL-1 preamp and SFS40/80 amps. Aragon was another. My most recent experience of this was with the Wadia 321. Saw it at CES this January, and absolutely fell in lust with it.

When it sounds mediocre, looks terrible and costs a fortune, I get cynical easily. Unfortunately, much of what makes up high end audio these days seem to fall in this category.

It's not easy to get past first impressions. Our cultural conditioning is mostly subconscious. My first stereo magazines said all amps sounded the same. The best speaker was the Bose 901. When I could finally afford to, I bought a pair of the 901s. Fully expecting to be blown away, I was stunned to hear how bad it was. I kept adjusting the crossover/EQ, hoping to get some highs and bass. My little JBL speakers sounded better for 1/3 the price.

I HAVE heard systems where I liked them better after extended listening, though I'm honestly not sure if I just adjusted to them, or they got better. Hard to tell.

There have been few systems where I loved them right away, and became disillusioned over time. Usually, those were due to external influences; group excitement, high expectations, unfamiliar surroundings etc.

I guess the one thing I can conclude for me, is that it does take experience to know what I like, and get past the initial impressions. This takes conscious effort. Too easy to get caught up in the moment, and forget to be critical, if that is what you are trying to do.

Of course, some people just have an innate knack of knowing what they like and don't need to dissect it. I need to feed both my intellect (small as it is), and my heart.

Sometimes, 3 seconds is all that is needed...

Best,
Adrian
 
That generally mimics what I personally have experienced over the last few years as I upgraded gear (electronics, speakers, rack), cables (power, interconnects, speaker), and power (conditioners, dedicated lines). As soon as I turned it on, I could tell it was better. Much better in some cases. Real or placebo, I don't care, since I am enjoying the Hades out of it. Of course, as time went by, it seemed to improve even more.
 
Man I got this three second rule all messed up. And here I thought is was for:

" The 3-Second Rule allows for a safe following distance when the road is dry and straight." or the

The three seconds rule (also referred to as the three-second rule or three in the key, with a breach often termed a lane violation) requires that in basketball, a player shall not remain in the opponents' restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in the front court and the game clock is running or the

three second rule for food dropped on the floor and then deemed safe to eat :disbelief: or the

Some of us find it hard to just walk up to strangers and start talking—we get anxious and overthink the situation. Avoid the stress by making the decision to go up to the person within 3 seconds

and now we have a 3 second rule for listening to audio equipment
 
What about the initial reaction of just seeing the gear, before you hear it? I'm a sucker for good looking gear, but that could cloud how I really think it sounds.

At the moment, I am still smitten with Pathos gear, but may never get to hear one. But they high on my list on looks and reviews/posts alone. I hope 3 seconds of listening does not kill that.
 
I don't quite agree with "three seconds" but you can make definite determinations about a system in a couple of minutes with the right music playing.

The extended "burn ins" of hundreds of hours are nothing more than your ears getting used what the system sounds like. Also, as was stated in the article, after a short time, your brain starts to fill in the blanks to make up for a system's shortcomings--especially if you expect the system to sound good.
 
I fully back the three seconds rule. While I do understand that you can understand more of the characteristics after longer listening and that you can 'learn' to listen to a certain sound I think that if you don't immediately absolutely love the sound you better listen to something else.

You can force yourself to like it but in the long go you cannot fool your real taste.
 
CPP said:
Man I got this three second rule all messed up. And here I thought is was for:

" The 3-Second Rule allows for a safe following distance when the road is dry and straight." or the

The three seconds rule (also referred to as the three-second rule or three in the key, with a breach often termed a lane violation) requires that in basketball, a player shall not remain in the opponents' restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in the front court and the game clock is running or the

three second rule for food dropped on the floor and then deemed safe to eat :disbelief: or the

Some of us find it hard to just walk up to strangers and start talking—we get anxious and overthink the situation. Avoid the stress by making the decision to go up to the person within 3 seconds

and now we have a 3 second rule for listening to audio equipment
Click to expand...

I thought it was 5 seconds for food that's been dropped... :))
 
Shadowfax said:
What about the initial reaction of just seeing the gear, before you hear it? I'm a sucker for good looking gear, but that could cloud how I really think it sounds.

At the moment, I am still smitten with Pathos gear, but may never get to hear one. But they high on my list on looks and reviews/posts alone. I hope 3 seconds of listening does not kill that.
Click to expand...

Hi Brian

Pathos is actually very good. One of my fav "undiscovered" gear. They've been around a long time but seem to be ignored for some reason. NOT the most detailed or transparent, but very smooth, easy to listen to. Sort of McIntosh in designer clothes...Well built too. Never had any problems.

Best,
Adrian Low
 
Also 100% true. The "pat your own back" affect that so many folks have at chasing that "next level" is astounding - and this puts that into incredible perspective.

 
GaryProtein said:
The extended "burn ins" of hundreds of hours are nothing more than your ears getting used what the system sounds like. Also, as was stated in the article, after a short time, your brain starts to fill in the blanks to make up for a system's shortcomings--especially if you expect the system to sound good.
Click to expand...


Bang on!
 
Hence my audio epiphany which I call: “My Three Second Rule”. The first three seconds of listening to any system is all one needs to judge how good the system is!
Click to expand...

Is it me or is this a bit too literal?

Most people have trouble identifying what music is being played in three seconds let alone try to size up a complete stereo system...

Dre
 
Careful guys; or this thread will start our whole world unraveling ;)

I have my own version of the "3-second rule". I do very detailed A/Bs; I switch quickly...then live with each piece, and really take my time to understand the differences.

Usually it goes something like this: pick a based set of criteria (tracks, albums), that you will evaluate both pieces by; start with the incumbent, so you're critically listening to it...whereas you (hopefully) have been casually listening day-to-day. Switch; listen for specific things, based on said criteria.

Then...relax; enjoy your new piece. Listen casually again, and live with it day-to-day. Once you feel like you have it dialed-in and a good sense and opinion of it; you switch the old piece back in. INSTANTLY...decide "better" or "worse".

Never look back :)
 
I guess this could be true because after awhile you will get used to the sound like Gary said.I don't see how a very expensive hi end system wouldn't sound good and it's been reviewed as being great as well.Stories like this make me glad I'm not into hi end.
 
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