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Do you listen alone or with guest s

I am curious about the social element of listening to an audiophile system. Do you listen alone?? with wife, ladyfriend, buddy or guests?? For myself, I prefer to listen alone and for a few important reasons. I like to listen to the performance of the system I have put together or have made changes to. I listen to judge the performance of the musicians in terms of innnovations,and new revelations about the music's structure. I listen to "just" listen, to get that emotional fix that only music can provide. I occasionally ask my wife to listen with me or to a particular cut, but after about six minutes she loses interest. In the past, with lesser systems, I tried to point out things to friends in the music that I was hearing. After a short while, I realized I was making others uncomfortable, and also myself. Listening alone over the years became a ritual. I never regretted following this path, and was/am surely open to other listeners in the room....Maybe this is smug attitude to have; I think it comes with the territory of high-end audio. It often annoys me when I see people switch on a stereo and listen for just background music, or incidental music. I feel it denigrates the music and the musicians (excluding hip-hop, Daughtry,and Lady Gaga) I realize and am grateful there is no "golden rule book" for listening to music. The audiophile who drops thousand of dollars on his system cares about sound and music---science in the service of art.
sunnyjim
timlub
2,041 posts
 
I am with Hotmailjbc,
My family and friends probably thing of me as the audio authority, but really don't want to discuss it. Occasionally I'll hear "you should hear Tim's tunes" or rarely my wife will want to hear a song she might like that I was listening to, but overall I listen alone. When I forget the system and just listen to music, I find this my time of refuge a time of relaxation and recouping. Tim
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
What an appropriate thread to start for audiophiles and enthusiasts. It's a great question. I listen alone 99% of the time. No one in my home enjoys Hard Bop which is most of what I play. My 7 year old only notices if I play the Beatles or some other occasional music he likes and then he pays attention for a bit. My wife would love to see me get rid of my setup. It's a very solitary thing, listening to an audiophile system, at least for me. Although, I now regularly get questioned by guests, "what's those things sticking up?" I say, "those are vacuum tubes." Sometimes that leads to a brief conversation.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
To really listen, you need to listen alone. It is all about focus, focus on the music. Socializing is best done without music or the TV going. That way your guests get the attention they deserve and the conversation flows best. Often people ask to 'see' my listening room, but they ask to hear it and perhaps that is telling.
notec
407 posts
 
I built my system for me alone (as pain relieve to the rigor of life: Anodyne). My girlfriend likes music but rarely sits in to listen with me because gets annoyed when I have to "flip" an album over or worse find another to play (the interim silence is a 'party killer' says she). She, like so many these days is an ADD afflicted music listener.

I'm lucky enough to have an audiophile buddy who drops in now and then on fridays to drink scotch and listen to my latest music purchases and/or tweaks/additions I have made. Today is one such day.

Occasionally, I round up several folks from work and introduce them to the wonders of high fidelity wherein we listen to records all night. It's loads of fun watching these groups of people riff thru my record collection making their own "listen to next" piles against the wall, not having touched or heard a record in many decades.
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jgiacalo
446 posts
 
I usually listen with my wife who appreciates good music. For me, it adds an extra dimension to my enjoyment knowing that someone I care deeply about is experiencing the same thrill and sensual involvement that well reproduced music can bring.
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