ADD or Audiophile?
I’ve loved listening to music since a very young age, starting with my parents Grundig console tube stereo which they brought to the states when the army transferred my dad back to the US. I bought my first stereo components as a young teen and would sit in my dark basement bedroom listening to Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan…..In college, I’d sit and listen to music for hours. Fast forward 40+ years…I now have a nice system. I look forward to weekends when i can listen to music in peace and quiet. What I’ve noticed is i can no longer just sit and enjoy music. I usually read (a lot of times Audiogon Discussion Forum) while listening. When a particular song comes on or a beautiful passage comes up, I focus on the beauty of the music and artistry of the musicians creating it, then its back to mental muli-tasking again.
I suspect its some form of ADD, but I’d like to think that doesn’t disqualify me as an Audiophile.
Anyone else share this “affliction?”
I have two systems, both very much alike. One is setup in front of my indoor bicycle. That's where I listen to most of my music. I get to enjoy the tunes while getting my exercise in, Saves time, which I don't have a lot of until I retire. The other system is mostly used to watch movies. Sometimes I use it to listen to satellite radio as background music when I have a project going on or I'm working on my model railroad.
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@ezstreams That's a nice piece, too. Just curious ... what's it doing outside? Was it being moved; sold? My youngest sister & I have our Grundig in storage. I've often thought pieces like this would be perfect displayed in a high-end audio shop as a conversation piece. All the Best! |
@oldaudiophile 😀 i grabbed that Grundig photo off the internet. Unfortunately, my parents console was sold or more likely discarded many many years ago☹️. It would have been a really neat piece of music nostalgia to keep☹️☹️ |
I used to dream about having the time to listen, to really listen to music. Now that I am retired and have more time, I find that I can’t sit that long anymore more.🙁 Ao a lot of my listening is almost background music, I’m sad to say. It’s not ADD, more like my butt hurts and I have to stand up. Sigh. |
I think that staying focused only on the music is hard for many of the reasons that folks have shared, But I also think that it is something we can gently push back on if we would like to stay more music focused. I was lousy at meditation - my mind drifted towards my random thoughts so easily, and I was frustrated by what a battle it was to keep focusing on my breathing. But focusing on music is actually easier for me. When I do inevitably drift away towards some thoughts or worries, gently bringing myself back to the music is easier and more fulfilling than bringing myself back to my breathing. Also, for the last few years, I write something about each piece of music I listen to in my listening room. I keep a journal next to the chair, and I find that listening, and then writing about what I just heard (one album side at a time, usually) keeps me in conversation with myself about music. For me, it helps. If that all seems like too much work, I understand. There is certainly no harm done doing more than one thing, if you like them both. We really only do one thing at a time, anyway. We just switch focus so rapidly that it seems like more than one... |
