I’ve been a Naim owner for about 15 years and got into HiFi even earlier. I’ve moved slowly up the HiFi chain, selling and upgrade to new kit when funds allowed.
I’ve finally arrived at what I would like to say is my end game system. For now at least.
Tidal or CD rips from Innuos Zen mini 3 (SSD) into Auralic Vega S1 DAC into Naim Nait50 into Kudos X2 floorstands.
The sound is sublime, very detailed, wide and open soundstage. Everything seems to be just as it should….
So why am I loosing interest in listening? And I end up picking up the phone or tablet to read something or to watch a video? Are others experiencing this or have I just lost interest in the music?
I started thinking about adding a turntable (rega p3?) to the system, as a I think this might get me back to paying more attention when I’m listening, plus getting up to choose the next record and so on. But I don’t have any vinyl so this would be an investment which might not even cure this problem.
I thought maybe I’d start buying CDs again, only to find that a lot of the music I now listen to (streaming) is not available on CD anyway.
I know it could be better, but Sound quality wise I think my system is very decent, so not sure if upgrading components would help either.
Have others been in this situation and what did you do about it?
This also happened to me - maybe 1-2 times … as one gets older, priorities and interests might change. No need to spend more money on your system … leave it as it is and your interest in listening to music will return. At least that happened to me …
I think it’s because our brains have gotten used to instant gratification. We can get anything we want usually at the tap of your fingers. Therefor our brains have more difficulty to stay focused on one thing at the time. Hence we grab our phone to read something or start browsing for a next song to queue up or think about what to upgrade next.
It’s very annoying but I’m not sure if it has anything to do with your current setup.
It could also be that this source is high on details and a high quality source but low on fun factor and involvement. That could be worth investigating.
I’ve experienced this a number of times. Each time I’ve tried to revive the old passion one way or another, usually changing gear - i.e. sound. With scarce success.
I think Hifi_Naim_CNNL’s first post sums it up pretty well. I’m currently healing the wound using older stuff - chrome bumper Naim amps from mid-80s -, playing LPs, reducing expectations, caring less for technicalities and accepting the reasonable amount of imperfection that everything modern is trying to expel from our lives.
I think you’ve reached a level of satisfaction and realising that never ending rainbow chasing is history and you now concentrate less on that and enjoying other things on a level.
Not losing interest but just found your own sweet spot.
A bit like the real holy grail.
I experience it as music saturation… Same old, same old matched by revulsion at what passes for contemporary music.
I find I’m more likely to listen/pay more than cursory attention if it’s a music video or music soundtrack to a film or TV series.
The perceived sound quality is less important than it used to be. Clever or meaningful lyrics can still engage me (something sadly lacking in modern output).
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Yes it does seem like in today’s fast pace, instant gratification and social media world, we’ve grown less able to concentrate on one thing for a certain amount of time.
Well at least I am finding that has happened to me. I’m starting to be very worried about what my kids will be like at my age
It is something that I recognize, but I would not worry about it at all. If you are now into something else, just enjoy that. The interest in music will return.
I am not sure how much you tinker with you system, but what also helps is to stop chasing the ultimate sound quality. Enjoy what you have and really listen to the music i.s.o. focusing on the ultimate sound quality.
Another way to get back to enjoying music is trying new genres etc. That can also get the juices flowing again.
I have been through this over the years. Usually I just stop listening as often for a while, but never completely stop. In the past I had my vehicle loaded with amps, speakers etc. , but several thefts made me steer away from car audio.
Sometimes I wonder why do I need to listen to music wherever I am, or do I even want to?
I just bought a new truck, and it came with 3 months Sirius satellite radio, but I never used it once. They keep Emailing and calling me to sign up to a continued plan. Last time they called I had to be kind of blunt with them, and said I only listen to local sports radio, so have no use for satellite radio.
This is true, all I listen to in my vehicle most of the time is sports radio.
I also tried to get back into Vinyl a few years ago, that ended up being too much work and money, so I bailed out, sold everything.
My advice would be to take a break, in time you will rediscover your love for music.
I recently rediscovered Leonard Cohen - the lyrics. Also, for a boost, I now turn to the German band Rammstein
Neue Deutsche Härte (NDH):
This is a German genre that translates to “New German Hardness” and is characterized by a blend of heavy metal, hard rock, and industrial elements. Rammstein is considered a pioneer of this genre.
As I haven’t experienced the same it can only be a guess as to possible cause: Did you always have a strong yearning to be where you reached when you attained your current system, along the way always itching for the next upgrade or tweak? If so then perhaps it is unsurprising that you aren’t satisfied for long now you’ve got there. Similarly if you’re a “grass is always greener” kind of person, whether in things you have or in relationships etc.
To stimulate interest you may need to change gear periodically …or change music!
I’ve experienced this several times over the years. Simpler systems can help as expectation bias can happen when it all costs a fortune. I do think the biggest factor is lifestyle, when i have a lot of things going on i don’t always find time to enjoy music in the same way i used to. Some time away from home often re ignites my interest upon return.
I will say that certain components of a system can turn me off listening completely. Overly detailed and analytical components have never had a place for me, and i have a pretty good radar when i hear it.
Hi DT L. I think there’s a difference between using our systems to listen to music and using music to listen to our systems. The latter can mean that once you’ve had a system for a while, it ceases to satisfy as much as it did when new and only a new component or at least a change will restore the satisfaction … temporarily. I like to kid myself I’m in the first category and have found exploring new musical avenues can be a good panacea for that ennui. This is when streaming can be such a useful aid to exploration. Before I first got into streaming I listened almost exclusively to classical, but the opportunity to try other genres means I now spend at least as much time on jazz, folk and other types of music. For me, that has enhanced my enjoyment massively, so perhaps going on a musical adventure will restore your interest and, assuming you stream, is costless.
I can echo others’ experiences. The solution for me is to listen to another genre of music. I don’t mean explore other, new genres of music but I revisit music I’ve not listened to in a long time. Of course, you could discover music you have not listened to before, but for me I like to return to music I loved in the past but had not listened to for some time (several years on some occasions).
That said, while I enjoy a strong streaming element within my systems, I do find myself more engaged if playing a record or CD. Too much choice on Tidal… Perversely I very much enjoy R3 on fm too however!
Is it just music you have lost interest in, or other things in life at the same time? I find as I get older I have less interest in some things but fortunately I still find I never have enough time to listen to music properly. Mrs Bruss always finds me something to do , or more often interrupts and says oh, you can listen to that anytime, just as Tosca is about to throw herself over the parapet.
I listen a fair bit to new music to me via Amazon HD, other streaming services are available, and that keeps me listening and seeking more.
To misquote “ tired of music, tired of life”.
, or more often interrupts and says oh, you can listen to that anytime, just as Tosca is about to throw herself over the parapet.