I like my gear heap so much that I even enjoy it when it's off.
Audio gear, sonic quality when you listen in less (or non-) focused ways
I'm wondering about how folks listen to their audio, and to what degree the quality of the sound is important, or, perhaps how it differs.
Here are four kinds of listening I can think of. (Did I miss any?)
FL - Focused listening -- sitting at focal point, concentrating on music and/or acoustic qualities.
SFL - Semi-focused listening -- listening is the central but not only activity (sitting in front of audio, listening but also reading, playing games, emailing, etc.)
CL - Casual listening -- listening to music but also involved in equally important tasks (cooking, doing dishes, laundry, etc.)
AL - Accidental listening -- music is on but it is in the background, mostly (music at party, just on for ambience)
For the kinds of listening other than FL, what do hope your audio gear can produce? What kinds of tonalities, soundstage, lows/mids/highs, transient response, dynamics, etc. does it need to produce? Are there other things that this gear needs to do that is different than your main rig? How good does the sound need to be? (In other words, how cheap a solution are you willing to get away with for those other kinds of listening? What do you use?)
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- 34 posts total
@travelinjack naturally so... life's like that |
SFL - Semi-focused listening -- listening is the central but not only activity (sitting in front of audio, listening but also reading, playing games, emailing, etc.) CL - Casual listening -- listening to music but also involved in equally important tasks (cooking, doing dishes, laundry, etc.) @hilde45 You have these two the wrong way around. Reading , playing games involve intellectual input, that get's in the way of listening. I know, I often listen while reading. Cooking, and especially dishes, laundry, need no significant intellectual input, so do not interrupt the connection between brain and music. My wife listens to talk radio while gardening and follows it perfectly. |
+1 Sonos for casual listening - surprisingly good especially at lower to mid volume. My cottage has several sets plus a semi-portable headphone system for more critical and solitary listening when I miss a higher definition setup At home my system is in my study and I’m either listening or reading with lower volume |
- 34 posts total