On average, How many hours a week do you listen to music

[cjf]

I'm curious to know how many hours a week the average Computer Audiophile site visitor listens to music each week. I'm not interested in BS, or over exaggerated figures. Please give a close estimate of casual listening and critical listening but it must be on your main rig and not on your secondary system. Each figure should be considered separate from the other and added together unless you only participate in one form of listening.

 

I'll go first:

 

Casual = 20 hrs a week

 

Critical = 10 hrs a week

 

Total listening time = 30 hrs a week

 

Yes, I'm a bachelor with no one to answer to : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

[esldude]

Oh of course it varies greatly. In the winter, 10 hours casually and that much critically. A decade ago it might have been 10 hrs and 20 hrs in the winter. A decade before that maybe 20 hrs and 30 hrs critically.

 

In the summer a couple decades ago not much different than winter. Now, I find myself drawn to the outdoors more when weather permits. Those hours diminish by half at least if not a bit more.

 

 

 

[Bear]

As much as I chase the perfect "live" sound as anyone else I need to listen more and not worry about it so much so good question. I try to get a good hour a day in before bed time. It is amazing how it can calm you down and sleep better after a long day of frustration! Otherwise I pretty much always have music in the background one way or the other - even my fully restored 1986 560 SL has custom installed audiophile level speakers.

 

[realhifi]

Hard to tally it up seeing as music is playing in the shop from morning till night. Equally hard to say which is supposedly "critical" and which is casual and I'm not entirely sure what that means. Critically listening to a song or opera so you can decifer artist intent?

 

I'm going to guess I get in about 40hrs a week of listening either way. Much of it spent doing other tasks.

 

[nemick]

Casually 15 hours per week

 

Critically 5 hours per week

 

 

[cjf]

To Realhifi

 

I probably should have included in my original post what I consider as "Critical" listening though the term is pretty widely used.

 

My definition would be sitting in the sweet spot in front of your main stereo rig and closely listening to the music trying to take in/notice new sounds or emotions you haven't heard before that the artist intended you to hear. These details usually go unnoticed during a casual listening session because you are typically doing other things.

 

Interesting mix of responses thus far

 

[bleedink]

I try to devote at least one hour per day doing nothing but listening. It can depend on what I am listening to. If it is a day I'm into say something with a Steely Dan groove I can listen without fatigue for a couple hours at a good clip. If it's CD quality basically I can only do an hour. My head starts to hurt with most music. There's a lot of music I love that I honestly can't listen to because of the way they were recorded. Headaches. I should add all my critical listening is done in the sweet spot with no other interferences. It is one of the reasons I like surround music. Forces me to stay put and let the music wash over my senses. A good stereo recording from say Stevie Wonder's golden period will also equally satisfy and keep me put!

 

[RealAudio]

I have a different view of "critical listening". Given the precision of most good equipment, you've already heard everything you're going to hear. What I like to do is take a particular composition and compare the interpretation of various artists and conductors. Sometimes the entire piece, sometimes a movement, sometimes just a dozen or so bars. I know people who will follow the scores and make notes as they listen.

 

But, for real critical listening, in NY I have a half dozen or so venues I can pick from every night, so I tend to go to a live performance a couple of times a week, that's about 6 hours, except when its Wagner, then about 12. The rest is noise.

 

 

[Jsmith]

Since I work from home and my stereo is in my office I log a bit of time. Probably about 2 - 3 hours minimum a day of background and some days up to 6 - 7 depending on meeting schedules.

 

I usually try to get in 30 - 60 minutes a day for critical listening on top of what I listed.

 

 

 

[Rob McCance]

About 7-10 hours a week, all "critical" listening.

 

Only casual listening I do is while in the car.