It's a good question, for sure. Even in retirement, I don't spend as much time with the music as I might like. I think it might be different with a spouse who also enjoyed it. But mine has terrible tinnitus, which music at anything higher than background levels sets off.
How do you find time to enjoy your $$$ speakers and system?
Maybe this topic is more of recommendation and sharing ideas than a question. We invested in our hifi systems for years to get to a place where we appreciate what our systems sound. Now, how do you find time to enjoy listening to music if many of us work long hours and still need to take care of family, errands etc…I don’t remember when was the last time I spent more than 2 hours a week at the most to enjoy the system I spent $$$ to build. How do you find time to enjoy your system?
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@analoguefan To answer your specific question, how do you find time, my wife & I decided long ago that time together was important and we needed to find an activity to suit. My love of music has been lifelong, with her not so much. But we decided every evening we would set aside time to listen to music together. In our case it's 7:00 - 9:00 most every evening. While I can sit for two hours and just let the music wash over me, my wife enjoys listening and playing Word on her tablet. Over time, my wife's appreciation for all types of music has grown in leaps and bounds. It's a great way to connect and spend quality time doing something we both enjoy. I suspect the answer is it's not finding more time, but rather deciding music time is a higher priority then some other activity. IMHO. |
I'm retired and a lazy bum. I now live in a small town with few distractions. When the wife is around I respectfully lower the sound level or simply switch the stereo off. When I feel like playing one of my musical instruments it's little problem, either. My piano is in a room off the garage. I can easily take my more portable musical instruments either outside or into the garage. In other words, I've finally gotten to the point where I can indulge my obsession with music any time I want. Ah! Bliss! |
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As you say, time seems to be in short supply for some of us these days. I sometimes joke to my wife that I think I'd be better inside a prison left alone with my HiFi and a collection of books.
I try to tend to snatch an hour here and there with my main system whenever I can, but I've always got my headphones outdoors and then there's the Bluetooth system downstairs, the media player in the car. None of them sound anything like my main system though. Lord knows why, but Nat King Cole sounds epic through it tonight.
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"2 hours a week at the most"? Guess you’re not really a music lover. We have evidence of that in your going on to say ".....to enjoy the system I spent $$$ to build. How do you find time to enjoy your system?" So you spent $$$ to have a system to enjoy, not the music it is made to reproduce? Music lovers don’t "find" the time to listen to it, they "make" the time. Guess you have higher priorities, ay? |
I think that the answer to your question is pretty simple. We find or make time to do the things that are important to us. No matter how busy we say we are, most of us can look at any given day and realize that good portions of it were wasted. Time management is a matter of awareness and discipline. It’s not easy. |
When I was working and in the county (I spent a couple weeks out of the country a month). It was known to all that the ~ 45 minutes to hour before bed were my music time (distress time). My partner encouraged it because for over thirty years she saw me work 65 to 85__ sometimes much more working and taking care of her (she is disabled). She understood that it was a way for me to de-stress and relax… and that was likely to keep me alive longer.
I recommend you make it clear that you have a time each day. For me it was one album.
Now that I am retired it is about three hours. I get a bit fussy if anyone interfers with my music time… or exercise time… or painting time. |
Simple - we rent out a 1,000 foot room above a commercial building so all of the tenants are gone after hours. We get to play for hours and enjoy music. We have friends bring over their gear and out them in our systems also. We have a kitchen and bathroom on the floor in a building with an elevator.
Happy listening suckers! |
I find that my interest in listening is sporatic. Sometimes its obsession, other times I couldn't care less about it. When to listen... I have a routine where every Friday evening (after work and before dinner, I sit down and do the bills. I have my 2-ch listening room setup so there is a 'listening' couch positioned opposite the speaker wall, then behind that is my desk - where bills are paid, payments recorded, stuff is ordered, etc. System sounds just as good from the desk as it does from the couch. Time-wise, its good for at least an hour or two - even during periods of disinterest. However, I must admit... for me it really is more about the gear. I know most will gasp at me saying this (but true for me) - I'm not listening to recreate a feeling of live events, and some would say my choices of music are questionable. I like well-recorded bassy enjoyable tracks that bring-out the details of the system. Who's playing and what's the name of the song aren't something I would usually know. Matter of fact, I'm much more likely to recognize the album art than the artist - blasphamy, I know. 😎 Setup your listening space so something that frequently needs doing is getting accomplished when you're listening. |
Retired. 3 hours each day on average. Usually my happy hour, 4 to 7pm. Grew up around bands and listening to music all the time til 21. Then worked my arse off and started my own businesses starting at 26 years old, meaning spent many years after that when I simply could not find the time for music. So you could say, I am closing the circle. |
@noromance nailed it for me. Instead of turning on the idiot box at night after work, I fire up the system and explore new to me artists and albums on Qobuz, or spin some of my favorite vinyl. Often with a Templeton Rye Manhattan or two. I try to do this a couple times a week. Of course it’s just me here now (not necessarily by choice…), so not a lot of other things to compete for my attention these days outside of my daily job. |
I am totally with you as it relates to my main system. Due to work and family it probably gets five hours in a good week. It used to get 20+ hours a week when my work desk was in the same space, but since moving the desk not so much. Until I rearrange again I decided to invest some coin in a better than average desktop system. Totem speakers on ISOAcoustics stands, a nice sub, Kimber cables, a Yamaha amp, Roon running on the PC. It gets 30 hours a week use. |
AVG.: Music: 10 hrs/week; Video Music: 5 hrs a week. It changes over the years, and Covid has changed things in new ways. Main/Office/Shop systems all re-done during Covid. 100% support from the wife regarding equipment and listening. I’m retired, and have been not too mobile due to foot surgeries, so home a lot. I inherited big LP collection, had many, so have more content than ever. Got new to me CD player, so re-discovering my CD collection (even buying used CD’s again). ........................................... I’ve got a small group of friends, (4 that I met here). Most prefer coming/listening here. Since covid it’s been individual visits, i.e. Bill rarely; Jim this week on Tuesday; Robert next week on Wed.; Darius coming this Sunday; Arne in my town, frequently his place or mine, dinner and music either Mon or Fri (he works t/w/th). Christian randomly, his place or mine. Rick infrequently, he here on the way to his parents south of us; we there on the way to or fm Maine. Neighbors randomly, found a few hours for drinks and listening, they know more than likely I’m here and stop what I’m doing to enjoy their company. ........................................ Thus I’ve gotten where I prefer listening with others, their or my existing or new content; Alone: I mostly listen to new content. Music TV Shows (pre-recorded to watch with the wife). Video Music on YouTube, Music DVDs or Streaming also competition to just Audio. Video with darn good sound other end of the Main Audio system is strong competition. Downstairs, enter room, look left, AUDIO; look right, VIDEO: what’s it gonna be?
