Feanor, you don't think that being relaxed or stimulated is emotional? Putting the "who has the biggest gear" conversation aside for a moment, there are those of us who enjoy music to the point of not being able to imagine our lives without it, and then there is the bulk of society who go around and just hear the music in the background; a radio, elevator muzak, the sound of a car stereo...it's all just white noise for many people.

But I think that the people on this site are real lovers of sound, be it music or HT. I listen to music at work. When someone comes into my office to talk to me, I have to turn the music off. I don't do it because I'm so interested in what they have to say or because I can't hear them with the speakers blasting. I do it because my brain will focus on the music and not the conversation if I leave it on.

It's like looking at a picture. Science dictates that your eye will always be drawn to the brightest spot on a page. My brain will always be drawn to the most melodic sound in a room.

If a piece of music relaxes you, or stimulates you, or stresses you, it is an emotional reaction. That music has triggered your brain to react. I believe that all of our brains react differently. That's why some people love rap, others love opera or heavy metal...or both!

Have you never listened to a piece of music or been to a concert and been moved to tears?