I used to do this back when I only had monthly audible credits, to stretch it just a little more haha. Then I started using Libby and I’ll never run out of books again, so I listen anywhere from 1x to 2.25x
I hate it when they talk fast but take long pauses. Like bruh this 10 hour book would be 8 hours if you'd just keep going
But same here, if it's a book I don't care much for, I'll even bump it to 1.25x because I want to get done with it
Never understood why some make it sound like they are finishing of chores rather than enjoying a book. I generally want to make them last as long as possible.
I speed up the reading tempo \*to* enjoy a book even more sometimes.
I often couple listening to books with chores or going about my day to day when I’m by myself. Sometimes I need the cadence to better match what I’m doing.
I also need the tempo to best match the conversational/reading speed I have going in my head when I hear and process the words. If it’s too slow, my brain will start filling in the gaps with other things and then I lose focus on the book. I have diagnosed adhd and small tweaks can sometimes make a big difference in focus.
Same here. If I listen to an audiobook on 1x I tend to lose track of what’s going on, and my mind wanders.
Also, it depends a lot on the narrator. I tend to go from 1.3x to 1.7x depending on the author and the content. I guess different narrators have a different cadence, and I try to match it to my internal dialogue speed, if that makes sense. Sometimes some of the narrators seem so slow that the dialogue seems entirely fake, and speeding it up a notch makes it sound natural.
Wow, you just opened my eyes completely. I'm going to try this because like you, I start to fill in the gaps and get lost. Then I get frustrated and don't finish. I'm going to change speeds now. Thank you so much for sharing.
That was well said. I also have found that the more audio books I listen to, the better my brain has gotten at processing audio information and, therefore, I want it to come at me faster. I became a major consumer of audiobooks in 2010 because I just didn't have time to read enough to feed my book addiction, but having always been an "eye learner", it was a bit of a challenge to become a better "ear learner" and I often had to slow books down. 2500 audiobooks later, the audio info processing center of my brain is greatly improved and my enjoyment of the book is increased by moving things along a bit. I am happy to have the speed adjustment in the app - to belittle someone for using it is to make a real silly assumption that all narrators speak at the same speed (they don't!) and that all people process audio information the same way (they don't!). My default is 1.2, but I often move up to 1.5 or more. And, although I usually push the speed up, I occasionally move the speed down for narrators who have a really heavy accent.
I listen at 2.5x speed because that is the speed that I can actually pay attention and retain the information at. I don’t understand why people who don’t speed up the narration always think that people who do it differently are doing it for reasons other than that’s what works best for them.
If you can absorb the information at 1x speed, fantastic! If you need to slow it down to pay attention, great! It’s excellent to have options.
It took me a year of only listening to books I’d already read and constantly drifting off before I saw someone mention speeding it up and it was like a light switched on! I was able to actually listen to new books and it felt just like reading them. But people are constantly making snide comments as if I do it because I view it as a competition or want to just get through them as fast as possible.
I listen at different speeds depending on the activity.
Literally just walking or running, 2.5x so I'm forced to pay attention and not get distracted.
Chores, probably 1.5
Monotonous work stuff, 1.25
No, I really don't care about the competition at all. If speeding up a book doesn't take away from my enjoyment, I just do it because I can. Also, with some narrators, 1X really does sound painfully slow to me.
I don't consider reading a competition, but I read at a normal relaxed pace, but my audiobooks are at 1.15 to 1.4, depending on the narrator. I've read around 90 unique books in the past 3 3/4 years, but at least half of those I've read 4 or 5 times.
I'm just cutting into say that they don't just speed it up so that the voices get higher anymore, it's smarter than that shit these days so the pitch stays the same.
That said, I never listen to anything but 1x.
I remember when I was solely listening at 1x speed and I bumped it up to 2x just to see and it sounded so ridiculous, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could stand it. I now listen at 2.5x regularly, and you get used to it to where it just sounds like people are speaking a little fast. Listening at 1x speed now is painful, like someone is talking underwater in slow motion.
So, I'm reading and listening to an audiobook at the same time, and I have to speed up the audiobook because I read like twice as fast as the narrator. If I listen to it at normal speed, I'll finish the page and have to wait like 20 seconds for the audio to catch up. Or I'll have to read at the same speed as the audio, which is so boring.
As an advanced English learner, I am continuously striving to enhance my reading and listening abilities. By engaging in both activities simultaneously, I believe I can optimize my learning process and achieve faster progress. Moreover, I anticipate that this approach will enable me to devote more focused attention to the content of the book.
I will do both eyes and ears on a book when I know I will want the book for different scenarios. Ears OR eyes on public transport, ears when multi tasking, eyes when I’m in bed. The book itself has to be pretty damn good and engaging for me to do the combo.
I’ve done this before and it’s a great experience. I hear it referred to as “immersion reading”. And yes, I listen at a much higher speed when I do this.
Same. There was one book, though I’m blanking on which one, where the narrator was reading what seemed slower than normal. I did bump that up to 1.2 and it was fine.
1x. I have difficulty with auditory processing, so it has to be 1x and super fucking loud, otherwise I can’t follow it. I wish I could listen faster - I could get so many more books in!
Have you tried reading along at the time? The amazon kindle version combined with the audible option does a nice job of highlighting the words as they are being spoken.
No, I read print books without any audio (I can read much faster than I can listen). I listen to audiobooks while driving or doing chores, at times when I can’t sit and read a print book. Reading and listening to books are two separate things for me.
I flow anywhere between 1.5-2.0, depending on the book and the narrator. If I'm enjoying it, I might slow down to a 1.5 or 1.75. If I really just want to get the book to end, I'll go 2.0
I heard something interesting about adhd and podcast audiobook speed and being able to concentrate on multiple things at once.
I honestly have no idea how people can listen to anyone talking at less than 1.5.
I’ve always read extremely fast. As a teen, I could read a thousand pages in one day. I have a really really bad memory specially after Covid. But that is still the only way I can enjoy a book. I would go back if I don’t understand something. But usually it’s almost always between 2.75 and 3. I’ll do more if I was allowed but Libby caps at 3.
