Simple Explanation

Feeling tired, irritated, or stressed after listening to sound for a long time, especially if it’s harsh or unnatural.

Concise Technical Definition

A psychoacoustic condition caused by prolonged exposure to audio with subtle distortions or imbalances, leading to mental or physical discomfort.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like staring at a screen with poor lighting—after a while, your eyes hurt; with bad sound, your ears and brain feel the same way.

Industry Usage Summary

Common in poorly tuned audio systems or recordings with excessive treble, distortion, or compression; engineers aim to reduce it through proper EQ, speaker design, and dynamic range control.

Engineering Shortcut

Subliminal distortion or imbalance that wears on the listener over time.

Full Technical Explanation

Listening fatigue is a psychoacoustic phenomenon where prolonged exposure to audio—often with subtle but persistent distortions, imbalanced frequency response, or overly compressed dynamics—causes mental and physical discomfort. While the distortion or harshness may not be consciously audible, it is subliminally perceived by the auditory system and can result in headaches, tension, irritability, or concentration loss. Contributing factors include excessive high-frequency content, poor transducer design, lack of dynamic contrast, and unnatural stereo imaging. High-fidelity systems, well-mastered recordings, and proper room acoustics can all help reduce listening fatigue and improve long-term listening comfort.