ADD or Audiophile?

A. Primary 2 Channel System.

By myself, always selected content, always focused listening. Frequently Donna on the sofa, loves the music, doesn’t care about imaging. Occasionally focused/semi-focused listening with friends to content and/or equipment.

B. Office System:

Always purposeful background. Always working, sitting dead center of monitor and speakers, excellent imaging.

Computer: I put on Pandora, pick or shuffle stations, discover new to me content/artists. What grabbed my attention while working, buy some?

Computer: YouTube music videos up here occasionally

Turntable or Reel to Reel, select content, start, back to work, thus selected background.

C. Small Home Theater

Audio has been a big part of enjoying video, since I pulled the speaker wires out of old CRTs, hooked to decent speakers, the audio signal was surprisingly good, made any video more involving.

Early Home Theater. Onkyo made the 1st Receiver with a TV Tuner in it, I pre-ordered one, signal from my roof antenna. And, all FM is between tv channels 6 and 7, so you could grab FM from your cable feed, until, you guessed it, they blocked the FM on their signal.

Along came dolby, VCR’s, 5.1 surround, DVD/Blu-Ray, improved cable audio (not always, I avoid pseudo surround).

I watch a lot of music based video, dvds, broadcast and YouTube, and enjoy darn good audio of any other content, i.e. Korean Dramas, Netflix, Amazon Prime

D. Shop/Garage System: always selected content on while working, remote volume and mute important!

+1 @baylinor 

Funny; I read "ADD" as "Analog/Digital/Digital," and expected this post to be about older vs. newer recording technologies.

Don't believe in "multi-tasking." Research proves that it isn't really possible, that the brain can properly focus on only one task at a time. That doesn't mean one can't pat one's head while rubbing one's tummy, of course. Yes, it's possible to "read" while "listening," especially if the reading is audio reviews and the listening is undemanding (from two-chord pop to Philip Glass minimalism; I'm not implying a value judgment here). But if either the reading or the music is at all challenging, I will concentrate on one or the other.

So, speaking for myself, I don't believe in the whole concept of "background music." If there's music playing, I pay attention to it—in a restaurant, in a movie, in Trader Joe's. I'm pretty sure it's nearly impossible for me to be in the presence of music and not listen to it. Music I like used in a movie actually disengages me from the movie; I find myself not wanting to go back to the movie when the edited bit of music stops, that I'd rather hear the whole song (or whatever). I will put on something with a beat for a workout, sometimes; usually, though, even workouts are better if it's quiet and I can concentrate on the movement.

So, no, I'm not "afflicted" with the ADD the OP complains about. I can sit in the sweet spot and just listen for hours; the time flies by. I'll fall asleep in front of the TV at ten o'clock (I'm 68 after all), but if I'm listening to music instead, I'm reluctant to pack it in at midnight. And I never fall asleep while listening. In fact, the only time I turn music on in the car is for long drives when I need to stay awake.

"ADD or Audiophile?"

It’s not only you. I and many people will be same. It’s the new digital technology that only improves the sound. Not the musicality. The new digital technology dissects the original music and regenerates a smooth/nice sound but the musicality is destroyed in process. New sounds don’t draw you into the music like a good older hi-fi. Therefore, I don’t use a new DAC.

Experience the pure musicality at THE Show 2024, OC. Costa Mesa audio show (my rm #272) on June 7-9. My system is the only natural sound audio in the world. **Bring your wife to impress her. Alex/WTA

In my living room system, I just listen; I can't pay attention to what I read and what I hear at the same time. When working on photos at my desk, though, I have music on my desktop system while doing Photoshop work....