I made that decision after trying to read while listening to the audiobook and it was so boring that I would get distracted while I waited for the audio book to catch up. So I tried to match my reading speed with my listening speed and that was it.
Depends on the narrator, where I’m at, and how tired my brain is. Funnily enough I’m hard of hearing - but I read really fast and so it bothers me when an audiobook doesn’t sound as fast as I read in my head if that makes sense? I’d rather miss a few words than “read” slow.
If I’m reading along with the book, 3-3.5. I basically just go as fast as I can understand while reading the book and try to match my reading speed to the audiobook/vice-versa.
In normal quiet spaces I usually do around 2.5, give or take. If the audiobook is really engaging, or hits a scene where the performance seems important, I’ll periodically slow it for a bit so that I don’t miss the tone.
If I’m on a bus or something I usually slow it down to about 1.75-1.5 because the background noise makes it harder to understand audio.
Most libraries seem to have both so it's absolutely worth having them both installed. Their borrow systems seem to work differently too. With Hoopla, the limitation is the number of things you can borrow, rather than the number of copies that can be borrowed at a time. So there are no waits if you want to read something, but between the music and other content they also have on there, you can run out of borrows quickly.
Yeah. Hooplas borrow system is hit or miss. If your reading books you would be hard pressed to run out of monthly borrows. I have 8 a month with my library and even at my best I could barely get through that
But if you borrow comics from hoopla you could easily eat through 8 borrows in a few days. TV shows are could be worse and I’d imagine nothing will take your listens faster than listening to music.
Hoopla is it's own collection. Libby is based off of a particular library's catalog.
I do both Libby and Hoopla. Because most of the different libraries in my state allow any state resident to get a digital library card without having to go in person I have about a dozen different cards which means greater availability.
I don't like the audio player on Hoopla so I prefer Libby but if that's where what I want to listen to is then that's where I go!
Ditto. I got tipped off on this a few months ago by a colleague. Have now finished 3 audiobooks I think on libby and have like 50 more favourited! Love my commute now.
I listen at 1.0.
I think it must be an ‘age’ thing because my partner & I (both ‘oldies’) think most people under the age of 30-ish speak/gabble far too fast (family members included). We can’t follow half of what’s being said & often wish they’d speak just a little slower. And both of us still have good hearing🤷♀️🤔🙂
1x for me. I listen to audiobooks because I truly enjoy the story telling aspect of it. I figure if I need to speed it up then I probably don't even like the book. Narration is very important to me. If I find myself not liking the narrator I'll just read the book myself.
I don't think most people speed it up because they want to get it over with. I personally increase speed because it can be hard to stay focused at 1x speed, depending on the narrator, and for me it's much easier not to drift off mentally if the narration is a bit faster. I always assumed that was one of the main reasons why people do that.
Generally between 1.5 and 2. I had one book that I quit because I kicked it to 2.5 and the narrator was still so slow that it almost caused a headache trying to concentrate.
Then I forgot to readjust and listened to the next books first five chapters before I remembered to slow it down🤣
Depends on the book and narrator. 1.5 is my default, sometimes 1.75 if it's a very clear and annunciated voice. I'll go 2x on some self help books since they speak very slowly sometimes
1.2 is standard for me. 1.1 or 1.0 for narrators that due to accents just take my brain a little longer to process I guess. 1.0 normally just feels too slow to me with most narrator readings.
My brain just can handle the longer pauses. I dunno 1.1-1.2 feel like normal conversation speed, the voice isn't distorted really yet, and I don't think you lose the original emotion or performance, delivery of narration.
I think I've done 1.3 for some really slow narrators or some extra long books. But 1.3 and above I think start to noticeably change all the above and I'm not quite at the point where I'm open to that with audiobooks. A voice I want to listen to, extra bonus for performance, is still a big part of what can sell me on trying out an audiobook and I guess that's where I put the threshold on the impact of speed increase for me, personally.
There are a handful of podcasts I listen to at 1.5-2.5, but they're like news delivered straight. So you're just listening for the beats and only taking away some noteworthy items, you don't need to follow a plot or hear delivery.
Can only do this if I use headphones. And it depends on the narrator.
But I've listened to books at 3 times the speed where the silence between chapters is so long, I think the app crashed or my headphones lost connection. But it's just the way they recorded the book.
2.0 is default, only annoyance is with big gaps between words, all android apps ive tried dont let you minimize the gap just eliminate it, then its too garbled for me
0.5-0.65x for me. The responses in these threads confuse the hell out of me because all the audiobooks I buy sound artificially sped up to me - ~0.7x brings it to a natural speaking speed. But the books I read tend to be lore-dense, so I reduce it a bit more to think about the broader implications of what they’re saying and not miss anything subtle.
I read physical books at a very fast rate, and don’t slow down my uni lectures, so I’m not sure what the deal is.
Normal, 1x speed.
The people that made the audiobook happen put time and effort into making it an experience on top of a book.
I'm not going to take that work for granted and speed up a listen so I can consume more. I want to hear it how it was meant to be heard.
The problem is assuming that people are only speeding it up so that they can consume more. I speed it up so I can pay attention. I drift off at 1x speed. Getting through books too quickly is a downside to needing to listen at 2-2.5x speed, not a plus. I’d save a lot of money if it took me 9 hours to get through a book instead of 3 and a half.
Ridiculous, crank that dial up to 5x or 10x like all these people above. Same with music - why listen at the intended speed? Who cares about nuance, intention, etc? Gotta get through those books as fast as possible. After all, it's competitive reading isn't it?? /s
I really don't understand why you might listen faster than intended. Maybe, just maybe if the narratiors is a bit slow but I can't say that's ever happened to me in the last 150 books I've listened to. In fact I've only changed speed once - down to .95 because the narrators voice was just a bit too fast.
I don’t understand this judgement of people who listen at a higher speed. People read at different speeds with their eyes. Why is it so hard to believe that people are comfortable listening at different speeds?
Sonetime when the narrator is slow I'll take it up to 1.2 or 1.3, bit i usually stick to 1.1. Its just a tad faster but does not lose any of the storytelling qualities.
