In normal, everyday life, you almost never “hear” reverb, unless you’re in a parking garage or a stairwell. But it’s everywhere, and it affects everything you hear on a subconscious level. Even outdoors, the sound is not the same as a close miked instrument.

Here is an experiment to try. Put on a pair of headphones and listen to the radio. Now, keeping the headphones on and playing, tune a another radio with actual speakers to the same station and turn it on. Turn it off, and then on again. Listen