The left side of the brain listens to the gear, the right side to the music. Turn off the left side, relax and enjoy the music. That said I'm always on the hunt for new gear. Which is why we're reading this blog right? Looking for ways to improve our system.
When your system achieves that astonishing level of realism, you're content to listen at lower volume levels. Turning up the volume is to compensate for lack of detail and involvement. You're trying to get your emotional fix through volume alone.
Have you ever been surprised to find that dawn is breaking because you put a new piece of gear into your system and it made such an improvement that the music just sucked you in and you've pulled another all nighter?
e.g. Oracle 6 with ET2 arm and Benz Gullwing cartridge into MFA SuperLumi. Also the Nagra CD Player.
Would you rather listen to a great recording or go to a concert to hear the so-called absolute sound? So-called cuz live music is a crapshoot. Sometimes the conductor gets an astonishing performance out of the orchestra but other times they just seem to be phoning it in.
Like a great new piece of gear, great recordings can keep you up all night too. Richter's recording of Bach Cantatas makes you realize why Bach has such a rabid following.
My next new piece of gear is a dedicated listening room. Always wanted to hear what a golden ratio listening room sounds like. As I've never come across one, I'm driven to build mine own. System will be a Studer A80 feeding into Nagra HD Pre into Manley Massively Passive EQ into VTL Wotans into Klipsch Jubilee with Fostex 31.5 inch subs. With a concrete slab floor, I'm expecting bass even God has never heard.
