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Music and Gear

Attention to gear and sound can take away from the pleasures of listening to music.
It brings me great pleasure to analyse sound and enjoy beautiful amplifiers and speakers.
But often, as I concentrate on sound and gear, I find myself overlooking the music.
It is important to strike a fine balance, always remembering that gear is the means and and music is the end.  
As much as I can enjoy playing with gear, it's the music that really fills my heart with infinite joy.  
Gear will give me great satisfaction, albeit at a different level.
A bit like comparing material and spiritual pleasures.

vitto

Showing 1 response by elliottbnewcombjr

elliottbnewcombjr
5,114 posts
 
The habit of expecting/listening for imaging, when sitting centered is in-grained, must be overcome as you say.

After your system is analytically adjusted, and a particular LP/CD/Streamed Track has been ’inspected’ regarding content and how well it is recorded, then knowing what’s there, it’s time to ’let go’, simply enjoy what you know is coming.

Related, is listening to Mono recordings.

I learned here, and implemented:

LP: Stereo Cartridge using Mono Mode on pre-amp is not as good as a Dedicated Mono Cartridge. Mono cartridges avoid any vertical artifacts that Stereo cartridges react to. Those artifacts are more detrimental than I realized.

Next: use only One speaker.

Finally: Listening: get OUT of your primary centered listening position. as the main point of your thread implies.

Mono recording in the 50’s was quite good. Rather than imaging, I find a proper Mono cartridge produces cleaner distinction of individual instruments, players, which adds greatly to both enjoyment, and hearing the greats when they were both young, coming up, creating their individualism.
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