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I eat sleep and breathe music. Always have and always will. I don't look forward to the day I won't be able to listen to Floyd again. I listen on average about 3 hours a day in my main system. I have a dedicated room but also have a system in the den, bedroom, and both garages. Outside also. I'm never without music. I'm retarded so I listen pretty much all day. I don't find the time, I make it. |
I turn music on all the time and every where and have 3 (hope to make it 4) systems all in different locations of our home, all with something very special and unique to offer. If I can't listen to one system because my wife is doing something, or doesn't want me listening to music where she's at, I can usually float off and listen to one of my other systems. I actually get excited thinking about which one I'm going to listen to each day. Wife complains about the volume, I usually just start dancing with our 1 year old son in my arms. A soon as she sees him pumping his little arms and smiling, then we're all dancing and enjoying ourselves and then her frustration eases a bit. I also dialed in my reference system for specific night time low volume listening. I can get 2-3 hours in at night when the wife is getting ready for bed and or watching TV. I'm actually enjoying low volume listening sessions now more than ever thanks to having a specific tone control setting that accentuates low volume listening. I have a garage system with listening chair (wife however thinks it's a drafting chair). So if I'm gonna be "working" in the garage for a few hours I can take breaks and sit in what's probably my favorite chair to just appreciate what I'm hearing at that moment. Lastly, headphones! I absolutely love laying on the couch with my head stretched out and 15 ft cord running across the floor to my headphone amp just listening to album after album. My wife never really complains about that unless she wants me in bed next to her. I hope to start construction of a dedicated music Listening Room in the next year to where I can once again have a fourth system and then have a truly dedicated space where I can be off of my own and just put in solid listening sessions anytime of day. Lastly when my wife is working and I happen to have the day off and our son is still heading to the babysitters or her mom's taking him I make it a point to at least have a solid 2-3 hour session where I can just listen to whatever I want as loud as I want. If I get to do that once a month and just blast my music with no one home, it usually fills up the tank for me. All and all I probably listen to music on a good system 4-6 hours a week. Wish it could be more but counting headphone time I'm definitely over 12 hours a week especially when working. Some days I can listen to my headphones 4 hours at work. |
I just turned 68 and I have been building my sound system since I was 20. I'm a woman, I don't understand having to placate females in your life to listen to music. I don't listen to my main system every day but I spend many hours on the weekends in my media room. Even if the television is on the sound is down and music is playing every day. Someone else mentioned books, yes a lot of times I will read and listen to music. It is an important part of my life and always has been, I hope it always is. |
I try to upgrade every few years as my Audio system gets more refined it becomes more involving and a good feeling to compel me to listen . even though I am now in my mid 60s I invite family and friends to watch blu ray concerts ,through my 2 channel stereo I have a big screen up behind my stereo movies or blu ray sound very good . My next upgrade will be my last hopefully $30-40 k and health and happiness and a 🙏 prayer for both is all I need .Happy 🎵 Listening. |
Hardly ever listen to my system, due to work, family, unexpected circumstances, disinterest (at times), and laziness. In spare time, I'm usually on my phone lol. I know, a shame, considering I spent thousands upon thousands of dollars over the years to have what I now have. Like a previous poster admitted to, I believe I'm more about the gear...although I own thousands of Lp's ( lost track), cd's, cassettes, mini discs, etc....I also do not have an understanding spouse. If she knew what I've spent over the years we would most likely be divorced. |
Has anyone had Cantonss. The K3 or 2.2dc They recommend a ton of wattage bet it’s seems ridiculous. I’m using a 250 per Chanel Parrasound and afraid it may not be enough so I’m shying away for now. They are fairly big but that should always require a ton of power. Any experiand wit these larger Danton reference series. Thanks |
I have to admit that life balance has always been difficult for me. I listened to music a lot as a young man but as I had more demanding jobs the Type A personality thing took over and I didn't listen for years. When I retired I started to listen more and at this point I listen to music for several hours every day. When I started and invested some serious coin I completely stopped watching TV so I think that was a win. So although I don't have advice for people looking for balance I can tell you that retirement and the freedom it gives you is glorious. |
For me I consider myself lucky if i get one good listening session per week in. I've found when I over do it is when I start to find faults that aren't really there....there really can be too much of a good thing for this guy. |
@roxy54 @deadhead1000 I have a home theater system with marantz av7703 AVP and marantz, Harman kardon and parasound amplifiers. I mostly listen to the 2 channels in the front my legacy audio signature 3s. I have a mac mini that to keep my music and use audirvana to manage it. My DAC is the Schiit Gumby and I do have a marantz CD player that I use rarely. On the less serious side, I am single and devoted to staying that way. 😇 |