Topic: Poll on listening habits (Read 4430 times)

gpvillamil · « **on:** January 20, 2004, 01:36:00 am »

I was curious to know more about our music listening habits. Do we listen to music while we are working on our computers? Or do we treat the PC more as a hi-fi, playing music while we do other things?

The MC interface is generally quite complex, so it implies sitting at the PC, whereas the "Hairstyle" interface is meant to be used at some distance from the PC.

rocketsauce · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2004, 02:44:50 am »

Other.

I do the majority of my music listening in the car.

Rob

Listening to: 'Movement 2: Island' from 'Sea-Scaping Monthly In 4 Or 5 Movements EP' by '.Tape.' on Media Center 10

LonWar · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2004, 06:45:40 am »

Other:
I too listen to the majority of my music in my car.

I use MC strictly as a music database...

modelmaker · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2004, 08:14:04 am »

Most of the above.

My A/V system has been hard-wired thru-out the house for nearly 20 years. The "center" was originally the living room> then a "music" room> then an "Audio-Video Room" which of course is now called a home theater. Everything is intercontrolled with IR remotes and several IR repeaters. The HT has all the high end equipment (built into a false wall with access to the rear of the equipment) and 5 other rooms/areas (now known as "zones") have their own self-contained systems and are also connected back to the main Home Theater system with digital co-ax cable. All cables are hidden in the walls or under the floors and there's a lot of it). This was all pre computer.

My computer is actually in my workshop/office (which has an A/V system with a Thorens turntable) where I spend 75% of my waking time. Originally it was to be used for doing business and dowloading/scanning reference photos for use with my modelmaking business.
Then I discovered that I could preserve all my old music and store it all the HD(s)!!

. I added a SB Extigy and connected it to the existing digital co-ax cables and presto the computer was connected as another "source" in my system.

I now have a main monitor at my office desk and another at my workbench (with an IR keyboard & mouse) and another now in the HT room (connected by a loooong 40ft cable made up by my local computer shop guy) with an RF keyboard & mouse.

In the next couple of months this will be upgraded to a wireless network and some RF remotes for added flexibillty and access. Still gotta get Tivo too! It never ends....

Stilton · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2004, 08:31:49 am »

Quote from: rocketsauce on January 20, 2004, 02:44:50 am

Other.

I do the majority of my music listening in the car.

Rob

Listening to: 'Movement 2: Island' from 'Sea-Scaping Monthly In 4 Or 5 Movements EP' by '.Tape.' on Media Center 10

You browse and post in the forum from your car too?

LisaRCT · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2004, 09:54:51 am »

Quote from: Stilton on January 20, 2004, 08:31:49 am

You browse and post in the forum from your car too?

Yes he does . . . so stay off the roads!!

rocketsauce · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2004, 03:27:01 pm »

Quote from: Stilton on January 20, 2004, 08:31:49 am

Quote from: rocketsauce on January 20, 2004, 02:44:50 am
Other.

I do the majority of my music listening in the car.

Rob

Listening to: 'Movement 2: Island' from 'Sea-Scaping Monthly In 4 Or 5 Movements EP' by '.Tape.' on Media Center 10

You browse and post in the forum from your car too?

Not until I get one of those robot-cars that does the driving for me.

Actually, when I'm at my computer browsing and posting I tend to have the TV on much more than I listen to music. It's a little odd, though, 'cuz I spend so much time tagging and organizing and worrying if I'm tagging and organizing in the "best" way possible. Although, I used to kind of do the same thing with my records and cds. I'd sit down in front of them and make sure they were all in alphabetical order, or maybe reorganize them based on genres. I also kept a file of 3x5 notecards in which I listed every cd/lp I owned. I got almost as much pleasure from fiddling around with them as I did actually listening to them.

Rob

tlongacre · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2004, 07:31:08 pm »

I hate that I can only pick one option. I listen to music on my work PC while I work, at home on the home stereo (speakers in most rooms) while I do other stuff, including work at the computer, on my iPod, in my car, at the gym. . . you name it.

Rizlaw · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2004, 08:09:30 pm »

Sitting at PC, while doing other PC activities
Sitting at PC, only listening
Away from the PC, while doing other activities
Away from the PC, only listening

KingSparta · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2004, 08:31:35 pm »

Since I Am Almost Always Setting At My Computer When Not At Work ( - Trips Out-House In the back Yard (I have No Running Water)).

That’s where listening happens.

Zarius · « **Reply #10 on:** January 20, 2004, 08:47:09 pm »

Mostly 'Sitting at PC, while doing other PC activities'... although 'other PC activities' has mostly consisted of tagging my music recently :)

Also most of the rest, keep music playing whenever I'm doing other things around the house and have 'semi-multi-zone' (I have a computer in each bedroom (2) and just use Media server on them at the moment - since there's a computer in those rooms anyway). Also have a portable (Nomad 3) that gets used rarely since the wall power pack was stolen (along with other things, not just by itself :)) and I only have the car power pack left (gonna fix something up soon and use it more).

