Good topic. And, comments.
I have found that my scale of "critical listening" is environmental and/or task related. I am grateful when some reasonable fascilime of a musical experience is available where I am. Having music present is, and always has been, important to me. My attention to the music, thus involvement depends on where I am, and what I am doing. It can range from "musical wallpaper" to "fully engaged and emotionally attached to the performance".
Examples:
While Driving: avoiding a catastrophic kinetic event is more important than the music. So, being "distracted" by other vehicles weaving in and out of traffic is not a bad thing. Music gets demoted, as it should. By, the way, car audio systems can be very enjoyable. There’s something to be said for near-field listening in a quality system. Kinda like listening to a decent set of headphones -- while the bass gives you a pretty good back/butt massage.
Patio: Conversation takes center stage. As long as the music doesn’t suck, life is good. A "minimally engaging" experience appeals to guests.
Boat House: The esthetics and sounds of lake living fill the senses. 20-year-old (highly modified) Bose 301s are "good enough".
Office: ADS 200s with custom-built subwoofer, powered by hybrid vacuum tube/SS amp. It looks really cool, and sounds "okay" with good sources. The problem is that I like music a little too much and can’t get any work done when ANY presence of music is there. So,the music is OFF when I am working.
Home Theater: Someone wrote a story. Someone (maybe the author) wrote a screen play. Others wrote music, provided props, wardrobe, sound effects. Did the author’s story get told, and was it somewhat believable in my space? If the answer is "yes", it met the objectives.
Main System: Turn down the lights. Reduce ambient noise and other distractions. Grab enough beverage to make it through atleast one album side. Strap myself in, and listen -- critically. Arriving at a space in time where the energy and presence of someone’s musical contribution is playing out in my listening room is most gratifying. Don’t spend much effort thinking about -- what if? Maybe tommorrow? But not today. Just having way too much fun.
