Your best listening mode?

[Dingman]

I'm curious. For what y'all consider your best music, what's the listening mode? Do you read and listen? Do you wash dishes and listen? Do you play with the wife's tiddy's and listen?

My "best" listening mode... meaning when I'm really interested in the music or just feel like doing nothing else, I really prefer to turn the lights down, sit and close my eyes. I don't care to have other people in the room at all. I close the doors\windows so I don't have outside noise.

There are times when I'll move about the room\house and do things, but I really don't enjoy the music as much that way.

I wonder if that's the way for most of you... quiet room, lights down, eyes closed?

[Johnlw7]

I have sound proofed my room.So I can let it rip all day long if I want.I find myself not getting much other important stuff done.

[BigStewMan]

i'm an active listener--when the music is on, i don't do anything else but listen. many, many memories of turning the lights out and playing the full version of pink floyd's shine on you crazy diamond.

[mungkiman]

i'm an active listener--when the music is on, i don't do anything else but listen. many, many memories of turning the lights out and playing the full version of pink floyd's shine on you crazy diamond.

Live?

[BigStewMan]

live will work; but, i would listen to the cuts off Wish You Were Here.

[picky]

Either sitting out on the deck with my garage's Heresy III system playing or sitting down in our home theater recliners with the RF-7 system giving me a massage! -Glenn

[mark1101]

OK I'll be the weirdo of the bunch. As has been mentioned I have those same memories of MANY times with the lights out and the Pink Floyd or other classic stuff being played late at night..............but I haven't done that in years.

You can see my 2 Ch speakers in my avatar. It runs like a large sound reinforcement system. I don't have a single chair in my listening room other than the desk chair at my PC which I never use unless I'm working on the PC. I stand up.......walk around........lean on my rack...........drink beer..........grill out...........work outside........stand there......lean on my rack..........drink another beer. You get the idea. I have a HD 42" Samsung LCD with Dish network in there and I usually have the volume down and sports on as well. Football games and other sports and shows keep me in the room a lot of time.

Basically, "I'm at the concert" when my system is on. Since it is an active system there is a sweet spot for the volume where the system has been optimized.........and it's not blaring, but it's definitely loud. The system is very non-fatiguing and I can play it that way for a weekend and not have and ear ringing or other unpleasantries.

I never play it at a lower volume or to "kick back & relax"..........not why I built it!

I'm sure I'm the exception but that's fine with me. Once I got into the big MCM-Grand stuff everything changed.

[oscarsear]

OK I'll be the weirdo of the bunch. As has been mentioned I have those same memories of MANY times with the lights out and the Pink Floyd or other classic stuff being played late at night..............but I haven't done that in years.

You can see my 2 Ch speakers in my avatar. It runs like a large sound reinforcement system. I don't have a single chair in my listening room other than the desk chair at my PC which I never use unless I'm working on the PC. I stand up.......walk around........lean on my rack...........drink beer..........grill out...........work outside........stand there......lean on my rack..........drink another beer. You get the idea. I have a HD 42" Samsung LCD with Dish network in there and I usually have the volume down and sports on as well. Football games and other sports and shows keep me in the room a lot of time.

Basically, "I'm at the concert" when my system is on. Since it is an active system there is a sweet spot for the volume where the system has been optimized.........and it's not blaring, but it's definitely loud. The system is very non-fatiguing and I can play it that way for a weekend and not have and ear ringing or other unpleasantries.

I never play it at a lower volume or to "kick back & relax"..........not why I built it!

I'm sure I'm the exception but that's fine with me. Once I got into the big MCM-Grand stuff everything changed.

Pretty much the same for me only I do have a dedicated lounge chair in the sweet spot. But, "being at a concert" is the beauty of these horn systems. They are nowhere near as 'beamy' as cone speakers and you do not have to sit in an exact location to thoroughly enjoy their impact. But, if you do sit in the sweet spot you can pick out singers and instruments. My 2 channel goes on at dawn and stays on until I retire. There's no TV downstairs at all. I have outdoor speakers as well. But if you turn the indoors speakers louder who needs outdoor speakers?

[Chris A]

For what y'all consider your best music, what's the listening mode?

This is an interesting subject - one that has been studied. From what I recall, there are the two basic modes of listening that you've identified. What's interesting is that people who are professional musicians and those who have spent years in music (as a performer) will use the "active" listening mode that you practice. That is my "focused" listening mode. Note that many people do not practice that mode of listening for wide varieties of music. I believe the term "high end audiophile" is often applied to those who take great pleasure listening in that mode.

Here is my listening chair:

[Dingman]

Interesting! [] I also have reveled in a couple of the pink floyd albums, in the active (didn't that listening mode was called that, I learn new things here all the time) listening mode. Seems like floyd is good for that.

But the more interesting point is that a couple of you, with really nice systems prefer the (passive?) concert mode. That makes me think maybe it's also different kinds of music, in that the active mode is good for dynamic, intricate (having a hard time putting into words) music, such as Floyd.

Then, in the concert mode, maybe the music is more of the rock'n'roll, where it's not so important to hear all the nuances.

