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.

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I've always enjoyed music with good cannabis - used to do psychedelics and 'E' too a few decades ago. Now I hardly even drink anymore, but I always enjoy cannabis! Goes great with music, movies, telly, sports, etc etc. 
I recently bought a Raven Blackhawk. Some have complained about a transformer buzz. My goal tonight is to match that buzz.
There is a special place for any music that can give me an adrenaline rush; but, there is a cherished (perhaps even sacred) place for any music that can give me goose bumps, regardless of whatever equipment that I was listening to at the time. However, I tend to be more impressed when those things occur during sober listening, because I don't have to question or debate what caused that response.
If you remember* being at Woodstock, you weren’t really there. So the saying goes.

Similarly, altered states are good for experiential activity, not for evaluative activity.

* I remember trying to get there with friends, then the VW van broke down some 15 miles away. We repaired the van and turned around.