After a while it’s just sounds.

“It is not ubiquitous and is certainly not the typical method, as there is no such thing as a typical method. All who listen are unique in how they create a personal approach to how they are listening.”

I agree all who listen are unique, but as evidenced by the many replies, this post stimulates thought,

Personally not offended by the content of this thread just disappointed. Why the continuing need to debate critical listening over casual listening? Being an Audiophile the bias is going to be significantly skewed towards critical listening, this in NO means proves less appreciation for music. Casual or background listening does not require high level components. acoustic or power treatments, just a Bose Wave Radio.

RV- With respect, and I am not being argumentative, but many of  your posts on system and recording sound quality have a common theme…questioning or becoming dissatisfied with sound quality after a period of time of enjoyment and the struggle of falling into a critical listening mode rather than a musical enjoyment mode.  I assume most audiophiles have the same struggle since it just seems to be a struggle imbedded in the foundation of this hobby. I will not make assumptions further but speak of myself.  

I love the music.  I am not formally trained on music outside of middle and high school orchestra and band (bass).  I have near perfect pitch.  I can hear a song once and pick out the melody on a piano and build cords even though not trained, but technique is awful.  I am self read on composers and their differences in structure and technique.  Combining this, I hear the difference between an 5th and an 9th.  I understand the emotion a well structured pause of silence can bring as well as an allegro, forte flurry.  All of this gives me the ability to fall deep into the appreciation of differences in composition and performance.  I am in musical appreciation mode 90% of the time as previously stated. 
 

I have also trained myself to turn on a critical listening mode to analyze equipment.  If this mode surfaces unwanted, and I cannot go into musical appreciation mode, like @audphile1, I stop listening.

If you have not read on physiological theories regarding satisfaction and dissatisfaction, please research peer reviewed articles on  hedonic adaptation, the novelty effect, and the expectation reality gap.  I have found understanding how the mind works theoretically has helped me stay in  musical apperception mode.  While it is difficult, understanding this has helped me try to avoid the temptation and trap of constantly seeking improvement just because the initial excitement has faded, the special feeling of new is now old, or some other minor imperfection I have lived with now is a focus of mind.   

To that end, when I do go into critical listening mode to determine if I want to upgrade, and I do not upgrade often, I find setting a specific goal for a defined improvement helps me focus, and usually ends in satisfaction with the status quo rather than a spend.  
 

I know your system’s components.  You have a very musical system.  You post mostly on well engineered recordings.  Enjoy the music.   Hope my explanation of what I do helps you stay in musical apperception mode.  

@jsalerno277 

You and I are in complete agreement. 
The reason I write these posts is to help others realize this, and enjoy the music.

I DO realize I write about the same topic a lot.  But each time it’s a variation on the theme: DIFFERENT aspects of the same problem, in the hope it will reach someone who’s going through difficulties.