Ever notice how somedays your system sings while other days you're trying to figure out what went wrong?
The environment we live in has a far greater influence on our audio experiences than most people realize. From fluctuating power conditions to changing weather patterns, air pressure, and humidity levels, a multitude of factors can affect how sound is propagated through the air.
One of the most significant issues we encounter is the variation in AC power throughout the day, night, and across different seasons. These power fluctuations aren't just dips in voltage. They can also be changes to the AC waveform shape, from flat topping to phase skewing. These variations are typically worse during the summer months and more stable in the winter. It can be unsettling to accept that our audio equipment's performance is tied to the power demands of our neighbors but without the help of a regenerator, we're at the mercy of the guy next door. (And no, a fancy power conditioner won't help you with these issues).
We often dedicate time to "breaking in" our systems, playing music for extended periods to loosen the mechanical elements and achieve a more open, dynamic sound. But sometimes, despite our best efforts, it seems like we've taken a step backward. The music might sound perfect today, only to suddenly take a turn for the worse (or better), the next day or night.
If we've already fixed the AC power, what the heck's going on? Mechanical transducers like loudspeakers, and phono cartridges are susceptible to changes in the aspects we cannot control. Temperature, humidity, and pressure differences can all impact what we hear, causing the music to change with the weather.
Once you've done everything you can do to mitigate the impacts of the environment, some of the variabilities we are unhappy with just have to be chalked up to "that's the way it is today".
Not such a bad thing.
Might be boring to have perfection.
