Critical listening and altered states


Ok, this is not a question about relaxing, but about listening to evaluate how the system (or a piece of gear is sounding).

What, in your experience, are the pluses and minuses of altering your state of mind for listening? This can include anything you've used to affect your everyday state of mind, from coffee, beer, scotch, tobacco, to much stronger — and psychoactive, dissociative — additives.

What do you gain by altering your consciousness in terms of what you notice, attend to, linger on, etc?
What causes more details to emerge?
What allows you to stick with a thread or, alternately, make new connections?

Or perhaps you like to keep all those things *out* of your listening; if that's you, please say a bit about why.

hilde45
And now for something completely different. Why are so many posters not showing or telling us what their system is comprised of...... I don’t have the computer skills to post pictures. I do list all of my equipment. Tomic and Old Heavy Mechanic and a few others thank you for your pictures and explanations. As for this thread, who cares what we personally imbibe on this audio journey. Side note cactus tea is much better than trying to chew the buttons, won’t get sick either. PS haven’t seen a peyote button in 30 years or so, never got sick.
@mikelavigne if you’re willing to share, would love to hear what your top 2-10 reference tracks are - digital/vinyl. Impressive regimen. And system!
Agreed....a really Fine cup of coffee...
....with some 'augmentation'...(no sugar or cream, pleeze...Black, like m'attitude....)...*g*

...to chase 'this'....if in the mode to just Enjoy.

If I'm opt to be 'critical' about it....even the coffee + the sugar can be considered 'drugs' in their way.
Where one 'draws lines' is where one draws them.
oldhvymec:  So every cop in your family is dirty except the one that married into your family?  Sounds like a serious genetic problem in your family tree.  Kind of interesting, I did 25 years on the Cleveland PD starting in 1990 right when crack cocaine hit, only knew of a few cops  out of about 1800 (number when I started) that were dirty and weeded out.  Frequently saw much money and drugs, the culture was such that the idea of taking/stealing any of it would not be tolerated by anyone.

Flash-bangs are not grenades, there’s no shrapnel.  Disorienting bright flash & loud noise, that’s it.  Prevented many bad outcomes.  Maybe problematic in your family’s hands…

Some big cop-hating issues you’ve got there.