Some food for thought that I think you might enjoy.
While emailing about iPhone covers not being an audio equipment accessory, the complainant pointed out a few very unusual things that nobody would ever think were related to the whole music listening experience.
After giving it some thought, no matter how silly his remarks seemed, I did come to the conclusion that the things he mentioned are indeed a major part in the enjoyment of listening to music and in a way become an accessory for our audio equipment.
As defense to his email that iPhone cases are not audio and therefore do not belong on USAudiomart, I wrote:
'It is an accessory for a device that many people use to play music with.
Isn't this the same as a dust cover for turntables, amps, etc.?'
I know, I might have stretched it a little there....
His response made my day, funny as can be, but definitely food for thought:
'How about slippers that are worn while listening to audio? Or light bulbs so that you can actually see your equipment? Or underwear so that are worn while listening to audio equipment? Nobody listens in the nude right? '
You probably can see why it gave me something to smile and think about.
Believe it or not, but Slippers, Light Bulbs and Underwear are indeed a major part of the music listening experience.
For example:
We don't just eat with our mouth, we use our nose, feeling and eyes also to enjoy our food. If something tastes good, but smells bad, has an awful texture and looks like a dog barfed it up, you are not likely to order it again. On the other hand, if something tastes just ok, but smells like heaven, feels like a cloud in our mouth and looks like God himself plated it, we are very likely to give that another go.
Ok, going back to audio, this is an audio site after all.
Right now I am sitting in my office with fluorescent light, at my desk, in a desk chair, office clothes, dress shoes and listening to some nice tunes on my computer.
Here comes the reason why clothes, lighting and even furniture are a part of me enjoying my music...
Even though I really like the music I am listening to, I would rather:
Listen to it at home, in my comfortable chair, dimmed light (so I can SEE the glow of the tubes in my amp), glass of good wine, a good book, slippers on and only very comfy boxers with a big t shirt or robe.
And there we are!
Listening to the same song in my office is not as nice as listening to it at home.
Conclusion (no matter how silly it seemed):
Slippers, lighting, underwear and even the chair you sit in are a big player in the enjoyment of listening to music.
The more comfortable and at ease we are, the better we enjoy the music we listen to.
And this actually isn't 'snake oil' like many 'audio gear enhancements' out there, but can actually be proven by just trying it yourself.