*Chapter 5 of my upcoming novel, Resurrection, is posted here. The dictionary defines normal as conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. We're nearly always happier when things are normal.

• This is normally how I listen
• This sounds normal
• Normally, I hear the soundstage trapped between the speaker's boundaries
• Is it normal to have the imaging from behind the speaker?

The thing to remember about normal is it's a baseline. Normal is not the standard we should strive for. Rather, normal is where we start. Exceeding normal is where we hope to go. If we want to reach new heights with our stereo systems, normal is just the starting point, not the end game.