An interesting demonstration

When I was learning to listen critically last year, someone (Darko?) suggested listening not only with focused attention, but to do a crossword puzzle (e.g.) while listening. Almost a "peripheral vision" kind of move.

Wow! thanks Hilde...

Very important observation...

The great biologist Wolfgang Schad wrote a book about Peripheral Seeing and his importance to identify form and function in nature...

The neuro psychiatrist writer Iain McGilchrist in " the Master and his emissary", a seminal book, distinguish TWO modes of attention, linked to TWO way to be in the world..."Peripheral attenton" and "focused attention"..

For sure we use these 2 modes at the same times ....

With the important fact that some people are more focused on details and other to the larger context....I cannot do anything than simplifying a 500 hundred pages book here...

To complete your example of the museum...

When we look "peripherally" we could become being conscious of the environment and the link to our own body could be thought on another level completely...

The inside of our body is a vast  world which could be related to the vast world  outside of the body by a  new geometry for example...This geometry exist by the way....I cannot describe it here in this post...

Then instead to think about an object in front of a body we may think about a " function" manifested simultaneously in 2 interrelated communicating  worlds....

Then Focus attention and Peripheral attention plays TOGETHER in an evolutive perceptive process...

As a mental exercise can you do it all at once? I certainly can not.

Nobody can do it all at once ...But the point is the ability to do it is there not all at once but in an ongoing process...

I can't do it at once. I move through the various modes.
Thanks, Mahgister. Interesting ideas, there.
I think the hifi podcast guys, Darren and Duncan, also remarked on how you can tell a room/gear setup sounds good from out in the hallway. That's an interesting indicator of how sensitive we are.

Have a conversation with someone at a party, in a noisy room.

There is no problem paying perfect attention to what is being said.

We can easily isolate the details.

Put an Omni directional mic in the same room,, record everything and then try and pay attention to a singular discussion.

Good luck.

We are hardwired to listen for specifics. So what?

Watching a tv with static, if it is something we want to watch, we will keep watching, and eventually not notice the static any longer. So what?

Guess there is no need/reason to audio gear anymore…

@nonoise , no, I would say we are down to wishful thinking and reality.

mahgister, did you mean, "trunk" of an elephant? 

Somehow I have to get through to you guys that listening to the sound and listening to music are two separate things. You can listen to sounds other than music like Gun shots, baby's crying, 18 wheelers passing by. an MRI machine, an F22 flying over, etc. When I am listening to music I am not analyzing the sound. You can switch back and forth. I usually listen to the sound at the beginning of a record as a short analysis of the quality of the recording. Once I have that down and maybe make an adjustment or two I'll settle back and enjoy the music. If a new instrument or voice comes in I might analyze it for a second then settle back again. What I or anyone else for that matter thinks of the sound is totally different from what I think or anyone else thinks of the music. Just listen to any Robert Johnson recording. Pretty bad right! Ah, but the music is another story.