hifi makes you pay more attention while listening

[admin_exported]

So I bought the iBasso d10 DAC/ headphone amp a couple of months back and it was a revelation, it drives my PXC450 headphones properly and makes my computer output to them or the RA-04 have both depth and sparkle. (I'm buying a beresford as a result, want a similar experience at home without reconnecting all the time)

An odd follow on from this better listening experience is that now my iPod sounds better even when I'm not using the D10 as an amp. Perhaps I've "woken" my pxc 450s up (they've had 1000s of hours of listening now) or perhaps I now subconsciously know what to listen for, but today it happened on some music I'm fairly sure I've not listened to via the DAC.

My last assessment is that I'm simply paying more attention to what I listen to as a rule. The last year has brought an amp, decent (ish) speakers, a headphone amp and headphones into my life, so I've really heard more of the music I've been listening to.

Does listening to hifi make you pay more attention in general to the music?

 

[idc]

I think you are right. If you think about hifi you are thinking about tthe music and how it sounds, so you are paying more attention to it

You have also bought better kit, so more detail is getting through. Sounds that you have not heard before. You are also getting better separation between instruments. So without thinking about it you will notice a bass line, cymbal, strum you have not been able to pick out before.

Its why I find hifi so addictive.

 

[Thaiman]

Generally speaking, good hifi can open door to a world of music that you never have any interest before. I even listen to Mahler Chamber Orchestra now a day! Shocking I know!

 

[idc]

Thaiman:Generally speaking, good hifi can open door to a world of music that you never have any interest before. I even listen to Mahler Chamber Orchestra now a day! Shocking I know!

It could have been worse. You could have professed a new found passion for Chinese Opera

Improvements in clarity mean it is easier to enjoy the sheer musicianship of a lot of music. I quite like a bit of jazz now.

 

[Anonymous]

I remember someone on here saying that they'd shifted tastes from Orbital and similar to vocal led music as it made more sense now they'd got better quality speakers. Tastes change with age too I guess.

 

[jc.com]

zzgavin:

I remember someone on here saying that they'd shifted tastes from Orbital and similar to vocal led music as it made more sense now they'd got better quality speakers. Tastes change with age too I guess.

If, 30 yrs ago, you'd suggest I listen to some opera, my reply might not have been very polite. Now it shares the time with Floyd etc. (not much jazz though

 

[drummerman]

idc:
I think you are right. If you think about hifi you are thinking about tthe music and how it sounds, so you are paying more attention to it

You have also bought better kit, so more detail is getting through. Sounds that you have not heard before. You are also getting better separation between instruments. So without thinking about it you will notice a bass line, cymbal, strum you have not been able to pick out before.

Its why I find hifi so addictive.

Paying more attention to it is not the same as involving listening. Nothing wrong with a lot of 'detail' and soundstage etc etc but if its not coherent it can soon become tiring as your grey matter has to work overtime to make sense of it all. An example is Naim. Certainly not the most spacious or even detailed listening but it's involving in a way that makes you forget about the usual hifi stuff. Same with some good valve amps. A good example of detail and fun are AVI's ADM9.1's, Dynaudio Focus Actives or my new favorites from the professional sector, Wharfedale's Pro Titan actives.

 

[pwiles1968]

I don't find myself listening harder, I think I experience more, if I have a proper session I am laid back eyes closed Friday afternoons are great CD on and Relax, some times too much so

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

I have Quite a Few Jazz CD's now, along with a lot of nicely recorded Instrumental/Vocal CD's but the Rock and Pop doses still make an appearance though but not for focused listening.

 

[Anonymous]

pwiles1968:
I don't find myself listening harder, I think I experience more, if I have a proper session I am laid back eyes closed Friday afternoons are great CD on and Relax, some times too much so

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

I have Quite a Few Jazz CD's now, along with a lot of nicely recorded Instrumental/Vocal CD's but the Rock and Pop doses still make an appearance though but not for focused listening.

I didn't really mean listening harder, more that I notice more about the music, like I've trained my brain to follow more than just the wash of music. Vocals in particular standout, but baselines too have become easier to follow, even with just my iPod.

My overall listening experience has improved because I've experience a better quality of listening experience through hi-fi and decent headphones