[Huck]

Since I installed a streamer (NODE) about 15 months ago,I  have probably listened to at least 400 new songs from different genres and I notice that I don't have any patience any more when listening and I tend to listen to the first 1/4 of the song or if it sounds 'off',I just hit the mouse button to next song....before the streamer,I would spin plastic and would basically sit through the 'bad' track and continue listening all the way through,occasionally hitting the NEXT button on player,occasionally.

So,are there other listeners like me that have no music patience,or is it an old age 'thing'....I never really did have any patience,so maybe that's it...no patience is getting worse?!! Huck

[js1955]

Could simply be that you just don't like how that new piece of gear sounds?     

Trying alternatives will reveal the issue.

[toocool4]

The ease to skip with little effort involved coupled with having too many choices at your fingertips, that's the problem.

[Huck]

The ease to skip with little effort involved coupled with having too many choices at your fingertips, that's the problem.

I think you are right. Thanks,Huck

[Saturn94]

The ease to skip with little effort involved coupled with having too many choices at your fingertips, that's the problem.

So true! 

[routlaw]

Sort of reminds me of the old days road tripping when only FM radio was available. We all kept pushing buttons to the next station to find something we wanted to hear. Personally I don’t care for streaming, tried it a few years and it just never sounded as good as playing music from a hard drive or spinning disc. It’s main benefit was finding new music, again much like the days of FM radio, then purchasing what you liked via downloads or disc.

[Digi-G]

The ease to skip with little effort involved coupled with having too many choices at your fingertips, that's the problem.

I have to agree - this is definitely part of the issue.  I think it's because I know (in my case at least) that I have 14,000 other songs to choose from and I'm a little trigger happy.  It's best when I can find that 'passive' part of me to pick something and just let the music play.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Since I installed a streamer (NODE) about 15 months ago,I  have probably listened to at least 400 new songs from different genres and I notice that I don't have any patience any more when listening and I tend to listen to the first 1/4 of the song or if it sounds 'off',I just hit the mouse button to next song....before the streamer,I would spin plastic and would basically sit through the 'bad' track and continue listening all the way through,occasionally hitting the NEXT button on player,occasionally.

So,are there other listeners like me that have no music patience,or is it an old age 'thing'....I never really did have any patience,so maybe that's it...no patience is getting worse?!! Huck

I have been going through the same issue.  I do not listen as often because of it.  Some days I can only stand to listen for 15 minutes and I am done.  Other days I am ok.  It has been going on for the past year.   I even thought about selling my gear.  I figure it has to be an age issue.

[Don_S]

My problem is the better my system sounds the less music I find worthy. As I upgrade my system my best recordings sound better and the others sound worse. There are a lot of crappy recordings out there.  I lose patience and move on to another recording.

[rollo]

Since I installed a streamer (NODE) about 15 months ago,I  have probably listened to at least 400 new songs from different genres and I notice that I don't have any patience any more when listening and I tend to listen to the first 1/4 of the song or if it sounds 'off',I just hit the mouse button to next song....before the streamer,I would spin plastic and would basically sit through the 'bad' track and continue listening all the way through,occasionally hitting the NEXT button on player,occasionally.

So,are there other listeners like me that have no music patience,or is it an old age 'thing'....I never really did have any patience,so maybe that's it...no patience is getting worse?!! Huck

 IMHO it is streaming in general. For me background music. My dedicated transport and DAC is much better in sound quality.

charles

[Tyson]

I think for a lot of people streaming has eclipsed the idea of 'an album'.  In the old days, you sat down and listened to a disc/record in a focused way.  So tracks were evaluated within the overall quality of that specific album. 

Nowadays, with streaming and playlists and background listening, most music is experienced on a song-by-song basis with little reference to the entire album.  Which fractures the musical experience and results in exactly the phenomenon noted here.

[Phil A]

I think we all go through different phases.  I have over 60,000 music files and then I'll buy a bunch of downloads on sale.  Still going through what I bought around Thanksgiving and I haven't caught up with thousands of things I either ripped from disc (as sometimes downloads are not available) or downloads I never got to listen to except in the background.  Lately, I've been catching up with re-watching movies I own (and I have lots of those on disc) or my Netflix (or Amazon) watch list (and I tend to watch just movies or documentaries vs. series as I don't have time to get to what I have - interesting documentary I watch about a week and a half back - "What the Health").  It's also somewhat an age thing (I'll be 71 in 4 weeks).

I also have had other things going on (both health and lots of house issues) and other hobbies.  I have a telescope I've barely used (I aligned it once a few years back and haven't gotten back to it).  I have just about caught up with house issues (or have what is left schedule - had to end up getting an attorney and an engineer's report and now it is 22 months since initiation and technically they still owe me a thing or two but I told my attorney I'm done with them and I will get that taken care of as it is not critical - they just build them and don't maintain resources to properly deal with problems).  When one gets thrown into a bunch of unexpected issues that demands time, it just pushes everything back and then there's a backlog.  The last 3 years has been like that for me.

