# How do you listen to music?



## rab-byte

Unless I am looking for a particular song I like to listen to an album from beginning to end. I think that's one of the reasons that I like vinyl.


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## Wardsweb

Vinyl, reel to reel and Cd are start to end. Music server is usually play list but can be random depending on my mood.


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## tonyvdb

I agree that many LPs were usually a story and should be played in order. But I always buy the CD rip it listen to the CD a few times and put it away and listen to the file via dock on my stereo the rest of the time.


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## rab-byte

tonyvdb said:


> I agree that many LPs were usually a story and should be played in order. But I always buy the CD rip it listen to the CD a few times and put it away and listen to the file via dock on my stereo the rest of the time.


I do the same but I still tend to call up the whole album as opposed to just shuffling the whole library.


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## vann_d

I prefer to listen to albums as opposed to play lists. I usually find a band that I like and go with it for a bit.


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## olddrum1

I have a Pioneer SA-9100 with an IPOD and Zero 100 onboard. Most times the album front to end but sometimes the IPOD is put into use in the random mode.


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## oceanman

"Amusted to Death" /Roger Waters/ perhabs must listen from start to end.


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## phillihp23

Prefer my Sirius XM Radio (internet). Pick the channel for the mood i'm in and rock out.


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## Peter Loeser

I like to listen to an album start to finish usually on CD, though I have a handful of vinyl albums. If I know I won't have time to listen all the way through, I'll just fire up the Apple TV and pick randomly from my iTunes library or Spotify. I use Spotify quite a bit during the day at work.


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## tesseract

I mostly listen to a disc (CD, SACD, DVD-A) from start to finish, but have started streaming Slacker from my Blu-Ray player for variety.


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## JoeESP9

It depends on the music I'm playing. Some selections cry out for the entire CD/LP to be played. With others it may be as few as a single selection. CD or LP it doesn't matter. My mood and what I want to hear make the difference.

If I'm in my eccentric DJ mode there is no telling what will come up next. In the summer I open my door and windows and sort of entertain my neighbors (I live in a row house), One of them once asked me "What radio station are you listening to?"


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## jimbodude

I listen to music all day at work. I use a streaming service (Rdio), and I like to queue up the whole album. The quality is actually pretty ok, but not quite CD. At home, I like to listen to the whole album, but my fiance only likes to listen to certain songs or parts of albums - she has what I call "Radio ADD". She is all about making playlists or picking-and-choosing in the moment.


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## Dale Rasco

I voted for playlist but after thinking about it for a few minutes I really listen more to the whole album than playlists.


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## chashint

I rip the CD to a hard drive and listen to whole albums.
I actually like to listen to an artist's catalog of albums in chronological order.
This is my at home listening preference, which is reflected in the poll.
When in the vehicle the song catalog is played in alphabetical order, sometimes we try to guess what the next song will be.


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## nova

I usually listen to Pandora and most of the time it is set to randomly shuffle through my seven "stations". If I break out a CD, cassette, or LP I listen from beginning to end.


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## gordog

Since my preference is vinyl, whole album start to finish. Even with CDs, I'm assuming most artists have a reason for the way they lay down and organise the tracks. With progressive rock, it's a given.


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## wagdad

yeah I'm with Rab-byte. I like albums as compositions on a theme or at least the tracks arranged to give
a sense of completeness


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## cavchameleon

For casual listening, we stream from Pandora or from our HTPC (has over 1000 albums on it - many years of collections). But, for 'critical' listening, I do listen to specific songs from CD, SACD, DVD-A, and yes, LP's.


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## chrapladm

I prefer to listen to an album from start to finish. But that being said I listen to so much music online that I tend to do a lot of playlist listening also. Hard to chose. but seeing I have not purchased anything new in many years I will have to vote playlist.


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## Ovation123

If I can set aside the time, I prefer an album from start to finish. In the car, it's usually a playlist (songs selected for optimal "keep me awake on long drives") or an audiobook. At home, albums (whether streamed from iTunes or an actual disc) are my preference when I'm actually sitting down to listen. Playlists are my option for parties and as background music for chores or exercise.


