How do you do it? I mean, really listen to your stuff.

Do you listen to a new album a few times in a row? Or are you the type that needs to sit down and focus on the music to grasp the meaning of the lyrics with each song?

I find that a majority of my music, I've never really researched and understood the "why" behind the songs and albums. While much of today's music doesn't deserve heavy analysis, I find that some of my music just gets played, and I don't really absorb it. I might sing to a popular verse or two, but that's it. All in all, it's just a song, not a meaning.

It's pretty hard for me to listen to music and just not do anything else, but I love it when I can. How about you guys? How do you absorb your tunes?

2 ways for me:
1 - Traveling in the car on boring highway cruises by myself (I do this weekly for work), crank up the tunes and I am at destination work or home before I know it.
2 - Alone in the HT with a good concert video or audio only, usually accompanied by a fine beverage of the grape or barley & hops variety.

Rarely in the house in front of my Axioms.
Often at night, when everyone else is asleep, wearing headphones.
Sometimes in the car, although that's not really intense focus.

As I'm doing right now, sit in front of the Axioms, lights dimmed, wine in hand and just chill.

...or on my headphones on the subway on the way to work.

Seems weird...but if I get the chance, I will listen to it loud and in complete darkness. It's like an audio illusion...music seems to come alive more when you can't see anything...especially the speakers. I concentrate on all the individual sounds and the sound stage...using my imagination to "see" the performance live in front of me.

If I really want to "listen" to the music I need to be in the dark without the visual clues like Mary. I can then focus on words and the instruments better than just sitting while reading the paper or thinking of something else to do if I can see something, if that makes any sense. I listen to my ipod in my car whenever I'm driving anywhere but for some reason it's just not the same as sitting at home listening to the tunes.

I'm a little like each of you. I listen in the car with my eyes closed.

Some day, I'll have to try it from the passenger seat to see if it brings my insurance rates down. For some reason, they're sky high!

i do like sonicfox, eyes closed and in the dark or dim light.

that way, i not only hear the music, but also i can see the instruments and, importantly, i can see the notes themselves floating in the air, and i can almost touch them.

most of the time the M80s have the grilles on so they make a better disappearing act; but they also look very nice without them.

in other words, i love my Muzak system...
;-)

I've done Mescaline, too!

Most of my listening is in the car. I have a commute which is 25 minutes in the morning and 35 minutes in the evening, so I can usually get through a CD in a day, if I'm not listening to NPR, ESPN radio, or my favorite FM music station.

On rare occasions, I sit in the HT and listen to an album or watch a live concert. The Epic 80/500 system is somewhat better than my car's BOSE.

yep, i thought that someone would come up with something like this.
you're mostly wrong with that assumption; the only thing i take before i listen to music or movies is a good meal, not even alcohol.

this way, i can't say: "hey, i can't remember anything, i'd taken some..."

i like to know what i'm doing.

if some speakers are good for imaging, then it must not require much effort to imagine "seeing" instruments and notes in the air (room), as they sound so real and so "present".

isn't all this about high fidelity, whether audio or video, supposed to be a representation of reality?
i think so, and if that representation is good enough, then who needs anything else than one's senses and imagination!

I just sleep with a CD under my pillow at night.

I do what Sonic does. In fact I'm standing right behind her at the time

Seriously though. When I finally get the chance with new music, I'll sit on the living room couch and listen to my stereo set up with no other distractions. I don't shut my eyes though as I'll be staring out at the water which adds to my relaxation. Although, the outdoors can provide it own distractions.

Eventually, I'll try it out in the HT room with 5.1 and the sub assisting. I'm not a purist either way. There is some stuff I enjoy more up in stereo and others that I find more engulfing down in the HT environment.