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Ever lost your interest in music? (e.g. post kids)

48, busy, with two teenage daughters. I've been vinyl only for years, but I've found myself listening less and less to records. Almost never these days. I have a £25 JBl speaker that I run Spotify and Fip (French radio) through and that is fantastic for me. Thinking about picking up a Sonos Beam for streaming and films, and packing the hifi away until the time is right, again.

It's all about the music, the medium is irrelevant, I think. When I was 16 and stoned, a cheap cassette player was all I needed. The clarity and dynamics of a nice hifi setup are lovely but the convenience and immediacy of an active, mono speaker does me just as well these days.
 
i sold my Line Magnetic 518ia with those big hot 845 tubes when my daughter became old enough to walk. Big mistake, now I don't have the spare cash to rebuy it!
 
Oh I also put my valve amp aside when I had my three toddlers (now 26-27). But selling it? No way!
 
Back to the original question - I find it an interesting question.

I am a musician and have taught music for close to 40 years. I retired in 2020. It happened to me to lose interest in music, and to lose interest in audio as a byproduct. I think that not only music is not like air or food, one can become tired or saturated especially if one is a sensitive person; music is not innocent and can't be swallowed as on a regular diet. What's more, to me audio is not the same thing as music but just an artificial medium to an artificial experience, that can be pleasant or trivial according to moment, mood, weather..

When I read on forums of people who listen to their system for hours each day like if it was personally or culturally rewarding, I think it's only bulimia, not different to watching lots of TV. Only, TV is considered a second-rate medium, while home audio is not; I don't really understand this. Yes, one can lose interest in music, in love, in women/men, food. If interest returns, all is ok; if it doesn't, it's an issue to address. But that's all.

My opinion only.
 
jamesd said:
i sold my Line Magnetic 518ia with those big hot 845 tubes when my daughter became old enough to walk. Big mistake, now I don't have the spare cash to rebuy it!
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They say that the LM 5128 is a wonderful amp; I sincerely wish you to have one again.
 
Maxbertola said:
When I read on forums of people who listen to their system for hours each day like if it was personally or culturally rewarding
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It is personally rewarding listening to music 5 hours + most days.

For me.

I fail to understand your point. Unless you believe there is something negative about listening to records all day? I find it difficult to find anything negative about it.

As for ‘culturally rewarding.’ :)

I don’t know what that means.
 
I think I have said what I had to say clearly enough. If you don't understand it, not my problem. Just remember that my point of view is that of someone who dealt with music professionally for all his adult life. Personally, I think that listening to music 5 hours + most days is, as I said, bulimia. But your business.
Best regards.
 
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Maxbertola said:
I think I have said what I had to say clearly enough. If you don't understand it, not my problem. Just remember that my point of view is that of someone who dealt with music professionally for all his adult life. Personally, I think that listening to music 5 hours + most days is, as I said, bulimia. But your business.
Best regards.
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Yes, but you aren’t me.

Both are subjective opinion so equally valid.

But you do imply that listening to records is a negative thing.

And that I don’t get.
 
Frizzy said:
I find it difficult to listen to music when unwell, usually put on radio 4 , calming bbc voices sound reassuring.
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Yes.

I had that recently when a particular pain that I have had for a couple of years was at its peak.
I couldn’t focus on the music. I did try every few days, I would put a record on and then take it off after one tune.
When I eventually got back to the Stereo, it was a beautiful thing. My ears were back.
 
Kids grow up, usually quicker than you expect, and with a bit of luck you get more free time, perhaps a bit of spare cash and listen to your system once again. In my opinion if the reproduction from your system is below your threshold for enjoyment then you won't listen to it much, however the higher it is above that level then the more hours a day you'll want to spend listening (if that makes sense). Gets a bit expensive in stylus wear though.
 
I have had systems which made listening 5 hours a day boring or even irksome. I can listen to my current system all day and still be hungry for more. When I'm working I would rather be spinning black discs than aluminium billet. My current system seems to let the music through for every mood and moment, whether I'm concentrating on it with my full attention or just dipping into it from the background as a diversion while carrying out other tasks. All I need now is central heating and a disc-flipper-wallah and I'll be in clover.
 
Big Tabs said:
Yes, but you aren’t me.

Both are subjective opinion so equally valid.

But you do imply that listening to records is a negative thing.

And that I don’t get.
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I don't think I was implying anything, I usually say things openly. But yes, being an audiophile myself I think I am aware of the risks of reproduce music. 60 years ago it was an interesting pastime for rich people who liked to experiment with relatively new medium and technology; recording companies hired the best musicians and showed pride in having them recorded; now recordings are the dominating culture and not many people also attend concerts. The risk is to seclude oneself into a purely domestic musical environment returning to the same recordings over and over again. Audiohpilia exaggerates this. That said, I like audio equipment and in spite of my difficulties in finding gear I like, I cannot live without it. Which, in my opinion, only supports my views.
 
Just listening to first album in a loooooooooooooong time (Neil young - colorado, first time since purchase). Only on PC (amazon music) via usb > PS Audio Sprout > £30 sennheiser headphones. The drums have got my foot tapping ... we could be on the road to "recovery"! I'd forgotten how much I love the crazy horse sound.
 
Maxbertola said:
The risk is to seclude oneself into a purely domestic musical environment returning to the same recordings over and over again.
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And what is wrong with that?

At the risk of what?

You make the assumption that folk can get to hear live music. Or even want to.

Live music and recorded music are two different things, but I do not rank one above the other.
 
I spend nearly all my spare time listening to music, from the moment I get up to the last thing I do before going to bed. It males me feel better.
 
I am lucky if I get half an hour week days in the evening, maybe an hour w/ends. Just too busy with work and other things

Would I listen more? - Yes, probably, depending on mood but 5 hours a day ... no. To me that would border on obsessive other than if I was working and a radio was playing (very) quietly in the background in which case I wouldn't really be listening to it.

So I probably listen to music 4 to 5 hours per week, perhaps a couple more on BT IE's if I have a longer commute.

I can understand that one would listen more if retired or unoccupied otherwise but hours and hours every day ... I think it would put me off my system/s and music.

During those hours I listen I probably explore 4 or 5 full new albums a week on High Quality streaming services (Quobuz/Tidal).

In monetary album cost terms that is £40 to 50/week, £150 to 200 month. This could be exponentially more for someone listening more.

Easily worth the £30 it costs me a month.
 
I have never lost my enthusiasm for music (now mid 50s) but lack of time, kids and other interests means I rarely fire up my turntable. My squeezebox is pretty much always playing if I'm in the house and I'm as interested in discovering new stuff now as I've ever been.
 
Music is the one interest that has been with me for almost my whole life having blossomed in my teens, but the intensity of that interest ebbs and flows with other distractions, like kids, work, cycling etc. Having retired a few years ago, I now have time spend on all my interests and so music is seeing a major revival, assisted by Qobuz/Tidal/Roon. Just accept that nobody can have it all at all times, but those things that are most important to you will return in good time,
Paul
 
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