Dedicated listening or multi tasking?

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Peter, yr librarian friend sounds like a version of Ron albeit in the classical world. I believe Ron has about a hundred albums he returns to again and again.
 

PeterA

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Dec 6, 2011
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Peter, yr librarian friend sounds like a version of Ron albeit in the classical world. I believe Ron has about a hundred albums he returns to again and again.

He studies the notes and histories and every recording of these three masters, but owns and knows well thousands of classical compositions and recordings. His LP collection is the most complete that I know of. He has answered every obscure question I have ever asked him. He is an encyclopedia of classical music. Yes, he has his favorites, but they are many.
 

spiritofmusic

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I think my analogy w Ron is crumbling LOL.
 

spiritofmusic

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I drive my old 1968 Citroen.
No music, no radio, nothing.
I’m too busy listening to various oleo-pneumatic whirs, chirrups and clicking, half aware she could let me down, to worry about music, or God forbid, Fake News.
 

NorthStar

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I listen to the wind against the sails, the birds in the air, and the water against the hull. There is an occasional fog horn or navigation bell. I listen to nature. Launch date: May 15th.

Same here; the wind, the breeze, the waves, the sails flapping.

May 15th is great.
 

NorthStar

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I drive my old 1968 Citroen.
No music, no radio, nothing.
I’m too busy listening to various oleo-pneumatic whirs, chirrups and clicking, half aware she could let me down, to worry about music, or God forbid, Fake News.

Marc, is it hard to maintain your 68 car?
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Not as hard as maintaining my 1964 body and brain .
Erm, in reality yes, I have issues for one winter out of two.
But I also do 15-20k miles a year in her, I suspect not that many classic car owners do that.
Atm, bodywork issues, she’s going for a £20k total refurb.
My personal refurb will have to wait until I’m embalmed .
 

NorthStar

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With a 68 car, and the mileage you do with it, I find you wise to concentrate on the engine sound without distracting music. The best drivers don't listen to music in their cars, they listen to the road under their engine's sound and rubber wheels...the gears shifting and revolutioning.

The oldest car I've ever own was my first car, it was a 1955 Dodge 4-door sedan with a 6-cylinder in line and manual 3-speed. It only had an AM radio. I was listening to it only occasionally...50/50.

I do enjoy classical music occasionally while driving today. With passengers I enjoy communicating, no music.

With music @ home my mind can easily drift. With silence even more so.
Listening to music while performing other activities can be soothing as much as dedicated listening, to me.
The emotional level is @ its highest during live, say a great classical music concert in a hall. ...No multitasking there, and if you see some looking @ their iPhones, they are not totally there.

I like this thread, I like the people's diversity.
 

bonzo75

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At a concert you have that mindset for a dedicated two hours. At home I want to be able to shift in and out of a dedicated slot to a multi tasking one
 

Anubis

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Apr 27, 2016
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I am surprised by something I just read in another thread, and rather than derail that thread any further, I thought I would start a discussion here about this comment:

"...and I can work while the music is playing which is 99% of how I listen to the system anyway in the evenings and weekends."

This has me thinking if others also spend their time multitasking while listening to their main music systems. I think I read that Tango works at his desk while listening to his system. From his videos, it appears as though his listening seat is an office chair behind a desk in front of his gorgeous horn speakers. I used to try to read while listening to my main system. However, as my system evolved and I became more interested in listening to music at home, I found that I could no longer read while listening. I became too distracted and unfocused to do both at once. So now, I do those activities separately, the vast majority of my listening is done in a dedicated way from the sweet spot, and occasionally with friends sitting on my listening sofa. Only rarely is my system used for background music when friends are over for dinner or something.

What do others do? Do you listen in a dedicated way, or while doing other things? Is it a mixture, and if so, how much of your listening is dedicated and focused just on the music? I have a feeling I will be surprised by the responses.

EDIT, thread title should be: Dedicated listening, multi tasking, or both?


The little time I have every week I want to get the most out of the music.. So Im deficated to listening when I have the chanse.
On the second system in the livingroom, I'm multitasking. There is almost music on at home when we are in. We dont have tv.. So music is our entertainment..
 

christoph

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Dec 11, 2015
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Peter, when you go sailing what are you listening to?

Something cheesy from Rod Stewart maybe? :rolleyes:

SCNR ;)

And to be also on Topic, I do both, dedicated listening (maybe with some reading) and casual background listening, when non-audiophil friends are over or when cooking, eating or cleaning. I would say my dedicated and concentrated listening is about 80% and casual background listening is about 20%.
 

Blue58

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Jan 20, 2013
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Is there anyone else that can’t concentrate/work when music is playing? Even as a child I had to have silence to study and now, if I’m decorating for example, can’t abide a radio playing. I really dislike how builders and other workers always have some ‘box’ playing incessantly. Don’t get me started on store music, I worked in retail for 40 years.
Dedicated room and dedicated time for me.
 

bonzo75

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I can't study or work with music. Have to concentrate on the music. I can do things like eating. Even whatsapp or forum on mobile makes me lose track of the music
 

Hi-FiGuy

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Feb 23, 2015
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At home I cant read if music is on. At work besides the cars, the music (even though its a mindless generic industrial electronic loop) gets me through the day.
In the garage/shop music all the time.
So its a split, both dedicated and multi-task, just need music on.
 

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