Are you a Sharpener or a leveler?

[jdandy]

This article by Robert Deutsch is as relevant today as when first published in the February 2009 issue of Stereophile. I think we discussed this a number of years ago but it is worth reviewing again.

So, which are you?

https://www.stereophile.com/asweseei...ler/index.html

[jdandy]

I tend to be a Sharpener when I am building a sound system and a Leveler once it has been assembled and tweaked to my satisfaction. There is no time frame for this exercise. Over the years I have learned that remaining in the Sharpener state of mind interferes with my ability to enjoy music by causing me to continuously nitpick. My goal has always been to achieve high quality music reproduction in my home for the sole purpose of enjoyment and relaxation. If I don't turn off the Sharpener and turn on the Leveler, I cannot relax and simply enjoy the music. Learning to shut down the Sharpener can be difficult. We all want the best we can manage to acquire, and naturally we constantly think of ways to make improvements in our sound systems. If the Sharpener is allowed to remain front and center it clouds the goal of musical enjoyment because we remain stuck in a state of mind where measurements, comparisons, and endless options fill our thoughts with anxious desires instead of allowing a musical performance to capture and consume our consciousness. As much fun as it is to search for components and accessories that meet our specific requirements while building a premium sound system, this task is not the true target. Getting thoroughly lost in the music is where the bulls eye exists. That is my ultimate goal. To do this I have learned to embrace the Leveler.

[Masterlu]

Dan... I think that link might be bad.

[jdandy]

Ivan.......Thanks. I have corrected the link.

[Jerome W]

I like the answer of Dan.
I am too a sharpener when building the system.
But since I tend to favor a forgiving sound, I guess that I listen as a leveler.

[chessman]

Dan, interesting article. Due to the number of contingencies involved there is room to quibble, but the basic ideas can still make for useful discussion. When I compare the money I have spent on gear versus music, I must be a Sharpener. Now that the system is essentially built, I need to learn to be a Leveler.

[Antonmb]

I suspect most of us who are both audiophiles and music lovers are a bit of both. Much like Jérôme, Randy and Dan, I tend to be a sharpener when setting things up, choosing equipment, tweaking the system, or when listening to music solely for the purpose of evaluating system changes. Once I sit down to listen, though, the music lover in me shifts into leveler mode. Unless there is some glaring aberration in the sound, and as long as the music is engaging, I’m focused on enjoying the music and sound.

[For The Love of Music]

Yep, I think we all start as Sharpeners as we commit to the hobby, the time sets in and then we Level, much like a lot of things in life. And like life, we all fall off the wagon and then Sharpen until we Level - cyclical I guess, especially if gone untreated by a spouse or significant other [emoji12]

[jimtranr]

Originally Posted by For The Love of Music

...cyclical I guess, especially if gone untreated by a spouse or significant other [emoji12]

Even such interventions aren't always curative.

I seem to be in good company...Sharpener one moment, Leveler the next, depending on whether one's doing an initial (or upgraded) setup or kicking back to listen. What's notable to me in this particular thread is the diversity of systems represented in the signature blocks and the consistency of the responses to Dan's question.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have to move my bedroom system's second-reflection-point acoustic panels two inches further back to get the porridge just right.

[docmd2010]

I found this article to be fascinating. Especially the fact that when we all started in this hobby, we were all more on the side of leveler but as our ear becomes more and more experienced, we become sharpeners.

I’ve also learned that my non-audiophile friends who come to listen to my system are, more or less, levelers. Adding a 20k DAC into my system is a profound audible difference to me but slight at the best to my friends who are not in this hobby. Trying to convince them to become sharpeners when changing out or adding new components is a futile task. I just don’t go there anymore.