What drugs do you use to enhance your listening experience?

Two glasses of champagne during the first interval of an opera and another two during the second.

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!

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.  

Red wine

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, 

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.  

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.

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!

Great post... yoga practice, some quick puffs, and good local beer and the music. Oh the music.....

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 !

Inhaling the aroma of TO3 transistors baking the heatsink fins of class a monoblocks.  Its also warm and cozy on a cold night.

Drugs? Drugs ? I Don't need no stinkin Drugs to enhance  my music!!! 

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!  

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 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.

I just love the question.  Any bourbon based beverage will do.

Fentanyl when I listen to Prince or Michael Jackson otherwise 1990 Latour.

Low dose Propofol is my preference.....

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.

I appreciate the apology asvjerry and the class to do so.  Regards

All my interconnects are 99.99999% pure hemp.

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. ;)

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*  ;)

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

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.

Drugs are a crutch.  If you need one, I guess you need one.

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.

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 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.

Nope, we also need to worry about sober people who are texting, but that's another thread.

Luckily my drivers license lists my eye color as "red." Also it's worth noting that the majority of major car accidents involve people who are sober so we clearly need to spend more time worrying about THEM.

Silver Haze or Kush can help.

Officer:  "Your eyes are red ... have you been smoking pot?"

Wolf-Garcia:  "Well officer, your eyes are glazed .... have you been eating donuts?"

213runnin, sure we can and (mostly) do...

But, on occasion, personal preference outweighs Spockish rationality.  It goes on a lot, %/pop. varying with the 'substance' in query.  But, given my experiences in a number of major cities and the arteries that link them...

...I'd rather be next to (driving, or even walking) someone that's been 'herbed'.  The same next to someone whose been drinking to relatively the same 'level' of intox isn't pleasant, at least to me.

Or I'm a magnet for sociopathic drunks.  Probably no cure for that....;)

a little single malt with a nice bud never hurt my listening experience 

Kraton 3 varieties 3 effects used for 1,000 years used responsibly. citrus 
Enhances it , kava Kava from Hawaii very relaxing. that is top of the day .

Ah golfer boy, you Island tokers need to cool it.  I was rear ended by a kid last week and I'm sure he was high.  How many innocent deaths will occur because peoples senses are dulled with the various substances they ingest?  Can't you just enjoy life in the natural?

Fentanyl when I listen to Prince or Michael Jackson otherwise 1990 Latour.

When I was first "turned on" (!) to the joys of pot smoking in the mid 60s (the years, not my age) we were utterly terrified of being busted for it…years later when I had friends who were Honolulu police officers they pointed out that they always had great pot around that had been confiscated from terrified motorists who had simply been warned and let go…cute huh?

"If it were legal here I'd probably take a puff or two to catch that buzz. I used to enjoy it quite a bit. It’s not legal so I don’t."

I was always under the assumption the illegality was part of the fun. "Hi, officer, what seems to be the problem?"

Back in 1972-3 the thrill to be gained from the illegal aspect no longer outweighed the consequences. Turning 18 had a way of punching me in the face. 
So many of the illegal things I did before becoming responsible for my actions seemed to lose their luster. Most of them I stopped; smoking a little weed continued for a while, but the thrill of the illegality had nothing to do with it's continuance. 

Also, I found that holding my breath until I faint doesn't work well for music listening as you risk falling over and smashing your face. Also, never drink and operate a chain saw especially in a small dimly lit room. 

I like a puff here and there myself but a nice cup of coffee done right is what floats my boat. Less occasionally a pale ale of some kind. Going out to see live music is the almost the reverse order with coffee a distant third place. All done with anything else for the foreseeable future. 

*L*  Well...y'all seem to bear out my suspicion that some audio experiences take place Between the ears vs. before them. *smirk*

Alcohol and herbs seems to top the list...no surprise there, due to demographics of the attending.  We're all of an era, so to speak. ;)

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...."

Most of the time, personally, cold sober....dammit. *L*  But it allows for some lack of influence and distance, objectivity, blah blah.  If I just want to have fun....that's Different. ;)

While I have found that herb (vaporized) can be a nice enhancement while listening, I feel that natural endorphins are the best. Case in point, last night I was at a jazz club in the west Village here in NYC with a new Tinder date, a lovely Japanese woman, 18 years my junior. Her sitting next to me, my arm around her while she fondled my knee made the music and the experience quite enhanced. It was a simple but enjoyable moment, one I hope to repeat many times.