I admit never liking them. But since they were part of the course, I just did them, following the instructions. Bare minimum. 
Now, itās about a year and a half since I had started SSiW, and I decided to go back and check what impression I get by listening to them now.
Well, Listening Practices from Level 1 actually seemā¦normal speed now. I can easily understand 100% of it without any effort.
Those from Level 2 are still a bit weird and tough, but way better than in the beginning!
Iām in the beginning of Level 2 now and one of my tasks this week was to listen to the first five listening practices in reverse order. When I reached #1 in the end, I thought Aran sounded like a person with a stroke or something (SORRY Aran!) 
The Welsh was just ssssooooooo ssssslooooowww aaaaand deliiiberaaaate.
But I vividly remember my first attempt at listening to #1 mere three months ago. It was such a ride, it left me breathless!
What a fun demonstration! 
Iāve given up trying to listen. It sounds like a cross between daleks and clangers
Weles i mohono ti - bechod! Pryd oeddet ti yno - nos Sadwrn? Sorry to have missed you - youāll have to come back to Oxford instead 
I believe the method is to persevere and not worry that you donāt appear to be āpicking anything upā - there is neural stuff going on in your subconscious that is helping you, although you donāt realise it. At least, that is what Iām told by people cleverer than I am. I ignored the listening exercises for months and months but now listen to one at least twice a day. And slowly I think I am starting to pick stuff up that I had no clue about before. So it seems like itās worth persevering.
(Although donāt play it to friends or family as theyāll just look at you as if youāre mad!!)
Im on level 1, challenge 10 and I listened to the first VERY FAST listening practice yesterday. I laughed so hard that it was hard to hear the practiceā¦but I was able to catch several timesā¦āmaeān ddrwg gen iā and ādiolch un fawrā . I thought it was hilarious! Even though the instructions say not to read the text as you listen, I have to admit I did when I listened for the second time, just to see what they were saying. Still its hard not to laugh and listen at the same time! So Im considering it my laughing practice once a day