Q: How do I listen?

How to Listen, Part I

We hear music and dialogue every day. Sometimes it's just ambient noise; other times it's extremely focused, like when we're engaging in a conversation, hearing sound through headphones or sitting fully absorbed in a movie in our home theater. Whether you're auditioning new audio components and speakers or staying put with what you have, being able to train your ears can enhance your enjoyment of your entertainment system. Bob Graffy, vice president of Snell Acoustics, supplies some suggestions on what to listen for:

First, the voice. We all listen to voices every day, which encourages me to think that we are at our most critical when listening to acoustic vocals. The male and female voices should come from the chest yet have an airy quality.

Then I listen to small stage bands with three to 10 performers. I look for a wide range, from bass to treble recordings with a scaling standup bass to show accuracy, and then overlaying instrumentals and voice that can be localized in space and analyzed for definition.

For sound stage, a palpable three-dimensional image is the goal. Michel Camillo, for example, has a recording with bass, piano and drums. You can hear him playing from left to right as he scales up and down the piano. The drummer plays a huge drum kit, which comes from behind the piano and to the right of center. It's as though they are in the room with you.

Finally, small-stage, acoustic recordings show how coherent or well-blended music can sound. Big orchestral pieces with 100 musicians playing together on a large stage taxes the speakers' ability to recreate the majesty of these recordings. I look for definition, imaging and dynamics. A great speaker allows me to locate each instrument as a soloist or hear a tapestry woven by the integration of the whole orchestra.

How to Listen, Part II

There's listening, and then there's audiophile listening, picking up on musicality that the average person doesn't. This not only enhances your musical experience but also allows you to understand why you like particular songs and artists-and discover why you prefer one loudspeaker to another. To complement Bob Graffy's tips, here's some musical know-how from Chris Maggio, a professional, classically trained guitar player and co-owner of Massachusetts-based Sarrin Music Studios. Prepare to lend him your ears.

Part of ear training is tempo. It could be as simple as learning intervals, which refer to the distance between two notes and the relationship between the notes.

Try to focus on one instrument, and listen to it throughout a song. Do this for each instrument, and it will help you hear changes in the music. An Eagles song, for example, might have three or four guitars playing at the same time. Pick up on those tonal differences for a greater appreciation.

Why do some albums sound so polished and perfect? Keep your ears open for some sound-altering and time-altering effects commonly used in music for added depth of critical listening. Some examples, with artist, song and effect:

• Pink Floyd's "Run like Hell"—delay
• The Police's "Walking on the Moon"—chorus and delay
• U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name"—cascading notes and tempo
• Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" and Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused"—guitar wah
• Prince's "When Doves Cry"—equalization
• Electric Light Orchestra's "Telephone Line"—compressed vocals