My friend has a set up like this and his system is impressive. The sonics are less than ideal, but it is a compromise that he is willing to make because he enjoys listening from the kitchen while cooking. We all have our preferences.
Dedicated listening or multi tasking?
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My friend has a set up like this and his system is impressive. The sonics are less than ideal, but it is a compromise that he is willing to make because he enjoys listening from the kitchen while cooking. We all have our preferences.
I like to sip a quality cognac and light a pipe with quality tobacco when listening to quality music, occasionally, or a quality whiskey with a Cuban cigar. ...Or a nice French dry red glass of wine.
Does it count as multitasking.
Does it count as multitasking.
That is the direction I'm headed as well. In fact that is why I'm designing speakers that don't mind that type of space as much as traditional ones. Right now I can hear music pretty good while cooking, something about where the door to the music den is, seems to work fine. Sometimes by choice I just chill outside of the music den, while listening to music. I'm not missing much when I do so. That probably speakes poorly to the house itself...
But I don't want to be in a space where I'm literally cooking next to the stereo. I want some physical distance. I think your (Keith) current place is enough distance that it allows you to hear music, and not splatter cooking oil on your gear.
Davey makes a good point about things that can be done, like choosing a fridge that isn't loud - or maybe putting it on a timer so it'll warm up a little while you are listening but won't defrost overnight. It isn't that I want to get rid of all noises, all the time, but if I want a sit down event then I want them to shut-up - like turning off AC during summer is worth it at times but don't forget to turn it back on.
My listening space is in what some people with kids would call the “family” room, and it opens up to the kitchen. I am concerned about refrigerator cycling noise, and we are taking some remedial action to counteract that noise by putting cement board and blue jeans insulation on the wall between the refrigerator and the listening room, by getting new sub-zero refrigerator and freezer columns, and by planning for a sliding glass room divider between the kitchen and the listening room, over which we can extend an acoustic curtain.
My stereo is in the living room, which is in the front of the house. The front part includes LR, kitchen, and dining room. It is basically one big room with a half-height wall between the LR and kitchen. The LR is setup as a single user listening room, but can be rearranged when necessary. I moved the refrigerator into the garage to get rid of that noise, and the empty space is good for a wine rack. Friday and Saturday night are dedicated listening nights. Other times music is on as background. Generally, this is classical or jazz. My office is the room adjacent to the wall with the speakers. Working at home (programming) I play classical, and turn it up a notch or two.
Ron, I understand your predicament. In my case, the kitchen was just so intrusive into the overall enjoyment that I had from my system, that even though it allowed me to have my system in a much bigger area/room, I just couldn’t stand the various aspects that intruded —and therefore moved to a much smaller room, albeit a room that is totally dedicated to audio and is not influenced at all by these distractions. The odors from cooking are always a disturbance as far as I am concerned, regardless of what you do to cordon off the space. If you can completely isolate your listening space from the kitchen...then I hope you won’t have the same issues that I faced.
Strictly dedicated listening...personally if I want back ground music, I can get it for very little money, so why pay for high end gear to listen to while cooking or??
That's what I am asking myself too. I don't get it. If you want music in the kitchen, buy a little system for there. The sound from your main system on that spot will be compromised anyway.
For me, also strictly dedicated listening.
I like that attitude. When I was still driving 120+ mph on the German Autobahn (on vacation there) I did the same thing. Now I have slowed down to 100 - 110 mph
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Long time ago I tried to read while listening. I ended up understanding the book but not hearing lots of things playing through the stereo. Since then, I am a purely listening guy in a dedicated room. Can't seem to do other things while seriously listening. On warm up times, I play something for background music.
Both for me. We have 8 systems in the House, 2 have a TV connected and 1 is my dedicated listening room. That doesn’t include my travel back pack with DAP and 4-5 head phones. Yes, we like our music
We multitask with back ground music the majority of time.
We multitask with back ground music the majority of time.
In my dedicated room, I operate in the "listen only" mode and the "read while listening" mode..... more the former. We have a Sonos system downstairs for our TV and I use Tidal for casual and background listening.
There was a long time when I thought doing anything else while listening was sacrilege. The problem doing that was that I was too many times interrupted by some sonic discontinuity that I needed to find and fix. That is no longer an issue. I listen and smile. And after being in this hobby for almost 50 years, I am still amazed that sound can appear between 2 speakers!!
There was a long time when I thought doing anything else while listening was sacrilege. The problem doing that was that I was too many times interrupted by some sonic discontinuity that I needed to find and fix. That is no longer an issue. I listen and smile. And after being in this hobby for almost 50 years, I am still amazed that sound can appear between 2 speakers!!
For me, it’s a blessing getting away from London (crowds, busy apartment block w thin walls and parties 24/7, Broadband/EM/RFI hash) to the middle of nowhere (delete previous list).
And away from my compromised acoustic (concrete and glass 27x22x13) to a smooth, expressive sound in a much more conducive environment (18x48x10).
Other than answering the phone to my patients, I’m in a dedicated space purely listening to music. And I find vinyl still compels the need to be “in the moment”, whereas my mind can drift w digital.
And to disappoint my hordes of rabid fans in social media, I’m less minded to post on WBF since the music is so compelling.
And away from my compromised acoustic (concrete and glass 27x22x13) to a smooth, expressive sound in a much more conducive environment (18x48x10).
Other than answering the phone to my patients, I’m in a dedicated space purely listening to music. And I find vinyl still compels the need to be “in the moment”, whereas my mind can drift w digital.
And to disappoint my hordes of rabid fans in social media, I’m less minded to post on WBF since the music is so compelling.
A-HA! The smoking gun! I knew it all along! If enough pressure was applied for long enough he would break, and the truth would be revealed!
So why even waste your time up in the loft listening to digital?
A-HA! The smoking gun! I knew it all along! If enough pressure was applied for long enough he would break, and the truth would be revealed!
So why even waste your time up in the loft listening to digital?
Because streaming allows you listen to 10 performances of the same piece rather than one. Any aria differs a lot depending on the singer. If you want to listen to winterreise, you need to find Peter Schrier, Dietrich Fisher Dieskau, Hans hotter etc. While they are available on LP, difficult to source and play so many. Same if you wanted to listen to a violin concerto and go through heifetz, Oistrakh, Kogan, Rabin, and later players like Perlman, Mutter, Fisher, Benedetti, kavakos. It is only sonics that is better on a good LP, but for music you need streaming and vinyl. It is pointless buying just the one best vinyl pressing and listening to only it, though if you can afford it you should have it
Ked, if you make it here, I’ll play you my Japanese vinyl pressing of LZ3, maybe it’ll make your “must own” list.
Interesting. My mind is as concentrated and captivated when I listen to my digital as when I listen to my friends' analog.
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