Have you ever stopped listening to an audiobook because the tone of the narrator was so annoying?
I definitely noped out of a sci-fi audiobook (can't recall the title) a few minutes into one. And I hated the one Expanse book that was narrated by Erik Davis - it was like listening to a robot.
I agree that most of the time, changing narrators mid-series is jarring.
There was one book I listened to (a long one) where the narrators changed for each of the 45 major sections, and it really worked. That was a Roberto Bolaño book titled 2666. Epic, and very dark.
It's been a while, and I wish I could remember the title of the specific book I had this issue with so strongly that I moved to reading the e-book instead, but ... it escapes me right now, haha.
I have also used the speed function to slow down narrators before. I know most people probably adjust the speed up, to get through something faster, but when I'm listening for pleasure, I want to be able to revel in the author's writing, and don't want to be forced to rush through it. I very actively create a visual world in my head while reading and/or listening, and need time for those images to build!
A good Narrator can make a mediocre book enjoyable, and a poor Narrator can make a great book unbearable.
Somehow, the right Narrator just kind of syncs up with my mind and the story just flows in. Otherwise you have to actually focus on listening which can be tedious.
On the audible website you can search by Narrator.
I actually returned a book because I couldn’t stand the narrator. Then I listened to her narrate some other books and came to really enjoy her. And I ended up re-purchasing the book I had returned.
For me, if I have a problem with the narrator, I increase the speed to 1.2ish and that usually helps a lot.
I had the audio version of one of Sam Harris's books a while ago and I swear the narrator pronounced every sentence like it ended with an exclamation mark! It was exhausting and I couldn't stick with it past the first chapter.
Funnily enough I'm currently listening to the first Expanse book, which is narrated pretty well by Jefferson Mays.