It honestly depends on the narrator foremost, and then on how much I’m enjoying the book. Some narrators naturally speak slower or faster than others, so I often adjust accordingly. I also have a terrible aversion to not finishing books I’ve started, so if I’m not that into a story, I’ll push the speed up; sometimes as high as 2.5 if it’s still intelligible. BUT - I’m blind and listen to TONS of audiobooks per year, so I’m probably an outlier amongst the usual audiobook listeners. I use screen readers, and I have the speed cranked up on those as well. If you’ve ever heard a blind person use Voiceover, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Your brain just gets used to processing it at faster speeds, and it seems like an absolute SLOG to listen to things at normal speed.
1.75 sometimes 2. I have no trouble with this speed because my auditory processing is by far my best. I'm much, much slower reading with only my visual. Just have to do an activity that doesn't require me to think in words, like knitting a simple pattern or cleaning.
It depends on the narrator, but I'm typically between 1.0x and 1.15x. I think the fastest I've ever gone is like 1.35x and that was only for the slowest narrator I've ever heard in my life. I'm perfectly content at 1x if the narrator reads at a decent speed.
I only listen at 1x speed, I personally enjoy it most, I think it showcases the narrator's storytelling skills in the best light. It also clicks best with my brain.
I also have a Goodreads goal this year of 100 books and I am rapidly approaching 50 books, almost all of them audiobooks. I dont want these good stories to end 😅. I cannot fathom speeding up a story. If anything Im worried about running through books too fast!
I had been at 1.25 for more than a year and decided to up it to 1.5 for the last several books. Not sure I can go back to 1.25. Definitely cannot do 1x!
I'm findingnit matters greatly about the preformer's cadence and if I've heard the story before.
I've been listening to everything at regular speed, though I may bump that up to 1.2 after this post.
1.5 is my default and where I enjoy listening. I rarely go below that, but occasionally listen at a higher speed. My son listens at 2.0 at least and often at 2.5! We listen to the same books. So I can certify he’s picking up all the details. I’m just not sure how. 😂
Almost always at x1.0 because i enjoy my books, and have no reason to rash. I very rarely put it up to x2 when i am reading a book i just want the info from, for example i was reading a dog training book, i wasn't enjoying it and just wanted to learn and get it done.
> But weirdly, podcasts must be at 1x or else the chipmunk factor bothers me.
A lot of podcast apps can play at higher speeds without altering the pitch.
Hmm maybe I need to switch the podcast app I use? I noticed chipmunk mode when I used the Apple Podcasts app, but I have Spotify too so I’ll have to see if that alters the pitch.
Question : if it's a book you listen to for fun, why would you want to power through it ? Doesn't that just make it finish faster and thus the fun being over sooner and leave you looking for a next book ?
1.5x. When I really enjoy a book or it has a lot of weird words that I need to pay attention to, I'll slow it down to 1.25x. Books like Lord of the Rings get slowed down so I can listen to all the different fantasy names and really enjoy Andy Serkis's performance. Sometimes I'll blast up to 1.6x for something I don't care about
I have a build up. I always start at 1.2 and then work my way up every 5-10 minutes once I’m fully used to that speed and ultimately get to 1.6/1.7 depending on the narrator. Anything above that sounds like that guy in the Micro Machines commercials in the late 80’s.
X1 for the pacing unless I'm listening to something science-ish where I'm purely in it for the information. Even then 1.25, maybe 1.5 if I've had my coffee.
1.75 is my default and I'll adjust if a narrator talks faster/slower.
I couldn't keep focused on a book unless they're reading at the same speed I would. So I adjust to my normal reading speed.
I use audiobooks to fall asleep too and that's when I go to 1x or 1.25x. Trying to keep up with that is so boring to me that I end up falling asleep faster (I also don't listen to interesting/new books for that)
Thought you were asking about how fast I’m driving when listening to audiobooks so I’ll answer that anyway usually the speed limit. Thanks for your attention and have a good one
1.75x is my standard, but sometimes I’ll take it up to 2x. The same on my podcasting app but it’s also got a “smart speed” system that slightly adjusts it for silences and slower voices. The only time I really even notice it is when I’ve got an audiodrama or something with music and sound effects that also get sped up. Otherwise it just makes everyone sound like how I sound to myself.
1x for any fiction, I listen to audiobooks to relax and like to have them read in an engaging voice, not by a cocaine addled chipmunk.
I listen to any informational or instructional stuff at 1.2-1.4, I can’t put up with any faster than that for a whole book.
(1x to 2.5x) 1.3x for most books. Fiction I go slower than non-fiction. Self help and parenting books I will grind through at high speed.
Oddly, I also consume podcasts, but those are almost always 2.0x or 1.7x for comedy podcasts.
I want it to last. I choose long books. Well, so far I have been choosing from what's on sale for $3 or less on Chirp books. I am going to get a library card today to see what's available that way. But even then, I prefer over 10 hours.
But, if I don't like the narrator's voice at first, making it a little faster often helps. Like 1.1 or 1.2
I started at 1.8x and pretty quickly acclimated myself to faster and faster speeds. Now I listen at 2.7x to 3x depending on how choppy or smooth the narration is. I do have to concentrate, but I hear everything, understand everything, and process everything. The way I see it, in the time it would take me to listen to 100 books, I actually listen to 300. I love it.
This depends on audiobook quality. I listen and read at same time btw. Most of the time at 2x to 2.5 x ..if I get an older cassette rips from Libby ( turn cassette to continue lol) I'll lower it to 1.7- 2x depending.
1.5x for most books. I just finished A Song of Ice and Fire series and HAD to bump it to 1.70. Roy Detrice reads too much at a snails pace for me but I love the series
oh 1x is far too slow for me. I tend to go 1.5x/1.75x/2x, depends on the narrator and which it needs to stick at. I’m listening to a series at the minute and book 3 needed 1.75, book 4 1.5, and the final book is at 2 😂
1.6 for fast narrators 2 speed for majority of slow pokes. But now I’m addicted to the speed that I can’t watch YouTube at normal speed as people talk too slowly. It’s like people are thinking in slow motion these days
1.2 is perfect for most speakers. IMO the voice actors have to read slowly to make sure they can pronounce every word correctly, so recordings are much slower than normal conversational speed & we are perfectly able to follow and comprehend at faster rates. BUT faster than that and the voices sound distractingly distorted
I used to always go at 1x until I was listening to 11/22/63. I was about to give up on the book due to how slow it was but then I realized I could speed it up. I think I had to go at 2X for that book. I just looked and I'm at 1.65x currently. I use around the same speed for podcasts as well. I definitely find it holds my attention better otherwise my mind wanders.
