I Hardly Listen to Music Anymore


I've been a frequent observer to Audiogon, but this is the first thread I've started.

I find that I rarely listen to music anymore. (Once every couple of weeks). Let me explain.

I've been into audio for about 35 years. When I first got started listening to music and got involved in audio, in the late 60's, music was not a background pastime. When the new Dylan, Band, Allman, James Taylor, Santana, etc., album came out I'd listen to it in a dark room, in the sweet spot, eyes closed, alone or with friends, for hours on end, to great satisfaction. Since then, that's how I've always listend to music and I still enjoy listening like that for hours on end when I can.

As I grew older, I was never able to listen to music as background, because I can't concentrate on work or anything else when music plays. Consequently, as time goes on, and I have less and less time for serious listening sessions, I find I listen to music less and less. I don't play music at work and do not put the big rig on when I'm just hanging around at home in another room.

Other friends/coworkers constantly have jam boxes, walkmen, ipods etc playing as filler. So the people who care about music less listen to it more and people who care about music more listen less. I also am not as exposed to new music as people who constantly listen as background.

One of life's little ironies, I guess. Anyone else have this experience?

PS- It's not that my stereo is fatiguing. When I have time to listen for an hour or two I fall in love with my system(Wadia 21, ML-335, Wilson Sophia, Transparent cable) all over again. I've finally gotten it to the point where it is detailed yet smooth, and effortless at all volumes. So its not listner fatigue.
mitchell
Nobody mentioned live music. Can one live from recorded only performance? I think not. A balance should be struck with live music feeding the urge for reliving the experience with recorded and recorded feeding the desire to find the artist live.
Yeah. I'm along a similar trend personally. I've been in and/or around high end audio, and thus music for over 22 years now. And I find I listen to less and less music, the older I get. Personally, I like to click on the music, enjoy some album or whatever in it's entirety, then turn it off! I don't listen to much background/casual anymore, nor in my car much for that matter. Basically, I enjoy superbly reproduced and recorded music, but I enjoy my peace even more often!
I just can't play music all day anymore, nor do I care to. I find songs just bounce through my head incessently. When I go to enjoy some fine music at times, I just go to it, then go away from it!...just like changing moods. I enjoy it that much more when I do listen at those times now. Before I was getting burned out, and "over saturated"...I do think peace is a premium in life, and you should maintain a level of that for health.
However, I will say that I also enjoy my hometheater more than music listening mostly as well! Movies also allow me to escape to someother thought briefly. Then I go away from that as well.
Being "not single" anymore, I also find sharing movies is more common amoung us (my girl) than music.
Hummmm...we certainly change as time rolls on...
I second the previous comment about live gigs. I intend to see John Renbourn this weekend in Berkeley. He never fails to inspire.
I care and I listen.
I keep my Stax system in my office and listen music through headphones and I-Book G4.
I realy now wish to get A to D converter to put some of my records onto CDs specifically for my portable system which realy sounds fantastic.
Hmmm, thoughtfull stuff. I think there are many reasons for what's happening, most of not all spelled out:

- Changing priorities
- Intensity of listening and inability to do it long
- Dissatisfaction with sub-par systems
- Age? :-)

For me, I am lucky (I think) to be able to switch "modes" often. I can listen intensely and critically at home on my main system. I can also listen in private through headphones at home or work (Marakanetz, I envy you! I wish I could bring one of my headphone amps to work; I use Ety 4P's out of my laptop). And I listen a lot in my car.

I say I'm lucky, because I still enjoy it at all levels of quality, and still get the time to do it. I don't listen to my speaker-based system as MUCH, but I still do. Not out of lack of desire, but due to family/child situation - time spent with them, and desire ny them for reduced noise levels.

Now the live music thought; there's another good one. A lot of my music is simpler folk and acoustic. While I've seen a lot of live shows, this to me sounds almost as good ina recorded setting. I rarely listen to classical anymore, and definitely think that is a wondeful live experience. But some other music (electronic especially) can be even better recorded than live, due solely to the tricks available in the studio that are more limited live (or just go through tape loops or the like, meaning very little difference from the studio recording).

My 10 cents....