Critical listening and altered states

@mahgister 

Music absorption or immersion cannot coexist with a state of acoustic stress or dissatisfaction...

I can’t argue with this but I’m confused about how "absorption" relates to "altered states as related to what @hilde45  stated at the beginning of the thread:

Ok, this is not a question about relaxing, but about listening to evaluate how the system (or a piece of gear is sounding). 

In other words, can one evaluate a system's sonics while in an altered state that is not absorption? 

@stuartk 

Musical absorption is being in altered states of consciousness. As I posted above in the words of AI.

"In essence, musical absorption is a fascinating phenomenon where music can profoundly alter an individual’s state of consciousness, creating a unique blend of heightened attention, emotional response, and a sense of being transported to another realm. "

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If you can achieve this readily, the system has done its job well. Do we need any further evaluation than that? I’d say possibly not.

We got there because the mastering was good and the system can correctly reproduce a tune, image well, play deep bass, etc.

I keep it simple... after dinner and after my tubes have warmed up for an hour or so, I will indulge in a shot of good vodka, gin or bourbon. Then I will warm up the vaporizer and take about 3-4 hits of cannabis... it's been my routine for 50+ years.

After around one hour of listening, enjoying the music, letting it take me places deep in my heart and soul, I turn it down and begin using that inspiration to play my guitar. I will play for about an hour and will go back to listening to my music collection again for around 15 minutes. After that, I shut everything down and take my dog out for a walk on the trails.  

At 73 years old, my *boring*  daily routine is actually very fulfilling. ;-)

@newton_john 

@hilde45  specifically connects altered states with evaluation of sonics, rather than "relaxation". Your characterization of absorption would seem to suggest these are incompatible.  This is what I don’t understand.

I certainly can't fully give myself up to the music while simultaneously engaging in critical analysis. Perhaps others can.