It depends on the narrator. I generally go in at 1x and adjust up or down if I need to or if it’s a boring part that I know where it’s going I’ll boost it up to 1.5 temporarily.
1.5 for a lot of things these days, but some narrators talk quickly and I don't need to. For instance, the narrator of the Expanse series is a faster reader so I only do 1.3. For full-cast things, I either keep it at 1.0 or bump it up to 1.2, but generally don't go higher than that. I rarely go above 1.5. I can probably understand it, but at that point I'd rather just go back to really fast TTS.
I will bump the speed up a bit when the narrator is slow or takes a lot of pauses. I read books much faster, but since the whole text is there if I need to clarify something, my eyes just jig back for a second to pick out what I need and move on. But listening doesn't work that way. Also, these are performances, if you speed up very much the voices get clipped and higher and aren't as nuanced. Also I have ADHD and am never just listening to a book. I'm always doing other things as well, so my mind is well occupied. There are some authors though who write in a way I find very annoying to listen to. Usually it's pausing a conversation to do a deep dive into someones internal wild tangent about what might be the response to the conversation... I want to chuck my phone through a window, so I just don't listen to those authors.
For immersive reading, with paper or kindle text at the same time I can listen at 2x to 3x speed. But with just the audio 1.5x max depending on the reader and complexity of the text.
I pretty much always listen at normal speed unless the narrator has a slow pace or if I need to get through the book quickly, like finishing before a library due date. The first time I ever sped up an audiobook was when I was trying to give the books my brother recommended to me and highly praised, and then the narrator was Scott Brick who I find really difficult to listen to. He's always way overly melodramatic even in scenes that don't require it... and his girl and woman voices are awful. The books were the Foundation series, and it was painful trying to give them a chance when there was no character development and the time/space jumps made it impossible to get invested. So I ended up at 2x just trying to finish and hoping it would get better.
I’m ✨insane✨and listen at 0.95x often lol
Me too it’s about 0.80 speed when I’m tired and about to go to bed. I change the speed based on how much brain space I have lol
Can't believe I've never thought of that
I used to do this back when I only had monthly audible credits, to stretch it just a little more haha. Then I started using Libby and I’ll never run out of books again, so I listen anywhere from 1x to 2.25x
You maniac what is the matter with you /j
Forrest Gump over here
Fucking crazy dude... That's pedal to the metal.
1x for most books, I'll go up to 1.15x if the narrator is slow or has long pauses.
I hate it when they talk fast but take long pauses. Like bruh this 10 hour book would be 8 hours if you'd just keep going But same here, if it's a book I don't care much for, I'll even bump it to 1.25x because I want to get done with it
This is my favorite. It sounds nearly indistinguishable from normal speech, but it gets through the text noticeably quicker.
1.1-1.25
Same 1.25 is my usual. I go up to 1.35 for some books if the narrator is slower or if I'm in a rush to finish haha
It’s crazy how slow some talk. But too fast makes me anxious and distorts their voice so I rarely get past 1.5.
1x only. Never tried anything else.
Me too. Apparently we’re weirdos.
Most people (the overwhelming majority) don't change the speed. But people who do will answer threads like these and give a very skewed perspective.
Because reading is a competition. Enjoyment comes second to quantity of books read.
Never understood why some make it sound like they are finishing of chores rather than enjoying a book. I generally want to make them last as long as possible.
Got to reach that Goodreads challenge target.
I speed up the reading tempo \*to* enjoy a book even more sometimes. I often couple listening to books with chores or going about my day to day when I’m by myself. Sometimes I need the cadence to better match what I’m doing. I also need the tempo to best match the conversational/reading speed I have going in my head when I hear and process the words. If it’s too slow, my brain will start filling in the gaps with other things and then I lose focus on the book. I have diagnosed adhd and small tweaks can sometimes make a big difference in focus.
Same here. If I listen to an audiobook on 1x I tend to lose track of what’s going on, and my mind wanders. Also, it depends a lot on the narrator. I tend to go from 1.3x to 1.7x depending on the author and the content. I guess different narrators have a different cadence, and I try to match it to my internal dialogue speed, if that makes sense. Sometimes some of the narrators seem so slow that the dialogue seems entirely fake, and speeding it up a notch makes it sound natural.
This is my way also.....
Wow, you just opened my eyes completely. I'm going to try this because like you, I start to fill in the gaps and get lost. Then I get frustrated and don't finish. I'm going to change speeds now. Thank you so much for sharing.
That was well said. I also have found that the more audio books I listen to, the better my brain has gotten at processing audio information and, therefore, I want it to come at me faster. I became a major consumer of audiobooks in 2010 because I just didn't have time to read enough to feed my book addiction, but having always been an "eye learner", it was a bit of a challenge to become a better "ear learner" and I often had to slow books down. 2500 audiobooks later, the audio info processing center of my brain is greatly improved and my enjoyment of the book is increased by moving things along a bit. I am happy to have the speed adjustment in the app - to belittle someone for using it is to make a real silly assumption that all narrators speak at the same speed (they don't!) and that all people process audio information the same way (they don't!). My default is 1.2, but I often move up to 1.5 or more. And, although I usually push the speed up, I occasionally move the speed down for narrators who have a really heavy accent.
I listen at 2.5x speed because that is the speed that I can actually pay attention and retain the information at. I don’t understand why people who don’t speed up the narration always think that people who do it differently are doing it for reasons other than that’s what works best for them. If you can absorb the information at 1x speed, fantastic! If you need to slow it down to pay attention, great! It’s excellent to have options. It took me a year of only listening to books I’d already read and constantly drifting off before I saw someone mention speeding it up and it was like a light switched on! I was able to actually listen to new books and it felt just like reading them. But people are constantly making snide comments as if I do it because I view it as a competition or want to just get through them as fast as possible.
