Audio gear, sonic quality when you listen in less (or non-) focused ways
I'm wondering about how folks listen to their audio, and to what degree the quality of the sound is important, or, perhaps how it differs.
Here are four kinds of listening I can think of. (Did I miss any?)
FL - Focused listening -- sitting at focal point, concentrating on music and/or acoustic qualities.
SFL - Semi-focused listening -- listening is the central but not only activity (sitting in front of audio, listening but also reading, playing games, emailing, etc.)
CL - Casual listening -- listening to music but also involved in equally important tasks (cooking, doing dishes, laundry, etc.)
AL - Accidental listening -- music is on but it is in the background, mostly (music at party, just on for ambience)
For the kinds of listening otherthan FL, what do hope your audio gear can produce? What kinds of tonalities, soundstage, lows/mids/highs, transient response, dynamics, etc. does it need to produce? Are there other things that this gear needs to do that is different than your main rig? How good does the sound need to be? (In other words, how cheap a solution are you willing to get away with for those other kinds of listening? What do you use?)
If I'm doing focused listening on the music, the sound quality is surprisingly unimportant - so long as nothing is horribly off I'll be OK because I'm focusing on the music itself and my mind is able to do a tremendous amount of "error correction" for less than optimal sound quality. If I'm doing focused listening on the sound quality, then of course the sound quality is everything.
SFL - the best kind of listening in my opinion in terms of listening for sound quality. I become less judgmental of sound quality and generally enjoy myself a lot. I do notice sound quality in this setting, so it's still fairly important. As long as there are some noticeable good qualities to the sound I'll get a lot of enjoyment, picking up on the good without being very critical of the bad. I think I enjoy music the most in SFL too. Music can be listened to as a total point of focus, but it often works so well to enhance other activities when attention is shared between the two that I think I have richer overall experiences that way.
CL & AL As long as it's not screeching horrible sound quality doesn't matter too much in these settings for me. It's still nice to have some quality though.
FL - Focused listening -- sitting at focal point, concentrating on music and/or acoustic qualities.
I think your first category is actually two and should be split into FLE (focused listening equipment) and FLM (focus listening music). Once a system is up and running to the owners satisfaction FLE, then it switches to FLM. That is unless one is really suffering from Audiophile Nervosa. Actually I find that sad as it is all about the music...
Listening while driving is an interesting case. I have done many long drives with a pile of CDs to listen to. If I am concentrating on the music my driving goes into totally automatic unconscious mode, as it can do in other circumstances like if I am thinking about something.
How do I know? Because something happens in the traffic and conscious driving input comes back into play. I realise that for the previous 15 minutes or 25 miles I have been driving without being conscious of doing so.
I am sure other long-time drivers experience this.
You might be wondering how many traffic accidents I have but it is well over 30 years since I had one and that was another driver jumping the lights and T-boning my car.
@clearthinkerI can see how those two might be swapped. Thanks!
I appreciate the answers so far.
There is a bias toward listening to music the way we look at paintings in a museum -- e.g., by staring at them. We call it "immersion" and we often aim for it in our systems and in our listening habits. Of course, music is everywhere, and used in many different ways. Brian Eno understood this when he developed ambient music, and he sought to challenge the idea that focal attention was the only (or even the superior) form of attention. (This is a good challenge to audiophiles, if only because it raises a question that may engender a more intentional commitment to the focused way of listening. It stops being an automatic bias and it becomes more intentional.)
My curiosity is about the intersection of sonic character and listening that is not focused (like in a museum). Some of the best times I’ve ever had with music was when it was blasting all over my apartment or house on while I moved around, did dishes, sang along -- or if I was driving down the highway. I have been surprised that while I enjoy my focused listening (with clearly better sound quality) that it is not as ebullient or fun as when I listen in other, non-focused ways. It is transcendent, intense, joyful, and lots of good things -- but it is not enjoyable in those other ways. Clearly, enjoyment varies in different situations, and the question becomes, What kind of acoustics/sound goes well with those forms of enjoyment?
+1 Sonos for casual listening - surprisingly good especially at lower to mid volume. My cottage has several sets plus a semi-portable headphone system for more critical and solitary listening when I miss a higher definition setup
At home my system is in my study and I’m either listening or reading with lower volume
SFL - Semi-focused listening -- listening is the central but not only activity (sitting in front of audio, listening but also reading, playing games, emailing, etc.)
CL - Casual listening -- listening to music but also involved in equally important tasks (cooking, doing dishes, laundry, etc.)
@hilde45 You have these two the wrong way around. Reading , playing games involve intellectual input, that get's in the way of listening. I know, I often listen while reading. Cooking, and especially dishes, laundry, need no significant intellectual input, so do not interrupt the connection between brain and music. My wife listens to talk radio while gardening and follows it perfectly.
My gear standard produces e full, rich, natural sound that sounds good at any volume and under any circumstances... Such standards are achievable for not much money. This is why a speaker like the Epi 100 is such a timeless classic: it’s a rich, full, dispersive speaker that is easy to place, easy to listen to, sounds great at low volumes and high, still sounds good from anywhere in the room,, and that nevertheless does have the imaging, etc., that is important to focused listening as well... a speaker to live with, which is hard to go without once you have it.
I can’t stand products that have to be a certain volume or you have to sit so precisely, picky products, finicky products... that’s not how I live, and it’s not how actual music lives either.
