In Reply to: RE: Listening styles - I'm curious about others posted by Todd Krieger on October 20, 2010 at 00:48:32:
That is why this is such an interesting question the OP has posted. We each have our paths into the ars musica! For example, at the symphony, I really like row F, slightly right of center. This is because I like to be able to watch the conductor interact with and the eyes of the concertmaster. I also like *that* proximity best of all. Some like row H. Some like row C. Some like balcony. Some like the balcony that creeps right up to either edge of the stage-sides.
At the symphony I also often just let my eyes go blank as I just plain listen.
At home, I often listen with the lights out, relatively nearfield to my mg 12's, but with the maggies about 9 feet apart, toed in. I prefer a "realistic" soundstage for home listening, ie, I don't like to try to reproduce "omg I am in the concert hall!" but rather find it much more easy to "suspend disbelief" and listen attentively with a relatively "miniaturized" soundstage. However, height is more important to me (hence the maggies; Sinatra sounds off to me if his stereo image is only 3 feet tall!!).
I listen at a proximity that approximates sitting in row F, but volume level wise, I listen more at levels like that around midhall. I prefer that, as it scales better to the size of soundstage I prefer.
Trying to explain *why* these are my preferences would be very difficult. All I know is, this is how I get sucked into a recording, again and again. This evening, in preparation for tomorrow night's performance at Severance Hall, I listened to Gould/Stokowski playing Beethoven's 5th piano concerto. Lights out, relatively nearfield, slightly wider stereo spread, focused but relatively miniaturized soundstage, volume peaks around 85-90 db. And again, there I was, sucked in.
Simple pleasures, man, I love this hobby.
/ optimally proportioned triangles are our friends
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Follow Ups
- exactly - farfetched 19:23:58 10/20/10 (0)