Do you listen intently?

Probably about 70% intently. Having played brass instrument from the third grade through high school—concert band in HS in the 1950s and early 1960s in a California school district that had a solid music program from the 3rd grade through High Scool—and attended a fair number of Classical concerts both in the USA and Europe, I am very much “into the music.”  I will even turn out the lights after the sun has gone down to just sit and listen without visual distractions. I do this with classical and other music.   Often for hours. 

My system is mostly tubes (Mx110z/Mc240) so for me to turn it on, I need to be intentional - at least to some degree.  One of my RCA blackplate Power Tubes just red plated and I found out quickly how much a NOS matched QUAD cost, so anything other than intentional listening is just too expensive.  lol. 

When listening to LP's or CD's, listen intently. When streaming (most of the time), very casually.

What a question!

If I am not listening intently, it usually means that I am not in the same room as the system and speakers.  

I live in an older apartment (pre-war) in Queens. No big, combined open spaces like you see on cable.  Lots of walls.  So, I could literally be changing a litter box in the kitchen, while the music is playing in the second bedroom turned den ... down a couple of hallways, off to the right ... you get the idea.  

As a semi crippled senior citizen who gets around with a vertical walker and cane, I am pretty active.  But when I do sit down, I am pretty much planted.  If I am in front of my main stereo, I am typically listening intently, at most reading a magazine.   In front of the stereo in the den, I have to force myself to listen intently.  There is always a laptop to my left, which seems to have a home directly on my chest.  I could be half listening to a pod cast, while the stereo is on.  Would not be the first time that the large screen TV and stereo are competing with each other.  

Maybe it's better when I don't focus on music as much, because I find fault with perfectly well performing equipment.  YouTube is such a distraction, thank God

Intent listening - 30%; everything else - 70%.

Rich  

Every time I turn the system on it’s for intense listening, at least, that’s the plan.. My wife and adult son are the X factor as sometimes (let’s be honest, too often), they don’t agree with my ritual, and they both dislike live level sound. So, I rush to enjoy deep focused listening, eyes closed, when they aren’t home. That happens a few hours a week, as we all leave the house to work .  But, early morning, after they’ve left for work,  I get a hour or two. Days off for me are nirvana. Evenings, the choicest time to listen is unfortunately my least available (unless alone).  I’m grateful I get as much as do though, and that my wife endures the pretty massive collection of equipment and vinyl/CDs I’ve stuffed in our home in the past 20 years .