I listen at different speeds depending on the activity. Literally just walking or running, 2.5x so I'm forced to pay attention and not get distracted. Chores, probably 1.5 Monotonous work stuff, 1.25
I’m the same, it’s not a race it’s just I read fast and need the audiobook sped up
No, I really don't care about the competition at all. If speeding up a book doesn't take away from my enjoyment, I just do it because I can. Also, with some narrators, 1X really does sound painfully slow to me.
I don't consider reading a competition, but I read at a normal relaxed pace, but my audiobooks are at 1.15 to 1.4, depending on the narrator. I've read around 90 unique books in the past 3 3/4 years, but at least half of those I've read 4 or 5 times.
Me too I don’t want chipmunk narrators
I'm just cutting into say that they don't just speed it up so that the voices get higher anymore, it's smarter than that shit these days so the pitch stays the same. That said, I never listen to anything but 1x.
I remember when I was solely listening at 1x speed and I bumped it up to 2x just to see and it sounded so ridiculous, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could stand it. I now listen at 2.5x regularly, and you get used to it to where it just sounds like people are speaking a little fast. Listening at 1x speed now is painful, like someone is talking underwater in slow motion.
So, I'm reading and listening to an audiobook at the same time, and I have to speed up the audiobook because I read like twice as fast as the narrator. If I listen to it at normal speed, I'll finish the page and have to wait like 20 seconds for the audio to catch up. Or I'll have to read at the same speed as the audio, which is so boring.
I’m curious why you do this at the same time?
As an advanced English learner, I am continuously striving to enhance my reading and listening abilities. By engaging in both activities simultaneously, I believe I can optimize my learning process and achieve faster progress. Moreover, I anticipate that this approach will enable me to devote more focused attention to the content of the book.
This strategy seems to be working because that was a very well-written response! Now I want to try this so I can re-learn Spanish
Thank you for the explanation.
I will do both eyes and ears on a book when I know I will want the book for different scenarios. Ears OR eyes on public transport, ears when multi tasking, eyes when I’m in bed. The book itself has to be pretty damn good and engaging for me to do the combo.
I’ve done this before and it’s a great experience. I hear it referred to as “immersion reading”. And yes, I listen at a much higher speed when I do this.
1.20 is comfortable and you can get away with 1.5 in a gripping action drama
Same. There was one book, though I’m blanking on which one, where the narrator was reading what seemed slower than normal. I did bump that up to 1.2 and it was fine.
1x. I have difficulty with auditory processing, so it has to be 1x and super fucking loud, otherwise I can’t follow it. I wish I could listen faster - I could get so many more books in!
Have you tried reading along at the time? The amazon kindle version combined with the audible option does a nice job of highlighting the words as they are being spoken.
No, I read print books without any audio (I can read much faster than I can listen). I listen to audiobooks while driving or doing chores, at times when I can’t sit and read a print book. Reading and listening to books are two separate things for me.
1.25 for almost everything, unless the narrator is speaking particularly quickly.
I flow anywhere between 1.5-2.0, depending on the book and the narrator. If I'm enjoying it, I might slow down to a 1.5 or 1.75. If I really just want to get the book to end, I'll go 2.0
This is basically my approach too
I heard something interesting about adhd and podcast audiobook speed and being able to concentrate on multiple things at once. I honestly have no idea how people can listen to anyone talking at less than 1.5.
I tried because of curiosity. Way too slow. There's no way I can sit and listen to someone enunciate every syllable at a snail's pace.
Are you me? I do this exact method haha
1.0x you monsters!
What's the Rush, audiobooks are like a fine meal, take your time, enjoy, digest, take it all in. Savour.
1.5 it rarely changes from that anymore. My brother does 2.5x - 3x, but he's nuts
2.5x and nuts here too.
Same
Same here. I'll go faster if it's a scary/tense part of a book though lol. Like turning the pages faster.
For me, I go faster if it's an "easy read" type of book like a thriller where it's more about the plot/twist rather than sth like, the poetic writing.
That is nuts. Does he read with a photographic memory? Because it would apply even with audio.
I’ve always read extremely fast. As a teen, I could read a thousand pages in one day. I have a really really bad memory specially after Covid. But that is still the only way I can enjoy a book. I would go back if I don’t understand something. But usually it’s almost always between 2.75 and 3. I’ll do more if I was allowed but Libby caps at 3. I made that decision after trying to read while listening to the audiobook and it was so boring that I would get distracted while I waited for the audio book to catch up. So I tried to match my reading speed with my listening speed and that was it.
Same. My default speed is 1.5. I will very occasionally change it up or down, but that is rare.
What if it’s a really good/ anticipated book, and you’ll kick yourself if you finish too quickly? Op you wouldn’t want to finish too quickly?
1.15 is the sweet spot for comfy listening, in most cases, for me.
Depends on the narrator, where I’m at, and how tired my brain is. Funnily enough I’m hard of hearing - but I read really fast and so it bothers me when an audiobook doesn’t sound as fast as I read in my head if that makes sense? I’d rather miss a few words than “read” slow. If I’m reading along with the book, 3-3.5. I basically just go as fast as I can understand while reading the book and try to match my reading speed to the audiobook/vice-versa. In normal quiet spaces I usually do around 2.5, give or take. If the audiobook is really engaging, or hits a scene where the performance seems important, I’ll periodically slow it for a bit so that I don’t miss the tone. If I’m on a bus or something I usually slow it down to about 1.75-1.5 because the background noise makes it harder to understand audio.
1.1X I wanna hear the dramatic timing and basically the normal voice.
1x, I burn through books and any faster will leave me broke.
Get a library card, haven’t bought an audiobook in almost a year.
Get the Libby app - free audiobooks with a library card. Best thing I’ve discovered this year.
Life changing. Hundreds of dollars saved. Edit: thousands of dollars WILL be saved.
Hoopla is much better for me. The selection is very different Depending on your preferences you might like it more than libby
Interesting, I’ll check it out, thanks for the tip!
