Rauliruegas, you bet. Most of time my eyes are closed. Some people are entertained by watching the musicians. I am not. I prefer to take in the musical event. This is at classical concerts only. At rock concerts the sound is mono at best and very loud. There is now usually a light show worth watching not to mention the antics of the musicians.
Roxy 54, you have no understanding of the neurosciences. I do not know it all. I just usually know my limits unlike some people so, it seems like arrogance but it is not. You can pick out audio details better without visual interference. It is just the way we are wired. This explains some of the brilliance of some musicians like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Art Tatum. You can argue all you want but the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and there is not a darn thing you or anyone else can do about it. Now, you can listen to music with your eyes open all you want, most people do, but if you want to tune your system to the highest level you need to close your eyes and concentrate on exactly what the system is doing down to minute detail.
Many people do not know how good a system can get because they have not heard high end systems set up correctly. They have no basis for comparison. Many if not most concerts are not a good comparison. Classical concerts and acoustic jazz quartets make wonderful comparisons. Concerts where you are close up to acoustic instruments.
String quartets are perfect. Beethoven's early and middles Quartets by the Quartetto Italiano are perfect for comparison to the real thing. Another favorite is Cherubini's Quartets by the Melos String Quartet. Some popular music can be recorded as if the instruments were naturally layered out in front of you but most are surrealistic and can not be used for critical evaluation of a system. When listening to a live string quartet my eyes are closed for most of the concert. I am listening to the individual instruments and the interplay between them. Listening to a string quartet is like watching great figure skaters.
You can't keep your eyes closed at a Nine Inch Nails show. Your eyelids are blasted back over your ears. No, really you would miss half the show with your eyes close. At home there is nothing to see. You need to put on something like Weather Reports Mysterious Travelers, turn off the lights and let it wash over you at 95 dB. Quite an experience, an event in your own home.
