Hours sitting around just listening to music?

I travel a fair amount, but every night I'm home I listen for between 30 mins and 3 hours. My room is a dedicated room for music and HT, so I am always in the sweet spot. I am rarely "just listening" - I almost always have my laptop going, or have NBA LeaguePass on with no sound. I work hard, and I'm tired at that time of day - while I may want to just listen, it's pretty much a guarantee that I'll fall asleep if I do. Plus, life just isn't constructed for dedicated listening right now, for me. I wish it were sometimes, but it's not. It will be again someday. I didn't buy the system or the gear focused on one activity or another - I just like the way it sounds and the music it plays. And, I suppose if I found myself with different listening habits (ie, more dedicated listening) that might change what I have and want, the point being that I have what I have found best suits my current needs and that as needs change, what I want may change, not the other way around. -Kirk

I think most of us, except those fortunate ones like sogood51 who have put in their time and are retired, have plenty of competition for our time and attention. If I'm not working late then I usually steal away an hour or two through the week while the kids are doing their homework and the wife is doing her thing to sit and enjoy the music. I don't have a computer in my listening room on purpose. If I'm distracted, it's usually by a periodical of some sort that I haven't gotten around to reading yet, but I try not to do that too much while listening. Whenever I do listen, it is pure relaxation and is very theraputic for the daily stresses of life.

On the weekends I find many competitors for my attention from other entertainment sources, like sporting events, movies, motorcycling, church activities,etc.

One thing about our hobby that is very positive, as my wife points out, is that it keeps us at home. I'm not out with the guys bowling, carousing, playing poker, etc. because I'd much rather listen to music. Although when a freind comes over to listen with me we can crank it up pretty good sometimes Ü.

Rarl makes a good point about the materialistic nature of man. But most people have something that they spend way too much time, energy, or money on. Some are obsessed with the stock market, woodworking, home, boat, car (okay, I fall into that category too), etc. So we are fortunate to have a hobby that gives us years of limitless enjoyment!

As if I didn't spend enough cash for my gear I have to fork up $$$ to send the better half out shopping so I can sit in the sweet spot and enjoy a nag free listening session. Worth every penny.

For most of my adult life, listening to music was a main priority. Indeed, I never owned a TV until I was 32 and never got around to cable or satalite until I was 44 even though I lived way out in the woods.

Most visitors to my home were welcomed with careful listening sessions to my newest favorite recordings. Some close friends spent "music" vacations at my home where we just spent time listening and discussing music. Often, I would spend 2 to 4 hours daily alone with my music.

Now I listen to 2 or 3 disks a week and I'm trying to figure out how to get back to the music.

What happened was so distructive to my enjoyment of music...

We had a direct lightning strike that "cooked" my system. Wires were melted, connections blown out of the back of compontents...

I had great insurance. They settled with my main dealer who made every effort to replace my system. The problems started when lots of things just were no longer made or easliy found in good condition used. I ended up with a system that cost me more than my "replacement" settlemnt and took 3 months to assemble. After several more months breaking in the new super high end speakers, I was getting back into the swing of things and then...

A power supply on an amplifier failed. It cooked the crossovers in my speakers. The amplifier manufacturer took 3 months to fix it (some companies don't stock parts for their stuff). Then the speakers had to be shipped back to Switzerland and then replaced at an expense of 4k...

Now it is 15 months since I've actually enjoyed music on a regular basis. The repaired/new system is finally broken in. I'm just having trouble finding the magic.

"Audiophile" simply defines as "lover of sound". What the hell is so pretentious about that? Realize that a good percentage of us became gearheads BECAUSE of lifelong love of MUSIC, the most sophisticated stimulus the brain receives from any senses, IMO.