Listening to music I don’t particularly like

...and on occasion it's cathartic to endure something one really is disgusted by, so you can appreciate better what you like.

Not my thing. I love a good system, but love good music more. Rather listen to music I love on a substandard system than music I don't care for on a great system.

That said, not too much music I can't stand

I’ve been in the hobby for about 3-4 years now, and I’ve finally kicked the "chase the dragon" element of this hobby.

Went through the typical listen to random music that sounds good phase. Chased detail etc. But I’m really a big prog rock and metal guy (poor to okay recordings), as well as some blues and jazz sprinkled in.

Now I know what I like and don’t like. I know I like the scale offered by big speakers, and a well delineated sound stage / imaging. I don’t really care about micro detail anymore, I like dynamics and warmth. I’ve sold silver cables to go back to copper etc.

Long story short - I think we all go through that phase, especially when you are deep in the thralls of the obsession. But once the hobby takes a step back in your priorities, I find you can re-approach it with a clearer head and even save some money !

If I don’t like it, I won’t buy it. If I have it and no longer enjoy it, I don’t play it no matter how good it sounds. Thankfully, that only has happened on about 5% of my records. I sometimes wonder what the hell I was thinking when I bought it. If it sounds really good and I play it, I enjoy it more than an inferior sounding one from the same artist or another one, but I still listen to it.

If I ever go to a store to listen to some new equipment, I am sure to bring my own records with me.

If you are trying to hear your equipment, get the best sounding records you can find, if you are trying to hear the music you like, try to get an excellent pressing of any new records you buy. That’s why guys like Acoustic Sounds can get $35-60 for new pressings. There are still plenty of excellent sounding ones in the low $20’s. There are also records made for demoing equipment like Session Ii that was made by Yamaha to  play so they could sell their equipment. I still have it back from when they gave it to me when I bought my first real stereo stacked with Yamaha gear. I never play it…..

Whatever floats your boat….It’s like watching critically acclaimed movies you don’t like- some people have to see it, not me.

I'm sure we've all been guilty at times of listening to the equipment rather than the music, especially with new gear. That's a big part of this "hobby." I am skeptical, though, when someone equates a love of equipment with a love of music. I sometimes wonder if there's *any* relationship between the two. One can love music wholeheartedly and not care a fig about putting together a top-notch system. I know many people who are just as crazy about music as anyone out here and most have modest systems at best. I have known many professional musicians (including members of premier orchestras and quartets) and few have spent much time worrying about the difference between currents and watts, or about room treatment and cables. Maybe their ears can hear what our ears can't.