Driven to Tears

I also agree that the person's frame of mind, reference and mood play the major role outside of the music itself. I've been moved to watery eyes on a few occassions. This happens much, much, much more with movies which is why I enjoy cinema more than audio alone (cinema having more stimuli.) Many bash the home theater expierence but it by far trumps 2 channel audio for my enjoyment.

Now, to further add proof to my point, the last time I cried listening to music was listening to Mariah Carey's " Can't Let Go." Many would regard her as pop dribble but given the thoughts of my mother at the time I absolutey cried like a baby in my wife's arms and the song just helped release those emotions.

I remember the first time I heard Patricia Barber's " A Rush of Blood" from Cafe Blue (which again some may discard as not so avantgarde jazz dribble) on a Maggie 20 custom setup in a gents spacious family room. The sound ws so all encompassing that if not for two men standing behind me I may have watered up. I do remember purposely gathering my emotions...excitement and involvement. It was a wonderful match of song, system and room. The large room just melted away and had I been alone I may have been brought to tears, maybe. There is a certain physicality that a system can convey that can prompt an physiological and emotional response. Timbre, Tone and Bass response.

I agree and disagree with the previous posts.

For me, I can be driven to tears by beautiful tone either by a live performance or on an audio system that reproduces the sweetness of the harmonic structure. Tubes are often better for this than solid-state and the quality of the speakers has a lot to do with it.

I've heard the same recordings on lots of systems and most times I am not so affected. So I don't believe it's the recording itself that brings the tears, but the systems ability to reproduce it in a manner that just tugs at my heart.

I have had two recent experiences with this in my own systems. The first time I was playing Laura Brannigan's cover of The Who's "Squeezebox" on vinyl. I was just using a cheap Sony direct-drive turntable with a Grado cartridge feeding a Prima Luna Dialogue Two tube amp with EL-34 tubes. The speakers were Silverline's Preludes.
When the "squeezebox" enters late in the cut the tone was so pure and the image so holographic that my eyes just welled up and began to tear.

And just yesterday, I began auditioning the NSR D3 Sonata speakers for an upcoming review. Again, the source was vinyl via a Michell Tecnodec and Benz Ref 3 Copper cartridge. I used the Nova Phonomena Phono preamp into a custom 6SN7 tube preamp feeding the NuForce 9V2 SE amps.

I forget the name of the track did me in, but it was one of the middle cuts on Ry Cooder's Bop Till You Drop LP. Interestingly, this recording was the first vinyl pressing to use a digital master.

I have listened to those same albums on a lot of systems and have not be affected at all; so I have to say that it's the way the tone is reproduced that brings the tears.

I had my first experience with this phenomenon oddly enough at a Jr. High School concert where the orchestra was not amplified electronically. I was embarassed and tried to hide my emotion but I had just never heard such sweet and dramatic sounds before.

To those who have not yet experienced this level of musical beauty, I urge you to keep trying. When it happens it will most certainly take you by surprise.

Once, my wife was in the listening chair groovin' on "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder. When the song ended and I raised the lights, she was crying. I asked, "what's wrong; you don't like my new amp?" She responded, "No, it's fine, but I feel so sorry for that poor kid in the song." I usually skip that track these days.

I cannot recall if I have ever weeped during a musical passage, however the first time I heard my VK75 tube amp in my system I almost pissed in my pants - it sounded that good.

Celine Dion brings me to tears.

And indigestion for that matter.

Tears, no, but goosebumps with amazing regularity.