None in the car at the moment... just radio (only have a cassette deck that doesn't work :))... might hook up a input from the Nomad into the speakers or just by a new deck that has a line-in (if possible). Of course... there's always the possibility of a 'carputer' :)

pbreet · « **Reply #11 on:** January 20, 2004, 09:21:56 pm »

Quote from: modelmaker on January 20, 2004, 08:14:04 am

I now have a main monitor at my office desk and another at my workbench (with an IR keyboard & mouse) and another now in the HT room (connected by a loooong 40ft cable made up by my local computer shop guy) with an RF keyboard & mouse.

Awesome. Are all the keyboards and mice and monitors active all the time? Any switches?

Galley · « **Reply #12 on:** January 21, 2004, 12:41:24 am »

I listen on my iRiver iHP-120.

modelmaker · « **Reply #13 on:** January 21, 2004, 02:59:14 am »

All mice, keyboards & monitors are always active. 1 mouse/keyboard set is IR/USB, the 2nd cordless is RF/USB and the third is a wired set and all 3 seem to play well together. 2 monitors are on a matrox G-550 and the third runs off an ATI 7500 AIW. I just ordered an ATI 9800 so I can run the 3rd monitor and the TV simultaneously, which I can't do with the 7500.

gpvillamil · « **Reply #14 on:** January 21, 2004, 03:15:57 am »

This is really interesting.

So it seems that very few people are using Media Center + PC as a replacement for a typical audio system, but rather listening while at the PC for other reasons?

tlongacre · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2004, 09:14:30 am »

Quote from: gpvillamil on January 21, 2004, 03:15:57 am

This is really interesting.

So it seems that very few people are using Media Center + PC as a replacement for a typical audio system, but rather listening while at the PC for other reasons?

Given the loss of quality with MP3s compared to CDs, this doesn't surprise me for anyone who lives in a house/apt. bigger than a dorm room or studio. I have a Linksys Media server that lets me play from the computer through my home stereo and, although it's way easier to find stuff, I can tell the quaility is much lower. All my stuff is ripped at VBR, so it's not the lowest quality by any means (although it's not the highest either).

DougHamm · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2004, 01:59:41 pm »

Quote from: gpvillamil on January 21, 2004, 03:15:57 am

This is really interesting.

So it seems that very few people are using Media Center + PC as a replacement for a typical audio system, but rather listening while at the PC for other reasons?

That's why I'm unsure of how to vote. I have an HTPC that, when playing my tunes in the den, isn't really a PC but an "audio system". The only PC-related tasks I may be doing are web surfing while listening (usually Artist Info from AMG) or browsing the AVS forums. Or downloading a new build of MC10.

-Doug

_K_C_ · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2004, 04:49:15 pm »

I use MC on my home theatre PC (following Phat Phreddy's recommendation on AVS), with MusicLobby as a front end. All my CDs are ripped to ape files so there's no loss in quality.

I get the impression from the Cinemar and AVS forums that MusicLobby is a fairly popular product so I guess there are a lot of people like me.

RobOK · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2004, 05:24:42 pm »

At home computer - some (10%)

Link thru media server from work laptop - some (10%)

car/phatbox -- Media Center DOES NOT SUPPORT PHATBOX --

-- listen a lot (30%)

stream thru Tivo HMO to home theater -- a lot. Some quality loss, but if i'm running around the house a lot, i like the convenience. (30%)

iPod/ travelling - working out -- medium amount (21%)

Zarius · « **Reply #19 on:** January 21, 2004, 06:53:52 pm »

I do use mine as a replacement audio system and voted "Sitting at PC, while doing other PC activities"... since if I had an audio system going I would still be sitting at the PC listening to it :) And since I'm going APE with my CD collection, there's no quality loss, yay! :)

MerlinWerks · « **Reply #20 on:** January 22, 2004, 10:01:45 am »

Hi,

I chose "In another room, via dedicated device", my dedicated device is a HTPC

I consider my HTPC basically as another source to my audio system. Cd's are ripped to APE and I currently use a StereoLink 1200 to interface to a Denon multi-zone receiver. One zone is the living room using s-video to my TV for a display, IR remote for basic control (play, volume, source select, etc) and a Gyration RF mouse/keyboard for more PC oriented stuff, surfing etc. Zone 2 is the patio and I primarily use an IR remote with IR/RF repeaters for basic control and have recently gotten a 7" vga LCD monitor w/usb touchscreen which works great, but I won't be able to use it on the patio until the spring thaw

I do my ripping, tagging and library work from my main pc but rarely listen to music while I'm there, go figure ?

Cheers!

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Poll

How do you listen to music?

Author Topic: Poll on listening habits (Read 4430 times)

LisaRCT