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Does a listening room help or hinder?

I once had my office and my system in the same room. I did my work and listened while I worked(sounds like a Disney song). I heard lots of music. Before I had the music in my office, I had it in the living room.

Well, I got the idea that I needed a listening room, so I moved my desk and computer and put it in another room. Now, I have a listening room. It isn't pretty, but it is as functional as I can get it. It has room treatments galore. Some aren't very pretty, but all of it functional. I have one chair in it, plus a little table next to the chair to hold any drink I may have.

Lately, I put on some music and sit down. Sooner or later I have this urge to get up and go do something on the computer. Then I sit back. Soon, I get up again to get something in the kitchen. Then I sit back down again. It goes like this through the entire time the music is on.

Now I listen to music less than I did before. In fact, the music is on now, but I am in a separate room.

Where did I make the mistake? How can I fix this delima?
matchstikman
inpepinnovations1e75
395 posts
 
How can you say that you are "listening" to music if you are doing something else, such as working on a computer?

I have a listening room and use it for listening. When in another room (office, kitchen), I use the listening room system to supply "background" music, but then I am not really listening (more like "hearing"), so it isn't really important how good the system sounds.

There is no such thing as "multi-tasking" when it comes to music listening.

Bob P.
hooper
396 posts
 
I definitely think there are different levels of listening--primarily critical and background. As mentioned above, I have my computer in my listening room, and I can certainly listen to music while playing on the computer, just not critically. In fact, sometimes listening to music this way ("background") is more enjoyable than listening critically, because I'm not worried about all the audiophile minutiae that so often gets in the way of enjoyable listening. When I want to listen critically, the computer and lights go off, and I do the audiophile thing.
robm321
932 posts
 
Bob is right. If you want background music, use your laptop speakers. Save the listening room for serious listening. Time is an issue with me as well. I can't just sit there for hours listening as I have things that have to get done, so I can relate to listening to a song or two - then doing something and so on.

But just set time aside where you clear your mind and just consentrate and enjoy the music. If you have a laptop, you'll just get busy with that and the music may sound good, but you're not really listening.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
The responses seem to be divided here, but lean more in the direction of the office/listening room. And I agree. The only problem is when you want to have others with you and the office is too small. Here's the solution. Put the system back in the living room, then move your desk and computer in there too. No one really "uses" a living room, so what th' hell!
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe
680 posts
 
bignerd is right on point,keep your rig intergrated with the rest of your home,ive had my rigs all over the house including a dedicated room,the most enjoyable to me has been to either keep a rig in my office or in the family room.

i know that some will say that a dedicated room is the only way to listen to your rig & serious listening can only be done in seclusion with no distractions but ive come to find out that for me its a sad way to enjoy the hobby.

what is critical listening anyway?

mike.
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