Has your system changed the music you listen to?


I recently went through a "sell it all and start over" phase with my system. I now own an all McIntosh system driving Thiel CS 2.3 speakers. All of a sudden, I cannot listen to enough jazz. I have never been much of a jazz listener but now i am buying books on jazz music and compiling a sizeable jazz collection. (BTW: I don't consider this a problem in any way, just an interesting phenomena!) Previous system changes have not produced such changes for me.

Life circumstances have certainly been part of this but I cannot help but think that my system change has contributed to this revolution in my music listening habits. Has anyone else experienced anything like this.
pardales
...some music tastes change but virtually speaking location where I find myself in the music never changes. I imagine that music in general is some kind-of array with certain laws and sometimes exceptions that everyone whether one wants or not defines it for oneself sooner or later. I believe that this array was already established for me a long time ago and way before I built myself a system. That's why I proud to consider my music array SYSTEM-INDEPENDED that can work good in any platform like Java computer language. Definitely in this array all with no exception performances are great and interesting and if even recording or the system is not as great still you can enjoy it. If I even someday have to radically downgrade my system I will be OK with cheaper rig just listening to what I've collected. Thus I never refuse to record something on the cassette and listen to it inside the car while I'm driving to work or simply not home. I even record some valuable records on the cassette and play the cassette instead of abusing vinyl in favour to keep it forever mint. My array is not as linear as I would say that there is a jazz, rock-n-roll and classic rock it's much more complicated to the level that I will not judge any type of music anymore meaning that if it's country it doesn't mean that I will ignore it.

Yes, I have to admit that lots of jazz recordings are with less compression and engineered with good quality even throughout the years but dare to agree that most among the mega-tone produced jazz records and CDs are basically the same in different performances and they all sound different!
This hype of finding the best recording of the "Moonlight Serenade" for example in tons of different performances seems to me not interesting and boring i.e. shortly saying it's all junk. I wouldn't still understand people buying remastered copies to the level that you hear sighing of the vocal along with some feet motions in the studio better than instruments! I consider that this was specially remastered for audiofiles that would say "yeah, if you hear this than this is a great recording"; while normally in the studios the noise are trying to hide.
Yes It has. The more we evolve our systems, exposing the textures, colors and nuances of the instruments the greater the possibility of enjoying the performance.

Not to say that music cannot be satisfying when pouring from a bedside radio. I doubt though anyone would deny better quality is an asset, even if not a priority for them. Most of us are content listening to a solo piano played live, yet we can be put to sleep by an entire orchestra when played on a mediocre sound system.

The more I perfect my system, the more interesting all kinds of music becomes. My library has evolved so much that I can find music to please almost any visitor as well as myself.

A typical session with visitors finds us listening to everything from 1960's RCA shaded dogs to antique Blue Note Jazz. Then switch to The Doors, cuts from one of Neil Young's masterpieces, some Bob Dylan or Elvis Costello. Favorite "newer" artist are Rickie Lee Jones, Janice Ian and Kate Bush. Sessions with my 16 year old son gets LPs by Radio Head, Dirty Vegas, Eiffel 65 and Everlast.

You have added another dimension to your life with the deeper appreciation of Jazz. I consider it one of the most varied formats in my collection. Some is near classical, some mainstream and some is more like abstract rock and roll.

I have perhaps two thousand jazz LP's and resist returning to EBAY to shop, as I am running out of space.

Congratulations on your new found pleasure.
Pardales, good observation! When I first heard a great system (not my own), Tomita and other similar music sounded great and changed my tastes. Later, when I got my first good (and perhaps best to date -- that's another story) car audio system, Rick Wakeman really grew on me -- yes I'm busted Mwilson. Still later, when I got my first very nice home audio system, it was jazz, jazz, jazz. Right now, everything finds it's way onto the turntable or CD player. I agree with Albert that good systems open up the possibilities of all kinds of music. Good post!
Absolutely. I used to own a Klipsch based system in college and for a few years after. I listened to mostly rock. I then got into Martin Logans after hearing them at a friends house. The vocals were so amazing that I went searching for every great vocal I could find. Then I got into jazz and more jazz--but then needed to get the woofer to work properly for great jazz recordings. Now I listen to mostly jazz, vocals and classical--in that order. Very seldom do I listen to rock. Was it the system change--or did I change (reminds of a light bulb joke--nevermind)
Not really. Over the past 20 years my taste in music has expanded and evolved, but I don't think it's related to my audiophile tendencies. I would think that over time everybody's musical taste changes, but I would be suspicious if it's driven by changes in your system. That's not to say that a good system won't help you appreciate different types of music, because it will, but a good system should definitely help you enjoy the music you already like.