I agree with Petland, and would add that a person becomes more forgiving of the sound quality they experience cerebrally if the music jams. This occurs especially when your doing somethign else and groovin' at the same time. I was listening to U2's New York concert on my alarm/radio (no tuner on the big rig) while cleaning, and thought it was great. But, in the end, BOSE DOES suck. So does my radio.
Horrific Confession and Question
While shopping for classical music in one of the mega retailers recently, I found myself quite carried away by whatever they were playing, finding the selection as well as the sound very pleasing. At the risk of never being allowed to post on this forum again, I am ashamed to admit that I discovered I was listening to BOSE mini speakers which were sticking out haphazardly from the ceiling. This leads me to wonder if background listening presents totally different challenges than focused, attentive listening. Against my audiophile background and judgement, I am wondering if I should install boomier "mid-fi" gear for multi room and entertaining guests when I renovate the house. Any thoughts?