I've also been through some audio upgrades on the system over the past year and due to the house issues had the whole system ripped apart (and the rack is 350 lbs. assembled and I partially disassembled it and got help) while the room got painted and I had an ambient light rejecting screen installed waiting for a new ultra short throw projector (probably in about 2 months).  So when I have listened much of the time it was things I've had a long time and I wanted to hear them with the new set-up.  When one is buying more things in a situation like that, the backlog piles up.

[doorman]

There’s a case to be made that current technology, ie : smart phones, tablets et al are also serving to degrade our attention (?), as in always wanting that next “thing”.

[Huck]

I am the OP and I think times are are a changin'.It's still fun listening to new and old music,but not like it was 'back in the day',I would spend most of my pay cheque at my local record shop,....yup lp's and I coudn't wait for that 'special time' after everything else is done,to sit back and really listen to whatever album I had on the TT( I had two TT's back then,MM and MC).
 Also back then, and it was for me a while ago,to find the 'best' version of whatever on CD I was listening to.( I have 4 versions of Pink Floyd DSOTM),plus multiples of other titles.
Now, I refuse to do that with streaming.I will just listen and if it sounds like a crappy recording(most are ),I just press the mouse thing...done....no more searching for the 'best' one....I am done with all that! Thanks to all who posted!! Huck

[Huck]

Could simply be that you just don't like how that new piece of gear sounds?     

Trying alternatives will reveal the issue.

I am pretty sure it's the quality of whatever music I am listening to,which is 'gone' for the most part.Huck

[Tyson]

I am the OP and I think times are are a changin'.It's still fun listening to new and old music,but not like it was 'back in the day',I would spend most of my pay cheque at my local record shop,....yup lp's and I coudn't wait for that 'special time' after everything else is done,to sit back and really listen to whatever album I had on the TT( I had two TT's back then,MM and MC).
 Also back then, and it was for me a while ago,to find the 'best' version of whatever on CD I was listening to.( I have 4 versions of Pink Floyd DSOTM),plus multiples of other titles.
Now, I refuse to do that with streaming.I will just listen and if it sounds like a crappy recording(most are ),I just press the mouse thing...done....no more searching for the 'best' one....I am done with all that! Thanks to all who posted!! Huck

Everyone has more intensive experiences with music when they are young.  A lot of that is because our brains are still have a high degree of neuroplasticity, plus we are in the middle of developing our self identity.  Thus the music you hear during your formative years 'becomes a part of you' in a way that will never happen again, once you are older.

Happens to every generation.  The music 'back then' in your youth is not any better than the music being created today.  You just resonate with it more because you were young then, and you are old now.

[mick wolfe]

Since I installed a streamer (NODE) about 15 months ago,I  have probably listened to at least 400 new songs from different genres and I notice that I don't have any patience any more when listening and I tend to listen to the first 1/4 of the song or if it sounds 'off',I just hit the mouse button to next song....before the streamer,I would spin plastic and would basically sit through the 'bad' track and continue listening all the way through,occasionally hitting the NEXT button on player,occasionally.

So,are there other listeners like me that have no music patience,or is it an old age 'thing'....I never really did have any patience,so maybe that's it...no patience is getting worse?!! Huck

I don't stream for serious listening, so with no real experience in that arena, it's hard for me to blame that for your lack of involvement. Although I certainly wouldn't rule it out. That said, I'm a bit older myself and certainly don't listen as much as I used to. It's not the fault of either of my systems though. When I do take time to listen, I find both systems are still very solid performers. It's just that the desire to listen as much as I did even a couple years back has diminished. So yes, age too could certainly be compounding the issue.

[js1955]

I am pretty sure it's the quality of whatever music I am listening to,which is 'gone' for the most part.Huck

In your original post you said the phenomena started happening when you added a new piece of gear (the Node).  Hence, my comment.

[Huck]

In your original post you said the phenomena started happening when you added a new piece of gear (the Node).  Hence, my comment.

I think what I meant was...wide variety of new music available since installing the streamer.More percentages of 'bad' recordings.Thanks,Huck

[Carl V]

playing LP's i will usually listen without stopping or skipping...too lazy to get up?

But with the advent of CD's, CD changers, Burned bCD Playlists ....the urge to skip to another song
is stronger than back in the day.....

altho like many here, there have been many LP's where I only like 1/2 the songs
.
So the advent of Mix-tapes changed a lot of our listening habits.  I like Classical Music but lately I play just one
or two selective movements NOT the entire symphony.  I like Opera Aria Highlights now, more than sitting thru
the entire opera.

ymmv