There are HiFi systems that bring me up. They energize me, fill me with a desire to hear more and encourage upward volume level nudges.
And then there are the opposites, HiFi systems that bring me down: fatiguing, over etched, trying, encouraging downward volume level nudges.
One of the best means of knowing if your gear choices are serving you, if your system setup is satisfying, is this very test. Does your system inspire you to listen more or cause you to shrink back into silence after some play?
We may not be able to put a finger on the exact causes of either emotional response to music's reproduction, but just knowing we can use this knowledge as a tool puts us in a heck of a lot better place for evaluating gear.
Home audio reproduction can cut both ways: a real up that energizes and inspires us or the opposite.
When you're evaluating a new process, amp, cable, power device, or the system itself, be mindful of how you react to it.
Your emotional state, as a result of music's immersion, can often be more telling than just about any other metric.
