Vote

I've been a professional musician for 15 years, with a very active performance schedule. My job keeps me hopping from one acoustic setting to another. Some venues sound like Mammoth Cave, others sound like cotton-lined shoeboxes. They all have one thing in common: I always hear the music from the stage. This is a dual-edged sword; I get the supreme pleasure of participating in the creative process, but I never get to hear the final product from the proper vantage point (the audience's). I rarely have time to attend concerts or jazz performances, so I live for those spare moments spent in "the sweet spot." Thanks to the good advice I've received from Stereophile, I've assembled a system (on a very tight budget) that provides a decent facsimile of a live setting. Perhaps when I retire (yeah, right) I'll spend more time listening to the "real thing" . . . until then, I'll rely on you guys to help me out at home. Thanx!

whistling.

Why am I only allowed to check one box? I play piano, violin, and cello (some better than others).

I tried the bagpipes a few years ago, but no good. Same with the guitar as a teenager. I guess I don't have a talent for musical instruments. But that doesn't get to me like it used to. Of the musicians I have known, all have had terrible stereos---even the ones you read about in audio magazines, ones I have looked up to because their albums had great sound. They turn out to have real dogs of systems (stuff you wouldn't let your old grand listen to)---real ear-bleeders. I've gotten to think it's better to be able to hear well (golden ears) than to be able to play an instrument. After all, look how many play, and how few play well.

I play tuba as a main instrument, bass and Latin percussion as second instruments. I also record and engineer music.

I (my parents) gave piano a shot when I was 9. I quit when I was 11. When asked if I play an instrument, I say, "Yes, my stereo."

Professional choral conductor & church musician for over 20 years.

There was no choice for "Various": trombone, piano, drums, vocal. I have the greatest job: directing choirs & an orchestra. Unlike many musicians, I have a high-end system consisting of Thiel, Madrigal, Classé, MIT.

I used to play; now I engineer. Once I realized that I appreciated "good" music more than "my" music, the choice was a no-brainer!

Air Guitar

had i any musical ability beyond auditory i most certainly would.

I have two left feet, can't keep a beat, don't sing in the shower, and can't even hum in tune, but do I ever love my music! My wife can't figure it out .

Does air guitar count? I play a pretty mean one.

I also play the guitar.I have noticed that the vast majority of musicians that I met had very poor audio systems. I'm sure part of the reason for this is either a lack of funds or perhaps they are spending most of their money on their instruments. I always found that hearing recordings through a good sound system allowed me to hear what was really being played, which was not always easily heard on lesser sytems.

I've played French Horn for 27 years, both for fun and professionally . . . and I don't neglect my stereo. It sucks up ALL disposable income, heh-heh-heh, and some that isn't disposable. :-)

Since I don't play any instruments, I get my kicks by going to concerts and---ta-daaa---listening to high-end audio.

you can break a little wind over the reeds of a harp even in the bathtub.

Guitar AND drums, actually. Oh, and occasionally a bit of piano or keyboard. Why did you only let us "choose one"?

I WORK IN THE MUSIC SOFTWARE AND MIDI DEVICE BUSINESS. DOES THAT COUNT

Also clarinet

Trouser Trumpet

If I had any God-given talent, I wouldn't spend so much on stereo trash...

Therapy. Pure therapy.

NO. Can't even blow a trumpet and my fingers bleed when I strum a guitar. Piano lessons were of course unaffordable; what more to buy a piano! No. No instrument playing for me, thank you.

Although sound quality is important to me, when I was in graduate school, most of my music proffesors had Webcor phonographs explaining that they can fill in the rest.

I can whistle. Does that count?

It`s true,most musos I know care little about the sound of their gear,and are more into the music.

Fretless bass

I play upright and electric basses, and when I heard the Dunlavy SC-IVs, it was damn close to the real thing. I of course purchased the SC-IVs, and a pair of SC-Is for the bedroom. When the band comes over to my house to rehearse, we spend most of our time listening to music instead of rehearsing for our gigs. My Dunlavy HRCC (new center channel) is on order. Some musician really do have an appreciation for high-end gear, but most don't. Well, time to go change the CD in the Theta Voyager.

Though I am a piano player, I think it is even more important for audiophiles to listen to alot of live music.