2. misc-audio
  3. 141604-20253

Are "listening to" or "listening with"

Many many years ago, like Steve Gutenberg, I worked in motion picture projection booths. First as a projectionist, then doing industrial and circuit board design for a competitor of Dolby's.

As a projectionist, avoiding film scratches, and dust, ensuring lamps were rotated and offering proper edge to edge lighting, not to mention sound quality were always on my mind.

To the point that I could not watch movies anymore. In a real sense, the age of digital film was a sweet relief to me. I had literally trained my eyes/brain/reward centers to scan for imperfections, identify them and then rush to fix them. I was no better a movie watcher than anyone else. In fact, I was poorer for it, as I lost sight of framing, pacing, arguments and story telling, let alone human interaction on the screen.

The point I wanted to make is too often as audiophiles we do ourselves a disservice. We start listening TO equipment, instead of listening to music WITH equipment.

As with anything, to your own tastes be true, buy what you like, but make these choices about listening TO or WITH conscious ones. Know that if you listen TO you have a tough time listening WITH. Please yourself, but know that you are hacking your brain when you listen TO gear, and that this hacking may or may not be that rewarding in the end.
erik_squires
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,942 posts
 
I strive to always listen to, and not with. It's just when some anomaly rears it's head that's contrary to what I know to be true that I listen with until I can cure it. 

I'll have long moments when everything is fine until I run into a recording that just doesn't sound right. It will be off in one or two aspects which gets me thinking on the matter of what is causing it. It's the audiophile in me. 

All it takes to cure me of this malady is to go back and listen to a great recording to reaffirm that all is well with my system and then it's back to listening to, knowing that it was the recording that was the culprit. 

But in the end, there's that nagging notion that all is not well and then I'm listening with now and again, repeating the cycle. It's the nature of this hobby. 

You're not going to charge by the hour for this, are you?

All the best,
Nonoise
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
Eric ...

I have a friend who is a really good guitar player. He attended Berklee school of music to study guitar and the music end of film editing. After graduation, he worked in the film industry as an editor. He’s told me that it took years of being absent from the business before he could enjoy movies again. He was always criticizing the editing in his head and losing track of the film’s plot.

In the same vein, I have an audiophile buddy who spent years in the recording business. In spite of loving music, collecting music and listening to music, he always judges the recording first. I keep telling him that he’s missing out on lots of good music, but he says he can’t listen to good music on bad recordings.

Listening to equipment before listening to the music is something that I observe in this hobby. Never understood it. Isn’t the equipment supposed to get us closer to the music? Isn’t the music the end all ... the goal?

Frank
n80
2,133 posts
 
I feel the same way. There are times when you need to listen to the equipment but that is not when I'm happy and in truth, don't find it to be much fun at all. I know for others it is part of the fun and I've got no problem with that at all. Whatever floats your boat.

And there are times when I'm totally unaware of the equipment or even the recording. That usually occurs with a good recording and there is no point at which something doesn't sound quite right. That is the best situation of all.

Nonoise, I too find myself pulling out that 'reference' recording for reassurance.

However, being new to this and having jumped in head first I'm going through all the audiophile stages in rapid succession. And there is a little voice in my head telling me that my low end DAC just isn't all it could be or that I need to find a better streaming solution. And that bugs me and I'm having a hard time getting past it.

Wouldn't it be nice if all life's troubles were this bad?
n80
2,133 posts
 
erik, I also sympathize with what you say about doing something professionally spoiling the joy of that subject.

Two of my passions are photography and cooking. A lot of people get into those things and then want to do them as a job. That's the last thing I want from my hobbies. I can't imagine being under the pressure inherent in doing either of those things professionally. 
marqmike
847 posts
 
+1 n80
And thanks erik for the reminder. I enjoy my hobby better when I listen to the music and not the equipment. So much better. Thanks again.
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