I listen to either at 1.5x or 2x depending on the podcast (The Agenda with Steve Paikin, Adam Savage Project, 99% Invisible). I am able to enjoy a greater varie

I listen to either at 1.5x or 2x depending on the podcast (The Agenda with Steve Paikin, Adam Savage Project, 99% Invisible). I am able to enjoy a greater variety of content or get through a back log of episodes. I’ve worked myself up to 2x over time to the point where regular speech sounds slurred. There are exceptions: Pondercast is one where that takes the intimacy you’re alluding to an extreme. The spoken content is tied deeply to the pacing of the music so it would be ludicrous to listen to it that fast.