If the system is good enough for FL then it should be perfectly fine for everything else. I find it interesting that sometimes during accidental listening or casual listening to hear more subtle or less obvious portions of the music that I might not necessarily notice or appreciate during a FL session.
At a certain age, listening hours become fewer. At a younger age, sure, I could enjoy music on all kinds of systems and in any kind of environment. Unfortunately, that time is slipping through my fingers and listening FL is the best option for me with my diminishing hearing. I even question myself over going to concerts anymore since I have to wear earplugs for most.
It's like beers, life has become too short to drink cheap beers.
I only run my main system when I am in FL mode; being that the speakers are Magnepan, they are worthless for any type of casual, walking around the house sort of listening. For the rest of my house, I am using the big Google Home Max speakers connected to my network. Most rooms have one. They have a big, bold sound and I enjoy them immensely. They run many more hours per day that my primary system. Of course I don't demand any sort of "audiophile" quality for this type of casual listening but I do expect and want pleasing quality sound. The Home Max does a terrific job for me.
Most people only realize that their system does not sound as good as it can until they hear something better in their system. We have many people come to our listening room with their equipment and when they hear something that sounds better, then they realize what can be accomplished. We get that all th3 time.
I honestly don't care about fidelity when I'm in my car. As long as sibilants aren't too spitty and bass isn't overpoweringly boomy, I'm pretty okay with it. When I'm at a bar, restaurant or a friend's house, I'm just as non-critical.
FL is only mode for main system. Don't really listen much to music with other systems available to me, therefore, work system, home theater and car. I'm far too easily distracted by music so work is out, home theater is for video and car I'm usually listening to NPR. Concentrated listening with my main system supplies vast majority of fulfillment I get from music, every session a real treat, sessions last a minimum of four hours. I get withdrawal symptoms when I don't get time for my intense listening sessions, don't get the same connection to music and artists when listening to music via these inferior systems so don't much bother with them.
At our place FL and SFL are all done on my main system as that room is quiet and easy to relax within. When it comes to CL it’s all Sonos- there are a few in the house that can be moved around if needed (as well as outdoors). They’re great for that purpose. If all else fails I’ll queue up music on my Android phone. The only AL would be what my wife is playing on Sonos or the occasional unfortunate IPAD blast.
SFL with radio FM (when material is interesting turns to FL, though now and again caught myself in FL mode).
SFL, office Micro system, a 4 component one with a warm and engaging sound, clear, open mids and highs, good imaging, connected to pc or tablet, really a pleasure.
CL, cooking, through another Micro system. Only place i would not care for precise or good imaging but want mids and bass.
AL, main system with the aid of the 2 Micro systems all tuned to same FM station (old fashioned).
Garden, desktop portable speakers with their integrated amp connected to mobile or tablet.
@hilde45, the SQ depends on the room, the kitchen I am standing, the dining room I am eating, the patio I am moving around, the bedroom is generally laying down. One speaker that has adequate volume (I use various play-fi active speakers) that is better than a boombox is fine. The office/desktop I use 2.1. a pair of speakers and a sub (The Klipsch Powergate/PLayfi integrated works well in this setup). The mancave is an onkyo receiver that has Playfi built in and I use it in a 5.1.4 setup. In the HT I use a paradigm Link streamer via toslink out into my Sony TAZH1ES DAC in critical listening mode. I use the app for all my control functions and a windows based tablet PC is OTT because ANY content available on my PC I can stream wirelessly wherever I want. If I am in another room than the HT I use my phone as an interface. In the office I use my desktop.
“What do you listen for, sonically, in your non-FL system?” @hilde45
In one word, Coherency. If you don’t have this part right, rest is all downhill from there. IMHO, Sub is an integral part of music and movies alike. Other than the obvious need for a sub in movie playback, the sub greatly improves music in all aspects; texture, definition, bass extension and air around vocals and instruments.
The vast majority of my listening is SFL I pretty much read nonstop from the time I awake to when I crash. That can be audio reviews, audio forums, books whatever. I am also in a very small condo and can hear my main, and only, system from almost everywhere.
What do you listen for, sonically, in your non-FL system? Do you find you care about a sub in those areas or is it enough just to hear the main melody and perhaps some clarity in the mid to upper regions?
@lalitk+1, I did the same thing using DTS Play-Fi ecosystem. I use simple mono speakers in the kitchen, dining room, patio and bedrooms, stereo in the desktop/office system, a Play-Fi capable 5.1.4 receiver in the mancave and a play-fi streamer in the 9.2.7 HT. Love the flexibility.
That reminds me, gotta add a garage system next, suggestions?
“How good does the sound need to be? In other words, how cheap a solution are you willing to get away with for those other kinds of listening? What do you use?“ @hilde45
Other than the FL in my dedicated room, my SONOS system provides plenty of thrills for casual listening. My home is wired with 7 speakers and 3 subs that doubles up for casual music listening and TV watching. I could easily build 2nd or 3rd system with conventional audio system but my thought process is not every room in the house should look like an audio demo room…LOL!
IME, a wireless high quality speaker system like SONOS is less intrusive, simple, remarkably good and reliable. And yes, there are cheap alternatives to SONOS but it’s the next best thing I’ve found to my main system without sacrificing my enjoyment. Did I mention a big thumbs up from wife on keeping the living space uncluttered :-)
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