What music does Rob listen to?

Short answer

Mostly classical, with electronica and prog rock alongside. In April 2017 he put classical at 95% of his listening Head-Fi, Apr 2017; in March 2022 he said he enjoys classical from early music to the present, plus prog rock and electronica article, Mar 2022. He named Jacqueline du Pré playing the Elgar Cello Concerto as the piece that has stood the test of time for him article, Mar 2022. In written answers to a Soundnews interview published in October 2026 (reply date not stated), he said Philip Glass's Koyaanisqatsi was playing article, Oct 2026.

The practical answer: Rob Watts listens mostly to classical music, from early music to modern composers, and also to electronica, prog rock and film soundtracks Head-Fi, Nov 2018 article, Mar 2022Head-Fi, Dec 2018. In September 2022 he called himself "pretty eclectic" The Source AV 9:33. He has said genre does not decide what gains from better playback: in December 2017 he wrote that "all forms of well recorded music will benefit from better musicality and transparency" Head-Fi, Dec 2017, and in December 2018, "I do not know of any music that will not benefit hugely with an M scaler, or a better DAC/amp" Head-Fi, Dec 2018. In written answers to a Soundnews interview published in October 2026 (reply date not stated) he said he listens for pleasure and does not listen as an engineer "except when doing subjective testing" article, Oct 2026.

How much is classical

In April 2017 he wrote "95% of my listening is classical", adding that he likes "excellent music from all genres" Head-Fi, Apr 2017. In November 2018 he wrote, "My music is mostly classical, but I enjoy electronica, prog rock and other good music" Head-Fi, Nov 2018. In September 2022 he said most of his listening is classical, "from Hildegard von Bingen right up to Philip Glass", and that he also very much enjoys electronica The Source AV 9:33 The Source AV 9:38The Source AV 9:48. At CanJam NYC in late February 2023 (video published March 2023; show dates unverified) he said "mostly classical music" and that he had recently been listening to modern composers, naming Max Richter The Headphone Show 56:30. His later statements give no percentage.

Composers and performers he names

In a December 2017 Q&A he gave classical as his favorite genre, named favorite composers from Hildegard von Bingen and Vivaldi to Shostakovich, Elgar, Glass, Zimmer and Gorecki, and said Oistrakh, Richter and Jacqueline du Pré stand out among performers article, Dec 2017. Asked for a favorite album, he answered "Thousands of favourites!" article, Dec 2017. Asked in March 2022 for favorite pieces, he said "I hate that question!", then named du Pré with the Elgar Cello Concerto, which "never fails to give me spine-tingles" article, Mar 2022article, Mar 2022.

What he reported playing, by date

December 2017: discovering the Brilliant Classics label; DG's David Oistrakh Edition came first "from a music POV" Head-Fi, Dec 2017.
December 2018: the Arrival soundtrack by Jóhann Jóhannsson was on his playlist Head-Fi, Dec 2018, along with "lots of prog rock and electronica" Head-Fi, Dec 2018.
June 2019: a 50GB buying spree included "a lot of Max Richter" Head-Fi, Jun 2019.
May 2020: three Tangerine Dream box sets covering 1970 to 1983 Head-Fi, May 2020.
September 2022: non-classical music he enjoyed that summer, including Billie Eilish, Daft Punk, Leonard Cohen, Max Richter, Patti Smith, Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream Head-Fi, Sep 2022.
January 2023: Hildur Guðnadóttir, in a post about travel listening with Hugo 2 driving small speakers Head-Fi, Jan 2023.
August 2023: Arrival again, as a 48k version on Qobuz Head-Fi, Aug 2023. At CanJam SoCal 2023 he mentioned Nils Frahm albums on Qobuz The Source AV 41:09.
Soundnews written answers, published October 2026 (reply date not stated): Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi article, Oct 2026.

How he listens

In April 2016 he listened at home to BBC Radio 3, "mostly thru the night on iPlayer", and used a 4 TB hard disk when away Head-Fi, Apr 2016. By January 2018 he wrote "I used to love listening to Radio 3", saying its stream "just is not HD" Head-Fi, Jan 2018. In March 2022 he said his playlist is set to random across 5TB of music article, Mar 2022. In September 2022 he had around 3000 albums on his phone and wrote "you won't convince me that vinyl has a place for me!" Head-Fi, Sep 2022. At CanJam SoCal 2023 he said that when he is working "the music is on permanently", and heavy metal would be too much for that The Source AV 41:31.

In June 2018 he said "99% of my purchases are classical", from Chandos and Presto Classical, and that he buys the 96k master in preference to 44.1k Head-Fi, Jun 2018. In May 2020 he said he gets "the vast majority of my music" from Presto Head-Fi, May 2020.

Test tracks are not favorites

In August 2022 he posted six tracks he uses for A/B tests, including Hildegard von Bingen and Max Richter, and wrote that "these tracks are only used for AB testing" and that such tests "won't tell you if it's more musically enjoyable" Head-Fi, Aug 2022.

Live music

In October 2017 he described a St. Petersburg Symphony concert in Swansea with "almost constant spine tingles" Head-Fi, Oct 2017. In September 2022 he named Queen in Singapore as his best concert and said he does not go to a lot of concerts The Source AV 12:08The Source AV 12:13. In September 2025 he described a Royal Albert Hall concert with Hans Zimmer and Max Richter, sitting about two meters from the musicians The Source AV 20:59The Source AV 21:12.

What he has not said: he has named no single favorite album article, Dec 2017, and he has not linked his taste to any one Chord product. The lists above are what he named on particular dates, not a ranking.

Quotes

“Now although 95% of my listening is classical, I actually like excellent music from all genres”2017-04-18 Head-Fi, Apr 2017

“My music is mostly classical, but I enjoy electronica, prog rock and other good music.”2018-11-11 Head-Fi, Nov 2018

“I very much enjoy classical – everything from early music to the present – to prog-rock and electronica.”2022-03-22 article, Mar 2022

“Absolutely, I listen for pleasure. Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi, is on at the moment!”2026-10 article, Oct 2026

Dated positions

When	Products	Position
2016-04 to 2018-01	General	Listened to BBC Radio 3 at home and a portable hard disk away in 2016; by January 2018 said he used to love Radio 3 but it is not HD. Put classical at 95% of his listening in April 2017. Head-Fi, Apr 2016 Head-Fi, Jan 2018 Head-Fi, Apr 2017
2017-12 to 2018-12	General	Names classical composers and performers as favorites; mostly classical but also enjoys electronica and prog rock. article, Dec 2017 Head-Fi, Nov 2018 Head-Fi, Dec 2018
2022-03 to 2022-09	General	Calls his taste eclectic with mostly classical, plays a large library on random, and lists non-classical artists he enjoyed that summer. article, Mar 2022 The Source AV 9:33 Head-Fi, Sep 2022
2022-08	General	Posted six tracks used only for A/B sound-quality testing, which he said do not show what is more musically enjoyable. Head-Fi, Aug 2022
2023-02 to 2026-10	General	Mostly classical as of late February 2023 (CanJam NYC talk, video published March 2023), with modern composers such as Max Richter; later mentions Nils Frahm and, in written answers published October 2026 (reply date not stated), Philip Glass's Koyaanisqatsi. The Headphone Show 56:30 The Source AV 41:09 article, Oct 2026

Caveats and open points

This archive gives no single favorite album and no statement tying his taste to a particular Chord product.
The 2018 figure of 'a good 10 percent' for electronic music comes from a garbled passage.
The 95% classical figure is from April 2017; later statements say only 'mostly' or 'most'.

Topics: Watts's music and concerts