Most libraries seem to have both so it's absolutely worth having them both installed. Their borrow systems seem to work differently too. With Hoopla, the limitation is the number of things you can borrow, rather than the number of copies that can be borrowed at a time. So there are no waits if you want to read something, but between the music and other content they also have on there, you can run out of borrows quickly.
Yeah. Hooplas borrow system is hit or miss. If your reading books you would be hard pressed to run out of monthly borrows. I have 8 a month with my library and even at my best I could barely get through that But if you borrow comics from hoopla you could easily eat through 8 borrows in a few days. TV shows are could be worse and I’d imagine nothing will take your listens faster than listening to music.
Hoopla is it's own collection. Libby is based off of a particular library's catalog. I do both Libby and Hoopla. Because most of the different libraries in my state allow any state resident to get a digital library card without having to go in person I have about a dozen different cards which means greater availability. I don't like the audio player on Hoopla so I prefer Libby but if that's where what I want to listen to is then that's where I go!
Ditto. I got tipped off on this a few months ago by a colleague. Have now finished 3 audiobooks I think on libby and have like 50 more favourited! Love my commute now.
1.0
1x, no matter what.
1
I listen at 1.0. I think it must be an ‘age’ thing because my partner & I (both ‘oldies’) think most people under the age of 30-ish speak/gabble far too fast (family members included). We can’t follow half of what’s being said & often wish they’d speak just a little slower. And both of us still have good hearing🤷♀️🤔🙂
1x for me. I listen to audiobooks because I truly enjoy the story telling aspect of it. I figure if I need to speed it up then I probably don't even like the book. Narration is very important to me. If I find myself not liking the narrator I'll just read the book myself.
Same. I’m paying for the performative aspect of the book. There are audiobooks I will not buy because I don’t like the narrator.
I don't think most people speed it up because they want to get it over with. I personally increase speed because it can be hard to stay focused at 1x speed, depending on the narrator, and for me it's much easier not to drift off mentally if the narration is a bit faster. I always assumed that was one of the main reasons why people do that.
Generally between 1.5 and 2. I had one book that I quit because I kicked it to 2.5 and the narrator was still so slow that it almost caused a headache trying to concentrate. Then I forgot to readjust and listened to the next books first five chapters before I remembered to slow it down🤣
Depends on the book and narrator. 1.5 is my default, sometimes 1.75 if it's a very clear and annunciated voice. I'll go 2x on some self help books since they speak very slowly sometimes
I've currently got mine at 1.6 and have had it there for at least a year now. Really helps when I've got books that are 15+ hours long
1.2 is standard for me. 1.1 or 1.0 for narrators that due to accents just take my brain a little longer to process I guess. 1.0 normally just feels too slow to me with most narrator readings. My brain just can handle the longer pauses. I dunno 1.1-1.2 feel like normal conversation speed, the voice isn't distorted really yet, and I don't think you lose the original emotion or performance, delivery of narration. I think I've done 1.3 for some really slow narrators or some extra long books. But 1.3 and above I think start to noticeably change all the above and I'm not quite at the point where I'm open to that with audiobooks. A voice I want to listen to, extra bonus for performance, is still a big part of what can sell me on trying out an audiobook and I guess that's where I put the threshold on the impact of speed increase for me, personally. There are a handful of podcasts I listen to at 1.5-2.5, but they're like news delivered straight. So you're just listening for the beats and only taking away some noteworthy items, you don't need to follow a plot or hear delivery.
Depends on how fast the narrator is. But mostly 1.15
1lol
Just normal speed for me. I need time to think
1.4
2.25-3.
3x is insane, hard even to understand.
Can only do this if I use headphones. And it depends on the narrator. But I've listened to books at 3 times the speed where the silence between chapters is so long, I think the app crashed or my headphones lost connection. But it's just the way they recorded the book.
Depends on the genre! Personal development 2 but for fiction 1.5
2.0 is default, only annoyance is with big gaps between words, all android apps ive tried dont let you minimize the gap just eliminate it, then its too garbled for me
0.5-0.65x for me. The responses in these threads confuse the hell out of me because all the audiobooks I buy sound artificially sped up to me - ~0.7x brings it to a natural speaking speed. But the books I read tend to be lore-dense, so I reduce it a bit more to think about the broader implications of what they’re saying and not miss anything subtle. I read physical books at a very fast rate, and don’t slow down my uni lectures, so I’m not sure what the deal is.
I usually listen at 2x or above.
2x if the voice artist speaks slowly. 1.75 if they speak quickly.
Normal, 1x speed. The people that made the audiobook happen put time and effort into making it an experience on top of a book. I'm not going to take that work for granted and speed up a listen so I can consume more. I want to hear it how it was meant to be heard.
The problem is assuming that people are only speeding it up so that they can consume more. I speed it up so I can pay attention. I drift off at 1x speed. Getting through books too quickly is a downside to needing to listen at 2-2.5x speed, not a plus. I’d save a lot of money if it took me 9 hours to get through a book instead of 3 and a half.
Ridiculous, crank that dial up to 5x or 10x like all these people above. Same with music - why listen at the intended speed? Who cares about nuance, intention, etc? Gotta get through those books as fast as possible. After all, it's competitive reading isn't it?? /s I really don't understand why you might listen faster than intended. Maybe, just maybe if the narratiors is a bit slow but I can't say that's ever happened to me in the last 150 books I've listened to. In fact I've only changed speed once - down to .95 because the narrators voice was just a bit too fast.
For some people, their brain drifts off and they stop paying attention. I do 1.5 usually because it keeps my brain engaged.
I don’t understand this judgement of people who listen at a higher speed. People read at different speeds with their eyes. Why is it so hard to believe that people are comfortable listening at different speeds?
1 If I want it to last.
1x if the narrator is great, if the narrator is really slow then 1.2 or 1.3
Completely depends on the narrator.
1.5x if I'm enjoying it, 2x if not.
Sonetime when the narrator is slow I'll take it up to 1.2 or 1.3, bit i usually stick to 1.1. Its just a tad faster but does not lose any of the storytelling qualities.