[Dingman]

Heh, I didn't know this was a subject that has been studied.

I do like the looks of that chair. Since I've been listening to more music, I'm finding my chair not as comfy as I'd like it. I'm keeping my eyes open for a CL find on one, something that reclines too.

I've just thought of another thing I saw on this board~ Someone had said their listening "quality" was higher when they were using an older system without a remote. He felt the effect of just setting the controls and then having to leave them alone, not fiddling with the remote all the time increased his focus on the music.

I think that's a good, valid point.

[LarryC]

I prefer two ways of listening by myself: (1) follow along with a score (I do classical almost exclusively), and (2) watching along with listening on a DVD.

LPs and CDs are excellent for shared listening with others.

[BigStewMan]

i will listen to a song many times in a row--studying it and paying attention to particular instruments. I'm a "how did he do that?" sort of guy (mostly with the guitars).

But other times i just enjoy it without studying it.

[dtel]

unless I'm working on the PC. I stand up.......walk around........lean on my rack...........drink beer..........grill out...........work outside........stand there......lean on my rack..........drink another beer. You get the idea

Yes I do, and I do the same thing, I rarely sit down to listen. Since the room is also open to the dining room and kitchen, I always listen when I cook. Well it's on most of the time really, as background music and in the evening or nighttime it tends to increase in volume a little, especially after my daughter goes to work.

And yes it does feel like " I'm at the concert" it's one of the best parts. [Y]

[mark1101]

I sit at a desk 8-10 hours a day. On the weekends is usually the only time I get to do what any serious stereo listening. So I don't sit down and I'm in and out of the room as needed.

One of my issues is that my system is huge and in the basement. When I'm ready to relax I go upstairs and get in the lounge chair in front of theTV and use the HT 5.1 system which is tiny and non-audiophile. That is when I'm spent and done with music for the time being.

When I mentioned "I'm at the concert" I meant that the system has that big sound. I just can't sit in front of it. It makes me want to move. My corns and lascalas sound like toy speakers in comparison. There's a real difference in the experience listening to that big sounding system. I found that out pretty quickly. Of course no offense to any other speakers intended..........its just that I think the big sound of the system has a lot to do with how I use it. It's like trying to sit down in front of a live band. I could never do that,

Most all of the music I listen to is live music as well. I pay virtually no attention to the quality of the recording. I listen to the music I like. If I get a super quality recording by chance I sure know it when I hear it............but in general the system sound is so big even mediocre stuff sounds good and just makes me want to move.

Ever listen to the outtakes on David Gilmore's Live in Gdansk? They play in a small studio that looks kinda like an old restored garage or old building. It's Pink Floyd stuff.............you should hear that on my system and watch the DVD.............you just won't be sitting down. Hard to describe.........

[BigCliff]

Most of the time (not all) I will listen just before bedtime. I turn the lights down very low almost dark, sit on my perfectly placed couch, drink at my side. Put on a CD and relax, when my head starts nodding or I temporarily fall asleep it is time to go up to bed.

[fini]

For what y'all consider your best music, what's the listening mode?

This is an interesting subject - one that has been studied. From what I recall, there are the two basic modes of listening that you've identified. What's interesting is that people who are professional musicians and those who have spent years in music (as a performer) will use the "active" listening mode that you practice. That is my "focused" listening mode. Note that many people do not practice that mode of listening for wide varieties of music. I believe the term "high end audiophile" is often applied to those who take great pleasure listening in that mode.

Here is my listening chair:

Do you mind answering a few questions about the chair? I'll send a PM.

[CECAA850]

Favorite spot is about 30 to 40 feet away from the KP-250's (and bass bins) in the backyard sitting in a lounge chair with a cold beer on a hot summer day. They sound sooooo good outdoors without any of those nasty room interactions.

[Chris A]

They sound sooooo good outdoors without any of those nasty room interactions.

Actually, there is great truth in what you say (as I understand it):

"Imaging and creating it by having two varying acoustic signals is an interesting undertaking. I have found that a smooth, unobtrusive boundary between the two speakers works very well with well behaved and consistent polar patterns. The other thing that I have noticed that works well is no boundaries like playing the speakers outside. Both do a very good to excellent job of accomplishing the imaging goal. But the caveat is that no boundaries forgives nonconsistent polar patterns while a smooth boundary is a strict enforcer of consistent polar patterns.

Pretty cool how that happens." (extracted from an email to me from Roy Delgado, 3 Nov. 2010)

This is one of the more important things that isn't in the Klipsch user's guide (but maybe should be). I've placed a fair amount of absorbing tiles around the front 3 speakers - especially between them and on the walls directly adjacent to the K-402s. Big, big difference in imaging (...like the difference between the living and the dead...[:-*]).

Chris

[dtel]

Favorite spot is about 30 to 40 feet away from the KP-250's (and bass bins) in the backyard sitting in a lounge chair with a cold beer on a hot summer day. They sound sooooo good outdoors without any of those nasty room interactions.

I agree 100%, it sounds great outside.