What drugs do you use to enhance your listening experience?


In this post let's consider alcohol, nicotine, and coffee drugs, as they are, along with the usual suspects that can get you arrested in most US states and beheaded in Saudi Arabia. I live in Victoria, Canada, which has more marijuana shops than Starbucks, and we have tons of Starbucks. In 10 minutes, I can walk from my house to four dispensaries, which will sell to anyone over 18. OK, enough bragging, For me, a puff, and just one puff (I don't like getting stoned) can be the best tweak ever. A glass of wine is also a fine compliment. Too much alcohol will increase my enjoyment (because I'm drunk) but put Phil Spector in the room (wall of sound and loss of the stuff I value in my system, such as clarity).
golferboy
I have a friend who is wont to say:  Smoking weed and then listening to music is so awesome -- it's like a drug to me.
Now there's a real turn of events...the biggest hazard on the roads today is sober people texting vs. stoners and drunks.  Who woulda thought...?

Yes, music and 'herbal remedy' seem nicely synergistic.  One gets to step off the treadmill for awhile, give the brain/body organism a break and a nice refresher course in why you engaged yourself with these devices in the first place.

...because it feels good and it makes you smile.  Sounds like a win to me, regardless of what you spend or what level of technology that may require.
And any break from the 'real world' should be done well....*G*

I wonder if hallucinogens will come back in style...they were big during Nixon and Reagan.  I wonder what Darnold will drive us to? *L*

I'll pass on self-inflicted lobotomies with a hot screwdriver, thanks... 
I don't respond unless I have direct experience with regards to that posted.  I'm not interested in offering uninformed opinion nor am I remotely interested in reading that of others although their ignorance can be a source of amusement.  I don't partake of any mind-altering substance any longer; haven't in a few years for the salvia and many more for the usual suspects of hallucinogens.  I just thought to offer my earned though personal experience insight as to the wonder of music and salvia.  

I have appreciated reading about the preferences of those who actually offered their opinions on their personal experiences but the commentary of those who offer nothing but their prejudices is never welcome.  And the condescension.....how can you say anything if you don't have experience with that in question?  And even more so when you don't even know what that is.    

Quoted from asvjerry:   "As for some of the 'really exotics' mentioned, well...check the MSDS on whatever it is, and keep a copy handy for the EMS in your pocket..."  What'd he take?"   "Huh, beats me.  Keeps jabbering about cables frying his brain...."   and     "I wonder if hallucinogens will come back in style...they were big during Nixon and Reagan.  I wonder what Darnold will drive us to? *L*    I'll pass on self-inflicted lobotomies with a hot screwdriver, thanks..."  

You're welcome to your opinion, seemingly uninformed as it is on the topic in question.  I believe the experiences I've drawn upon to respond to this post actually improved my mind, opened me to possibilities I wouldn't have been able to consider without them.  Fried my brains....self-inflicted lobotomy?  If you say so.....  I don't wish to offer a personal challenge to you.  Think what you will  but see that your words are an insult whether intended or not.  I listen to 99% of my music in a completely sober unaffected manner but I know that my enjoyment can be (as has been in the past) GREATLY increased with the addition of substances.   Many thanks to all who have offered of their actual experiences.
The above comment assumes that all "drugs" are the same thing, and they’re simply not that simplistic except to the uninformed. I don’t think many people "need" to smoke a little pot to enjoy music (or riding a motorcycle), but the ability to change your perception somewhat with a non toxic substance can be fun…or more fun perhaps…than otherwise, to a degree relative to personal preferences. My wife is a legal medical pot consumer and used to make pot cookies…I rarely try edibles as I can’t regulate the intake like I can by smoking, but ate a cookie one night mostly because I wanted a cookie…any cookie. Due to the fact that THC absorbed into the digestive system instead of the lungs is pretty much a different drug altogether (look it up), I got VERY high (strong friggin’ cookie) with some inherent existential unwanted but handleable drama and was calmed by reminding myself it would wear off. Whew…it makes for an interesting story I suppose, but for me a couple of puffs here and there is generally all I want if I feel like it at all.
Test reviews.
The usual raves ....