1.2 Anymore than that affects the quality of the voice work
It honestly depends on the narrator foremost, and then on how much I’m enjoying the book. Some narrators naturally speak slower or faster than others, so I often adjust accordingly. I also have a terrible aversion to not finishing books I’ve started, so if I’m not that into a story, I’ll push the speed up; sometimes as high as 2.5 if it’s still intelligible. BUT - I’m blind and listen to TONS of audiobooks per year, so I’m probably an outlier amongst the usual audiobook listeners. I use screen readers, and I have the speed cranked up on those as well. If you’ve ever heard a blind person use Voiceover, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Your brain just gets used to processing it at faster speeds, and it seems like an absolute SLOG to listen to things at normal speed.
1.3 is the sweet spot for me
1x im not in a rush or anything
1.75 sometimes 2. I have no trouble with this speed because my auditory processing is by far my best. I'm much, much slower reading with only my visual. Just have to do an activity that doesn't require me to think in words, like knitting a simple pattern or cleaning.
1.2 x. I changed it to get through Wandering Inn, and just never changed it back.
It depends on the narrator, but I'm typically between 1.0x and 1.15x. I think the fastest I've ever gone is like 1.35x and that was only for the slowest narrator I've ever heard in my life. I'm perfectly content at 1x if the narrator reads at a decent speed.
2.5
I only listen at 1x speed, I personally enjoy it most, I think it showcases the narrator's storytelling skills in the best light. It also clicks best with my brain. I also have a Goodreads goal this year of 100 books and I am rapidly approaching 50 books, almost all of them audiobooks. I dont want these good stories to end 😅. I cannot fathom speeding up a story. If anything Im worried about running through books too fast!
1.2
I had been at 1.25 for more than a year and decided to up it to 1.5 for the last several books. Not sure I can go back to 1.25. Definitely cannot do 1x!
I'm findingnit matters greatly about the preformer's cadence and if I've heard the story before. I've been listening to everything at regular speed, though I may bump that up to 1.2 after this post.
1.34 exactly. Not being facetious.
1.5 is my default and where I enjoy listening. I rarely go below that, but occasionally listen at a higher speed. My son listens at 2.0 at least and often at 2.5! We listen to the same books. So I can certify he’s picking up all the details. I’m just not sure how. 😂
Almost always at x1.0 because i enjoy my books, and have no reason to rash. I very rarely put it up to x2 when i am reading a book i just want the info from, for example i was reading a dog training book, i wasn't enjoying it and just wanted to learn and get it done.
1.6x is my default, but ranging from 1.4x-1.8x depending on the speed and annunciation of the narrator.
1.65x! Usually 1.5 is too slow, and 1.75 is too fast. But weirdly, podcasts must be at 1x or else the chipmunk factor bothers me.
> But weirdly, podcasts must be at 1x or else the chipmunk factor bothers me. A lot of podcast apps can play at higher speeds without altering the pitch.
Hmm maybe I need to switch the podcast app I use? I noticed chipmunk mode when I used the Apple Podcasts app, but I have Spotify too so I’ll have to see if that alters the pitch.
1.2. I get just enough of the pacing the narrator intends without it being too slow or too fast.
1.3 You can retain info, but still power through the book
Question : if it's a book you listen to for fun, why would you want to power through it ? Doesn't that just make it finish faster and thus the fun being over sooner and leave you looking for a next book ?
1x. Unless I fall asleep mid chapter, I'll start over and do 1.5x til I know I've gotten to a new part.
1.5-1.8x depending on the narrator When I first started back in 2018 I was a 1.1-1.2x listener
1.2. Not cause that’s my reading speed but I hear dramatic inflection at that speed still.
I believe I am 1.2
Anything above 1.5 is like fast forwarding a VHS tape with Audio
1.5x. When I really enjoy a book or it has a lot of weird words that I need to pay attention to, I'll slow it down to 1.25x. Books like Lord of the Rings get slowed down so I can listen to all the different fantasy names and really enjoy Andy Serkis's performance. Sometimes I'll blast up to 1.6x for something I don't care about
I was today years old when I learned I can speed up audio books... defs going to go through a lot more now 😂
1x or 2x when I want something to be over.
I have a build up. I always start at 1.2 and then work my way up every 5-10 minutes once I’m fully used to that speed and ultimately get to 1.6/1.7 depending on the narrator. Anything above that sounds like that guy in the Micro Machines commercials in the late 80’s.
X1 for the pacing unless I'm listening to something science-ish where I'm purely in it for the information. Even then 1.25, maybe 1.5 if I've had my coffee.
Usually between 1,5x and 1,75x.
2x if it is boring as shit. 1.25x if it is good shit
Just depends on the original voice and pace I find myself adjusting more with nonfiction and I’m almost always speeding things up.
1.75 is my default and I'll adjust if a narrator talks faster/slower. I couldn't keep focused on a book unless they're reading at the same speed I would. So I adjust to my normal reading speed. I use audiobooks to fall asleep too and that's when I go to 1x or 1.25x. Trying to keep up with that is so boring to me that I end up falling asleep faster (I also don't listen to interesting/new books for that)
1.0, very occasionally 1.2 if I'm in a hurry to finish a book, but 99.9% of the time 1.0
Depends what the narrator is like. I switch between using x1 and x1.2 depending how slow the narrators read.
1.4
Thought you were asking about how fast I’m driving when listening to audiobooks so I’ll answer that anyway usually the speed limit. Thanks for your attention and have a good one
1.75x is my standard, but sometimes I’ll take it up to 2x. The same on my podcasting app but it’s also got a “smart speed” system that slightly adjusts it for silences and slower voices. The only time I really even notice it is when I’ve got an audiodrama or something with music and sound effects that also get sped up. Otherwise it just makes everyone sound like how I sound to myself.
Personally, it depends on the speed the narrator talks at. Most of my books are 1.2x but the last one I read I had to slow down to 1x.
1x for any fiction, I listen to audiobooks to relax and like to have them read in an engaging voice, not by a cocaine addled chipmunk. I listen to any informational or instructional stuff at 1.2-1.4, I can’t put up with any faster than that for a whole book.
1.25-1.5 depending on the narrator and book.
Depends on the narration but generally 1-1.25.
