Listening to Music

When I was growing up and becoming more interested in music, my first stereo setup was quite simple: a complete system in a single unit that was quite common in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was all in a single box and included two speakers, one on each side, a turntable that allowed you to stack records that automatically dropped the next one after the current record finished and a radio tuner. The sound quality was not great, but for a teenager at the time it was all about having your own space, and listening to the great music that your parents wouldn’t allow you to listen to on their record player in the living room or den. When your friends came over your room was your sanctuary, and listening to and sharing new records was the background for talking about all the things teens typically talk about.

When I started college that system went with me when I moved into the dorm (and later to my first off campus apartment). Music was ever-present in my life as my tastes evolved and changed. It was (and is) a constant backdrop to my life, often listening to the radio as I studied or read, and spinning vinyl records when I wanted to focus on the music or share it with my friends. Late nights were my preferred time for these music sessions (I’m a night owl by nature), and these sessions have been one of the great joys of my life. Later, after I graduated college and started my career I purchased my first system with separate components that included a turntable, cassette recorder/player and independent speakers. The sound quality improved and my late night listening sessions became even more blissful.

Listening as Background

Today, I get the sense that a lot – perhaps most – people rarely, if ever, listen to music as a dedicated activity. When I started seriously upgrading my own system a little over a decade ago a co-worker expressed disbelief that I would spend the kind of money I was for these stereo components. I asked him how often he listened to music. Not in the background as he was reading the paper, cooking dinner, talking with his wife or friends, but just solely listening to music. He thought for a minute and then said he never did that. I responded that that was the difference. If you’re not really listening to the music pretty much any inexpensive option will do.

But if you have an interest in really listening to, and appreciating the music then it’s worthwhile to invest in quality components or systems that elevate your experience. The good news is that in the present day this doesn’t have to come with an outrageous price tag. While it’s true that you generally get better sound quality with more expensive equipment (though this isn’t universally true, it is true in the general case), you can still get great sounding equipment at a reasonable price.

Sharing

A regular part of my day-to-day life is turning down the lights (and turning on the LED light strips I have affixed to the back of my TV and stereo cabinet), setting my streaming app (Roon, in my case) to play on shuffle and simply sit back and let the music wash over me. It doesn’t have to be a solitary experience though. I regularly have friends over for “listening sessions”. We pass around my tablet and let everyone have a turn at selecting what to listen to next. Besides the companionship and the shared experience, it’s also a great way to discover new music I may not have found otherwise.

When I was growing up and becoming more interested in music, my first stereo setup was quite simple: a complete system in a single unit that was quite common in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was all in a single box and included two speakers, one on each side, a turntable that allowed you to stack records that automatically dropped the next one after the current record finished and a radio tuner. The sound quality was not great, but for a teenager at the time it was all about having your own space, and listening to the great music that your parents wouldn’t allow you to listen to on their record player in the living room or den. When your friends came over your room was your sanctuary, and listening to and sharing new records was the background for talking about all the things teens typically talk about.

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