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## AudiocRaver

From my music server: Usually entire album start to finish, sometimes jumping around as inspired, never play lists.

In the car with CDs: Usually entire album start to finish, sometimes skipping a track here or there.


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## dsime42

Used to listen to vinyl as "sides" rather than whole albums, occasionally playing cuts to reel or playing back a reel. 
But CDs went to whole albums, and now with them ripped to PC I usually import a directory and listen to the whole CD.

I want to do a random across the library for background "non-listening" so that I might hear forgotten gems in the collection in folders I rarely select.

(I tried listening to internet/satellite music but they all seemed to be MP3s and or compressed out life. Can someone point me to a feed that is lossless and un-destroyed?)


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## JoeESP9

AFAIK there are no uncompressed streaming sources. If you find or hear of one I'd like to know. 

The bandwidth of one's internet connection has a profound effect on this. An uncompressed file may need 10 to 20 times the bandwidth of an MP3 file.


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## labman1

I listen to the whole album in order and same for CD in car. On the computer it is play lists.


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## ericzim

I don't much care for internet radio so I will throw on some vinyl or listen to a CD in its entirety. I stream audio from my server via DLNA to my Blu-ray player to listen to music throughout my home and select folders with a particular set of songs or just que up the entire 8 terabyte library.


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## AudiocRaver

ericzim said:


> I don't much care for internet radio so I will throw on some vinyl or listen to a CD in its entirety. I stream audio from my server via DLNA to my Blu-ray player to listen to music throughout my home and select folders with a particular set of songs or just que up the entire 8 terabyte library.


Eight Terabyte!!!!! Zowie, that's a lot of tracks!


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## ericzim

AudiocRaver said:


> Eight Terabyte!!!!! Zowie, that's a lot of tracks!


Yeah, I started converting my entire vinyl collection back in late 1998 to wave files thinking I had better preserve them as back then a stylus replacement for my rig was exceedingly expensive for a Shure V15 Type IV. By comparison hard drives and blank media were cheap.


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## Elliott Studio

For serious listening it's vinyl from end to end.. in car and while cooking or something where I can't do vinyl, I love my playlist (I rip my vinyl)


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## AudiocRaver

Playlists never work for me. I always wish I had done them differently. I am never happy with random shuffle either.


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## 86eldel68-deactivated

I rarely sit and listen to an album anymore - I mostly just flip through the songs on my Zune or in the iTunes Library on my PC.

The only times I do listen to an entire album are:
- when I'm working out (I usually do one complete album followed by an assortment of songs); and
- when I'm on a road trip (I'll set up a playlist with a few albums on it just before I leave the house).


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## sub_crazy

That's how you know it's good, listening from the first song to the end......oh yeah.


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## Verse-n-Chorus

If the artist & recording are good enough , 
then I listen to the whole recording at once ,
if I have time.
I have done a little bit of DJ ing &
that has got me in the habit of picking + 
choosing the "best" songs.
I prefer CD s due to the un-reliable
nature of computers.
If I have d-l ed the music ,
then I try to get *.flac format.


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## Bob R

oceanman said:


> "Amusted to Death" /Roger Waters/ perhabs must listen from start to end.


But of course, as with Hitch Hiking.

I still think the Sony surround effect worked well on amused.

The dogs were coming from the left of me.

Really, they were.

Oops on topic:

Mostly the entire LP/CD unless I'm multitasking.


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## boidsonly

I rip all CDs in wave lossless and listen to them start to finish. If it is a new CD, sometimes on repeat until I get tired of it...


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## pharoah

tesseract said:


> I mostly listen to a disc (CD, SACD, DVD-A) from start to finish, but have started streaming Slacker from my Blu-Ray player for variety.


thats exactly how i listen mostly disc's,and some net radio.


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## AudiocRaver

Not my usual listening mode, and streaming quality is only fair - tried out the MOG streaming music channel on my Roku box last night. A lot like Pandora. Extremely simple, just pick a favorite band and hit go and you have decent music over the bedroom TV to fall asleep to if you need some noise. Tried out Todd Rundgren and Deerhoof, both fairly obscure, and in both cases most of their albums were available.


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