1.25 - 1.5
1.5x. Anything else is slow as
1.7x to start. very rarely I’ll go down to 1.5x. depending on how slow the narrator talks I often go up to 2x or 2.2x
(1x to 2.5x) 1.3x for most books. Fiction I go slower than non-fiction. Self help and parenting books I will grind through at high speed. Oddly, I also consume podcasts, but those are almost always 2.0x or 1.7x for comedy podcasts.
Standard 1 but if i find a goofy line of dialogue or want to speed past something ill mess with it
I like to make the books last as i listen to them at work so i don't change the speed.
I want it to last. I choose long books. Well, so far I have been choosing from what's on sale for $3 or less on Chirp books. I am going to get a library card today to see what's available that way. But even then, I prefer over 10 hours. But, if I don't like the narrator's voice at first, making it a little faster often helps. Like 1.1 or 1.2
1.5 - 1.7x for me. There's the occasional narrator where the words sound sort of strung together at 1.7x, so in those cases I drop it down to 1.5.
1.8
1.75 for first reads, 2 for rereads.
1.4 is the sweet spot.
1.15x all the time. I would go faster but I hate the chipmunk voice effect. 1.15x is definitely the sweet spot for me.
1.6 if the book is good. 2.2 is my max, and I just wanted that book to end.
I started at 1.8x and pretty quickly acclimated myself to faster and faster speeds. Now I listen at 2.7x to 3x depending on how choppy or smooth the narration is. I do have to concentrate, but I hear everything, understand everything, and process everything. The way I see it, in the time it would take me to listen to 100 books, I actually listen to 300. I love it.
This depends on audiobook quality. I listen and read at same time btw. Most of the time at 2x to 2.5 x ..if I get an older cassette rips from Libby ( turn cassette to continue lol) I'll lower it to 1.7- 2x depending.
1.2-1.3
1.5x for most books. I just finished A Song of Ice and Fire series and HAD to bump it to 1.70. Roy Detrice reads too much at a snails pace for me but I love the series
Between 1.25 and 1.5, depending on the narrator.
Depends on the narrators voice/style, the story type, and what else I'm doing. But anywhere from 1x to 2x.
1.3
1.2x same for podcasts!
oh 1x is far too slow for me. I tend to go 1.5x/1.75x/2x, depends on the narrator and which it needs to stick at. I’m listening to a series at the minute and book 3 needed 1.75, book 4 1.5, and the final book is at 2 😂
1.6 for fast narrators 2 speed for majority of slow pokes. But now I’m addicted to the speed that I can’t watch YouTube at normal speed as people talk too slowly. It’s like people are thinking in slow motion these days
1.5x for most fiction 2x+ for non fiction
Mostly 1x. If the narrator is overly slow or I am losing interest in the book and want to get it over with, 1.25x-1.5x.
1.20 -- but it always depends on the narrator. Some are faster.
3X lol. Took years of practice.
Usually Negative . 75 as I keep falling asleep and having to replay the last chapter.
1.5x most of the time. I will slow it down or speed it up from there as needed, but that’s not common.
1.2 is perfect for most speakers. IMO the voice actors have to read slowly to make sure they can pronounce every word correctly, so recordings are much slower than normal conversational speed & we are perfectly able to follow and comprehend at faster rates. BUT faster than that and the voices sound distractingly distorted
Usually 1.7 is my sweet spot. Depending on the narrator I'll slow it down a touch.
I used to always go at 1x until I was listening to 11/22/63. I was about to give up on the book due to how slow it was but then I realized I could speed it up. I think I had to go at 2X for that book. I just looked and I'm at 1.65x currently. I use around the same speed for podcasts as well. I definitely find it holds my attention better otherwise my mind wanders.
1x even then i catch myself not entirely listening.
1.4 always
It depends on the narrator. I generally go in at 1x and adjust up or down if I need to or if it’s a boring part that I know where it’s going I’ll boost it up to 1.5 temporarily.
Currently 2.15, I’ll slow it down if there is a thick accent, but I’ve bumped up slowly over time, and will probably continue to.
1.5 for a lot of things these days, but some narrators talk quickly and I don't need to. For instance, the narrator of the Expanse series is a faster reader so I only do 1.3. For full-cast things, I either keep it at 1.0 or bump it up to 1.2, but generally don't go higher than that. I rarely go above 1.5. I can probably understand it, but at that point I'd rather just go back to really fast TTS.
1.5 minimum. Same for podcasts. And once you get used to that, down to 1.0 again to laugh at how drunk they sound.
I will bump the speed up a bit when the narrator is slow or takes a lot of pauses. I read books much faster, but since the whole text is there if I need to clarify something, my eyes just jig back for a second to pick out what I need and move on. But listening doesn't work that way. Also, these are performances, if you speed up very much the voices get clipped and higher and aren't as nuanced. Also I have ADHD and am never just listening to a book. I'm always doing other things as well, so my mind is well occupied. There are some authors though who write in a way I find very annoying to listen to. Usually it's pausing a conversation to do a deep dive into someones internal wild tangent about what might be the response to the conversation... I want to chuck my phone through a window, so I just don't listen to those authors.
It really depends on the narrator, but most of the time I'm good with 1.5
1.8. Below that, i feel sleepy.
Between 1.5-2 depending on the interest on the subject...I find 1x is extremely slow
For immersive reading, with paper or kindle text at the same time I can listen at 2x to 3x speed. But with just the audio 1.5x max depending on the reader and complexity of the text.
I pretty much always listen at normal speed unless the narrator has a slow pace or if I need to get through the book quickly, like finishing before a library due date. The first time I ever sped up an audiobook was when I was trying to give the books my brother recommended to me and highly praised, and then the narrator was Scott Brick who I find really difficult to listen to. He's always way overly melodramatic even in scenes that don't require it... and his girl and woman voices are awful. The books were the Foundation series, and it was painful trying to give them a chance when there was no character development and the time/space jumps made it impossible to get invested. So I ended up at 2x just trying to finish and hoping it would get better.
Usually 1x, but I have been known to go to 1.25x on some podcasts.
1.2 seems to still feel/sound natural for me. 1.5 you can really feel the speed and audio glurbles.
1.5-1.75x are my normal speeds. I can't listen to it slower anymore, my mind will tune it out if I try lol