Have your standards/taste in music changed?


I have been involved in high-end audio for 40+ years now and I would have to say that my selection and appreciation for music has in many ways been influenced by this audiophile hobby. I know that there is a lot of music that I would not otherwise have know to exist had I not spent time with Stereophile/Absolute Sound and other magazines and journals. I have attended a number of major Audiophile Shows and demos always finding the selection of music interesting and motivating. Live music has had a special interest due to it being the standard by which recorded music has been judged; but not without an ever present interest in how well my system(s)could reproduce an excellent facsimile. I would be interested in your thoughts on this subject and if you feel that this hobby has truly made a difference in your world of music.
brauser
I listen to far more classical recordings than when I was younger. With blues and folk/country/bluegrass I prefer the older stuff, especially in the case of blues (20's-50's era).
Rock listening hasn't changed much--I still prefer the music I grew up with and don't have too much stuff past 1980. Nirvana was the last band I bought, I reckon.
My standards have been on a consistent downward spiral with no end in sight.
Looking for the intangible something that Whart referred to keeps things going for me. Sometimes it shows up when you'd least expect it. Over time the silliness of dividing music into genres seems to become more obvious. Patto was a fantastic band. They shared musical sensibilities w/ Ellington, Mingus and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Sonically the recordings are not pristine or state of the art, (well maybe on a few moments on Roll em' Smoke em'
are) and Halsall's ability to shred before there was really much of that around by itself didn't make them a great band. There's just something about the way their stuff prints in the brain after a few listens that counts more than perfection and makes some people dig them like few other bands. Kraan is another one that maybe the same could be said for.