I am a music head. As such, I could care less about what other people get out of audio. If some want to fantasize about the make believe aspects of it all, I say, let them, if it makes them happy. I can usually get a satisfactory listening experience from many different sources. While I was recently helping my brother redo his wrecked roof from Ian, all he had was a very old portable from the job site days from the '80s. Just a basic radio and not even close to boom box status. Still has drywall mud and dust on it. It was enough somehow, especially with no immediate comparisons around, beyond the much better system in my truck.
Audiophilia, has managed to get a little too much starch in it's underwear over the years. While I can appreciate the easy access to, and the beneficial science of it all, there are many who can never turn it off and just listen.
I most often listen point blank with large speakers near field. I am sitting right in between them to where I can reach both easily at the same time without leaning much, if at all. This would likely horrify most science based audiophiles and they would be ready to attack me with their many spreadsheets on the subject if I cared/dared to argue about it. In spite of everything I know with the 'correct' way to do this, I still don't. I tried it the "right way," and it wasn't nearly as fun for me.
Had a buddy over the other day and he wanted to hear my stereo just from seeing it. He really had no idea how involved I was with hi-fi. There we were, both standing a couple feet apart between my speakers while drinking beers, having to yell at each other to communicate when we wanted to remark on what we were experiencing without turning it down. We spent probably 4 hrs listening (loudly) like that and a 12 pack gone. Neither of us are really drinkers/smokers but we had managed a small party of it, regardless. This has turned into something we do a couple times a month now. My neighbor a couple houses over happens by sometimes as well and there we are, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, jamming the heck out like the olden days. All of us are in our 60s now and it was uncanny how much we still had in common musically and it was apparent that we all came from the same places, albeit separately. They bring me Guinness!
