I have built an imaginary world in my head. In this world, I know what to expect from my sound system; how to deal with people; how food is going to taste; how happy I am going to be at the completion of my work. My expectations are set by the rules and fences I have erected in my imagined world.
We all have this same manufactured image. It allows us to navigate the world, know what to expect from other drivers on the road, which shopping line to choose, how to communicate with others.
Sometimes our world is upended. I remember my first time driving a Tesla. My expectations were formed from all my experiences with the many cars I have owned over half a century of driving cars. It didn't take long to turn those expectations on their head, setting a new standard by which all other cars would struggle to live up to.
The same can be said when we hear a new piece of equipment or recording. If our expectations are one way, and the new gear upends our worldview of good, then our level of expectations is forever set higher (or lower) than we ever imagined.
Changing our expectations happens when we take a step into the new and challenge our inner imaginary worlds.
If you're given the opportunity to audition something new, take it.
I think it's healthy to understand all of what you believe to be the truth is, in fact, a construct of your own experiences.
Change those experiences and your truth changes too.
