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auditioning sessions vs. listening sessions

By "auditioning" sessions I mean those times when your attention is directed, first and foremost, to how the system and/or CD/LP/etc. *sounds*, as a result of the combination of hardware and software being used; during such sessions you might get up from the listening chair to tweak the toe-in of the speakers by 1/2 an inch, or you might be swapping some new interconnects in and out of the system.

By "listening" sessions I mean those times when your attention is directed, first and foremost, to the music, in and of itself (particularly if the composition is new to you), and/or the performance of the music.

So my questions are: can one make this kind of a distinction? Is it desirable to keep these two kinds of sessions separate? If so, how successful are you in doing so? Do you have any specific strategies for achieving this? For you, does the one tend to seep involuntarily into the other? Would this seepage be a good or a bad thing?
twoleftears

Showing 2 responses by honest1

honest1
586 posts
 
Yes, they are completely separate things. I call one listening to the stereo, the other listening to music. I find it best to decide beforehand which I am going to do. I try not to use favorite music for listening to the stereo, so I don't get sick of it. I am trying to select a variety of auditioning songs that have different qualities (i.e deep punchy bass, spaciousness, male & female vocals, symphonies, etc) that I like enough to listen to repeatedly, but not so much that when I get sick of them, I'll have lost a source of great musical enjoyment.
TwoLeftEars - great username!!
honest1
586 posts
 
Blindjim - I know exactly what you mean about the tubes. I'm the same way. I never know how much hum I'm going to get when I turn on my system. Even worse is vinyl. I've had ground problems with my old TT that send a very loud 60Hz through the system that can easily destroy a woofer if you don't jump for the volume / source selector. It usually takes a couple seconds to build, so I sit with my finger on the mute button. I imagine it's the same feeling people get eating puffer fish, enjoying something coupled with the thrill of knowing disaster could stike at any time.
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