I usually listen to audio books at between 1.2 and 1.4 times speed. This started when I was listening to Madeleine Albright's "Fascism: a warning" and I found her narration speed to be uncomfortably slow. So I figured I'd try out the speed settings in Audible. I had tried them before, but they sounded really bad. Now they sound pretty OK unless there is background music.
After that I have been experimenting a bit with speed settings and what feels comfortable really depends on the narrator. It isn't just how fast or slow they narrate, but also the cadence and the material they are reading. Some material requires some time for processing and thinking while listening. I end up adjusting the speed for every book I listen to and it is rare that I go any faster than 1.4.
Fastbook was a bit uncomfortable to listen to. It totally kills the rhythm of how someone speaks. However it does a surprisingly good job of not making it sound too bad. It is unpleasant to listen to, but it isn't immediately obvious why. So I'd call that perhaps a partial win?
I've tried to gradually up the narration speed, but even if I can understand what people are saying at 2x, it doesn't leave much room for thinking about what they are saying before they are on to the next idea. There is no time for processing. I noticed that I'd pause books to get some time to think - which is clumsy and inefficient.
For video courses I often vary the speed between 1x and 2x speed. Some instructors have a terrible teaching style where their narration is peppered with irrelevant and annoying asides. For instance when they take time to explain something that ought to be obvious and which isn't directly related to the material. Then again for video courses, I make much more use of pausing, speed adjustment, I go back to play things again, stop to think etc.
I don't think this obsession with very high speed is useful. What is useful is to adapt the speed to where it feels comfortable and where you can absorb what is being said.
After that I have been experimenting a bit with speed settings and what feels comfortable really depends on the narrator. It isn't just how fast or slow they narrate, but also the cadence and the material they are reading. Some material requires some time for processing and thinking while listening. I end up adjusting the speed for every book I listen to and it is rare that I go any faster than 1.4.
Fastbook was a bit uncomfortable to listen to. It totally kills the rhythm of how someone speaks. However it does a surprisingly good job of not making it sound too bad. It is unpleasant to listen to, but it isn't immediately obvious why. So I'd call that perhaps a partial win?
I've tried to gradually up the narration speed, but even if I can understand what people are saying at 2x, it doesn't leave much room for thinking about what they are saying before they are on to the next idea. There is no time for processing. I noticed that I'd pause books to get some time to think - which is clumsy and inefficient.
For video courses I often vary the speed between 1x and 2x speed. Some instructors have a terrible teaching style where their narration is peppered with irrelevant and annoying asides. For instance when they take time to explain something that ought to be obvious and which isn't directly related to the material. Then again for video courses, I make much more use of pausing, speed adjustment, I go back to play things again, stop to think etc.
I don't think this obsession with very high speed is useful. What is useful is to adapt the speed to where it feels comfortable and where you can absorb what is being said.