When was the last time you listened — really listened — to music at home? I?m not talking about having music on in the background while you?re reading the paper, or cooking, or doing other chores. That?s pleasant enough, but it doesn?t allow you to really focus on the tune and lyrics, or the interplay of instruments and vocals.

The notion of simply sitting and listening to music has grown more and more out of fashion in recent years. The convenience of digital music formats, and especially the rise of compressed formats like MP3 and WMA, has turned music into something that is consumed rather than savored.

And there?s certainly no shortage of other forms of entertainment to occupy our downtime: DVDs, videogames, surfing the Internet, etc. But music engages the mind, body, and soul in unique ways. Focused listening amplifies the pleasures of casual listening, and can be a great stress reliever, too.

When you put your favorite people together with your favorite music, good things happen.

These days, people do a lot of solo listening, whether it's in the car or through a portable player. But there's a really fun way to share your music with others that doesn't require downloading files or burning discs (or the risk of a lawsuit from the RIAA!). Get together with friends and have a listening party!

BYOT — Bring your own tunes
You've joined a bunch of folks for a Super Bowl party, right? Or invited friends or neighbors over to watch a DVD movie on your big-screen TV? It?s a lot of fun. Music-lovers can join in a similar-spirited gathering: a listening party. I?ve been having them for years at my house. It's actually a more interactive kind of get-together because attendees are always encouraged to bring some of their favorite music to share.

Crutchfield is a natural place to find willing participants — it seems like at least half the local musicians work here, not to mention a few radio DJs and sound engineers, plus dozens of music-heads with very eclectic tastes. A couple of weeks ago, two of our A/V writers, Jim and Barry, came over for a listening session. Armed with fistfuls of discs and suitable frosty beverages, we descended to my basement listening room. (Note: If the notion of people sitting around listening intently to music and not saying much strikes you as hopelessly geeky, this may not be the article for you.)

Over the years, I've upgraded my audio system bit by bit to the point where it presents a high-resolution picture of whatever is on a recording. The soundstaging can be impressive, especially if you?re sitting in or near the "sweet spot." Instruments and voices are clearly separated, and sounds extend above and well to the sides of the speakers. The apparent depth of the sonic picture can sometimes extend several feet beyond the wall behind the speakers. Biamped speakers combined with a powered subwoofer give the system enough juice to really "get a grip" on the room. The overall sound remains balanced and crystal-clear even with the volume cranked to Beavis and Butt-Head levels. Listening this way is an immersive experience — Jim refers to it as a "sonic bath."

The better your audio components are, the more real music will sound, but you don't have to spend a fortune. These days, it's not that difficult to assemble a moderately-priced system that — with a little attention to setup — will wow all but the most "golden-eared" audiophiles. One easy way to improve the sound of any system is to optimize the placement of your speakers. If you've positioned your speakers based solely on keeping them out of the way, check out these speaker placement tips.

I?m currently evaluating (and loving) Denon?s mighty DVD-5900 universal player. It allowed us to listen to not only CDs, but also SACDs (Super Audio Compact Discs) and DVD-Audio discs. My system is 2-channel only, so we weren?t able to check out the multichannel mixes available on some of the SACD and DVD-Audio titles. But several of these titles had been re-mastered and that, in addition to these formats? higher resolution, made some of the tracks a revelation compared to the original CD versions.

As usual, we listened to an entirely fresh batch of tunes. Here's a brief rundown of some of what we heard.