Whenever I listen to something - expensive - mediocre and I can not escape I read the review of a given component and ... voila ... my brain gets infected and after a while it is super. Simply ultimate.
Unfortunately, there is a bad taste on my swollen tongue...no idea why
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lcherepkai, I apologize.  I should have labeled that post "Potentially Extremist Humour Follows" and been more obvious that I'm trying to poke a joke, rather than get into the weeds regarding the psyche that occasionally might drive a post like mine.  *S*  If I offended, 'twas not my intent.
Given the general 'tenor' of this forum, this 'confessional' of ours here where we can share our favorite 'mood enhancers', and some of us have engaged in such to widely varying degrees.  I would expect that...I'm 'talking' to a group that 'technically' be called a 'fringe group'.  We're not into explosives, just a somewhat narrow slice of the population that likes esoteric music reproduction devices.
As for mind improvement....mmm.....well, if you've found that salvia has worked for you and the insight you've gained from that, well, cool.  *S*  I won't argue with you about that.  I'm happy for you, truly.  And I will point out that insight comes in many ways to all.  Not the same insight from your perspective, of course.  Similar, perhaps.  Neither of us can be in two places at once.  So, never quite the same.
Anyway, sorry.  Let us continue...

syntax....bad taste....swollen tongue...yeah.
You ought to stop that.  Doesn't sound 'healthy'. (Is that a deep pun, or am I just being mediocre?  *sigh*  ;)
213runnin, a crutch....mmm, yeah.

Ergo their popularity.  And the non-appeal to others.  
Do you like coffee?  Tea, non-herbal? (Although I might discuss that with you.)  Sugar?  Checked the label of something you like A Lot?  Do you smoke?  Vaporizer?  

There's lots of crutches about, IMHO.  We just don't recognize them as such.  But that's normal and could make life quite difficult if we did as a whole.

I like 'unenhanced audio' as well.  I'm 'there' more often that not, so I'd better. *G*  And to each their circumstance.
Play on. ;)
Really appreciate some very funny posts. Some others take this just too seriously. Take a deep breath.

I often listen just as I am. Maybe a cup of coffee or tea. Pot on the other hand, is an amplifier on its own. With a beer or two, it makes for a very enjoyable experience now and then. IMHO of course.
Fentanyl when I listen to Prince or Michael Jackson otherwise 1990 Latour.
Low dose Propofol is my preference.....
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I just opened a bottle of pinot noir. I’m heading down to the listening cave to enjoy the first half of the Decca Gotterdammerung. 

I don’t need no steenkin drugs. I don’t want no steenkin drugs. I don’t need no steenkin smoke. That stuff just steenks.
What drugs do you use to enhance your listening experience?

  • High current MOSFET amp
  • All-tube handwired PTP phono stage and line stage
  • Shibata stylus mounted on wooden headshell
  • Magnepan 1.7s
  • Dual Mirage MM8 subwoofers
  • Clean LPs
dude, put down the hash pipe....and just listen to the music.  you'll hear better and more of what's there without being stoned.   drugs are for losers.  even prescription drugs are bad, they are even worse than street drugs in some ways.  so what if there's pot shops all over ??? there's bars all over too but wtf wants to be a freaking alcoholic and be an addict.  make no mistake, pot is a gateway drug that eventually makes users try other drugs.  you can never hear the music as good as when you are stone cold sober.
I'm almost 62 and have been prescribed Adderall for my ADD. I feel calm and my mind sharp. I feel I'm living in the prime of my life having had ADD all my life without knowing it. And yes, my music sounds absolutely awesome! I feel very fortunate to find a psychiatrist who correctly diagnosed me!  
Inhaling the aroma of TO3 transistors baking the heatsink fins of class a monoblocks.  Its also warm and cozy on a cold night.
How interesting! Is it any wonder most idiots like you wouldn't understand accuracy of sound reproduction if your life depended on it! Your brain is so fried that your dog ears can only hear a high pitched whistle. And you pretend to be an audio enthusiast? Well I hope you don't go around giving your opinions to normal audiophiles; although I hasten to say our hobby has been hijacked by many of your kind! You'd be another great reviewer... in the company of many of today's !

Why didn't you take 2 bottles of the pinot noir and listen to the whole thing?

Or did you assume after 1 you'd be asleep?

Great post... yoga practice, some quick puffs, and good local beer and the music. Oh the music.....
I snort the magical sparkly dust that the gods sprinkle on all of our interconnects,speaker wires,and power cords so that they sound even better!
I was never a big drug user, but years ago there was a period where I would do Ketamine and listen to music.  The experience was simply amazing.  Especially with music like Loreena McKennit.  She has a lot of great songs where the story is really brought to life with K.  If you are an experimenter, I highly recommend it.
The question raised by the OP strikes me as absurd as the answer can be found through self-discovery and the views of others is largely irrelevant.  Don't rule out a battery-powered b#tt plug to add to your listening experience, but I suppose everybody is aware of this auditory enhancement.  That is my best advice.  

