Critical listening and altered states

@mikelavigne if you’re willing to share, would love to hear what your top 2-10 reference tracks are - digital/vinyl. Impressive regimen. And system!

Agreed....a really Fine cup of coffee...
....with some 'augmentation'...(no sugar or cream, pleeze...Black, like m'attitude....)...*g*

...to chase 'this'....if in the mode to just Enjoy.

If I'm opt to be 'critical' about it....even the coffee + the sugar can be considered 'drugs' in their way.
Where one 'draws lines' is where one draws them.

Lsd please

oldhvymec:  So every cop in your family is dirty except the one that married into your family?  Sounds like a serious genetic problem in your family tree.  Kind of interesting, I did 25 years on the Cleveland PD starting in 1990 right when crack cocaine hit, only knew of a few cops  out of about 1800 (number when I started) that were dirty and weeded out.  Frequently saw much money and drugs, the culture was such that the idea of taking/stealing any of it would not be tolerated by anyone.

Flash-bangs are not grenades, there’s no shrapnel.  Disorienting bright flash & loud noise, that’s it.  Prevented many bad outcomes.  Maybe problematic in your family’s hands…

Some big cop-hating issues you’ve got there.

There is a paradox that with certain altered states the detail of perception and emotional intensity are increased, but the ability to do focused critical listening (left brain-type activity) becomes difficult and not fun. These states can key you into what is abrasive in a system, what feels intuitively good, and what is getting in the way, but not in the usual deliberate way. 

Good sound certainly matters, as does immersive music with interesting textures. Classical music can produce really rich, layered, and emotional experiences, while electronic music can tickle the senses and entrain your consciousness more. In each case, it is more about immersive experience than critical listening. The music itself makes the biggest difference.

Speaking as a total weirdo, I found certain music while tripping produced musical experiences that I had never even conceived and permanently altered the way I hear things. Musical compositions becoming three or four dimensional spaces comprised of so many moving layers, sound textures becoming tactile sensations, colors, and shapes, or evoking images, things harmoniously melting into each other, and lucid trance-like states.

If it is your thing and you don’t mind electronic sounds I recommend "Are You Shpongled" by Shpongle. Completely changed music for me.

Cannabis is great too, much of the time, by enhancing sound textures, making grooves pleasurable, and increasing the intensity of momentary focus so dynamic or rhythmic changes are very dramatic and exciting.

What I notice in terms of system evaluation is that I need something that feels good, but also performs multilayered music well, and bass performance is very important. Solid state systems work well if they aren't harsh.