Bourbon and branch for Southern Rock, Speed for Motorhead and early Who, PCP for speed metal and harDCore, erb for the Reggae, 714s for jam bands, benzedrine for Charlie Parker and early bebop, acid for just about anything, 
I would say magic mushrooms, but only at the end of a medium dose.  Early on is too stressy.  Once you're just coasting and have had any revelations you're going to have,I find, say, Bach becomes celestially beautiful.  Shostakovich is fascinating.  
Giving up drugs and alcohol twelve years ago has allowed me to enjoy this hobby, and indeed, has made it possible. I may not have some of the extreme thrills that others get, and I'm sure not morally opposed to whatever adults put in their bodies, but for me the answer is sobriety. That's the key to my musical enjoyment!

Good news fellow audio heads

Zig Zag now makes directional, cryo treated papers !!!!!

Two glasses of champagne during the first interval of an opera and another two during the second.
 Not that I don't indulge but None!  It makes you THINK your system is better than it is. Sober is always better.
I don't get drunk and listen to Pink Floyd often, but when I do, my neighbors listen, too.
I now use Falvrx mix of Sativa, Invicta and sometimes hybrid.
I also have RX THC chocolates.
I have had moments of musical ecstasy via the sleep deprivation that comes from small children leading to late night listening.  Music between 2-4 am is sublime.....

Ketamine, sold under the brand name Ketalar among others, is a medication mainly used for starting and maintaining anesthesia. It induces a trance-like state while providing pain relief, sedation, and memory loss.

Memory loss...SO... Someone tells one that they had a good time?

oranfoster, that's a very humble post.

Mattz. Yeah, a lot of people who are now underground said the same thing.  No, I'm not against users, just saw a lot of bad things happen to good people back in those days.

Just to show everyone that I'm not "holier than thou," I do like an occasional vodka martini, shaken, not stirred, while listening to my 'Fi.
I believe the expression is "falling down a K-hole" I've not heard much of people really remembering or appreciating music but I guess its possible. And @danvignau I can't say I've ever personally come across peyote but if I did I would certainly give it a try.
 I remember watching  Led Zepplin outdoors at the Oakland Collisium while on LSD. They were in the middle of their set, playing" No Quarter " and the haze had burned off and the sun was shining . That was one of my " MORE HEIGHTENED " Listening experiences . I did everything except heroein . But I quit drugs in '89 and stopped drinking in '97. So now I'm 59 and have a long history based on going back over all the music ( if they are still alive ) and being able to rellisten to all the recordings with a clear mind . At home my focus is on music through a very detailed low power tube system . It's at its best in the middle of the night . So looking back ,  the stimulants , hallucinogens and Marijuana enhanced the live experience . But at home it's been better for me with a clear head . Even back then I preferred watching the African Cichlids in my 200 gallon tank over getting stoned to relax . So I think for me it was the effort into my stereo and listening room that mattered the most . So now when I want to " GET A BUZZ " , I tube roll or go to small venue live shows . So I used to be a Stoner , BUT I WAS AND STILL AM AN AUDIOPHILE . Happy Listening , Mike.
Here is the logic behind the false assumption that pot is a gateway drug: Potatoes make you rob banks. How do we know? By asking bank robbers if the ate potatoes before they robbed banks. Both potatoes and pot are plentiful; ERGO!, their use in our society does not predict a causal relationship. Remember kiddies. When you roll a joint, make certain you smoke it from the correct end, or you will think your directional wires are backwards.
I think its time for a PET scan study on brain activity while listening to music.....
I crave endorphins.
It starts - the feeling in my body - about 10 minutes into my morning run. I run for 40 mins and the feeling lasts for about 10-15 minutes after.
Of course none of this happens without taking a drug in the morning before the run - Black Coffee. A big mug. And it’s all downhill after that.......until......

Later in the day ......good vibe music also creates the endorphins effect with me.

I do however find I need to have some kind of fluid at hand when I listen to music next to my right hand. Maybe the heat from the Class A amp is dehydrating me.. 

Canada Dry Club Soda mixed with OJ - 50 - 50. Needs to be really cold when served.

On the rocks optional.