Those days are well over

[Rare Bird]

How many of you lot cease to be intrested in the life long love affair with Hi-fi? My marrage to Prog/Psych never will end but Hi-Fi is well over, TBH i'm happy to dump the whole lot for something cheap but decent, it's no longer important, which is a far cry from my obsessive days.

Just a thought for the weekend

[Barry]

How many of you lot cease to be intrested in the life long love affair with Hi-fi? My marrage to Prog/Psych never will end but Hi-Fi is well over, TBH i'm happy to dump the whole lot for something cheap but decent, it's no longer important, which is a far cry from my obsessive days.

Just a thought for the weekend

Hi André,

I know what you're saying. 'Hi-Fi' is only a means to an end.

The 'end' is the music, first and foremost, whatever your tastes. It is all too easy to get caught up in the relentless pursuit of ever better reproduction; spending vast amounts and loosing sight of the 'software'. I've done it, as I suspect others have.

However these days I'm content with my system; it's not perfect but then what is?

Good post and definitely a "thought for the weekend".

Cheers

[Thing Fish]

Apart from a couple of minor upgrades my hifi is pretty much as it started out way back in the mid 80s. What I purchased then I still have to this day.

I haven't really spent a bean apart from a new cartridge which I bought second hand off fleabay.

I do sometimes think about changing a component or two but the credit crunch pretty much put paid to that idea.

So unless I win the lottery what I have now is what I will be burried with. Which is ok as I like it.

If I sold it I would get pence in return so I will keep it and continue to enjoy it...:)

[goraman]

How many of you lot cease to be intrested in the life long love affair with Hi-fi? My marrage to Prog/Psych never will end but Hi-Fi is well over, TBH i'm happy to dump the whole lot for something cheap but decent, it's no longer important, which is a far cry from my obsessive days.

Just a thought for the weekend

I think Andre bought an Ipod.

[electric beach]

I'm enjoying "real-sizing" now, though you wouldn't think so by the size of my speakers :stalks:

I used to think the only way was up, to the next price level, which inevitably brought much frustration in an attempt to feed the frustration. Now I get more pleasure from finding components that give 80-90% performance at a reasonable price, then putting more attention into their application and learning how to match and maximise a system. To get a result from the whole that's greater than the sum (and cost) of the parts is most satisfying.

Music always has and always will be a very big part of my everyday life. I think that can include the replay equipment if I can remain financially realistic and avoid getting obsessive, as Andre says, killing the passion in the process.

My DIY dac by Duncan (£500) is musically far superior to my previous MF Trivista Dac21 now living with my son-in-law (£1500). My bespoke amps are in a different league to anything I've heard commercially at a sane price. I got great pleasure from making my own speaker cables and although they could be bettered, they're not a weak link.

Some build amps, some develop a turntable, Jerry enjoys swapping and comparing, I will build some speakers and I've recently started tube rolling for the first time. The hobby part is there to be enjoyed in many forms and usually grows and grows. The process of gradually developing and improving the different flavours of replay equipment is both satisfying and addictive - it's the disproportionate financial acts that stifle it. But addicts don't have a very good track record of self discipline. :rolleyes:

[DSJR]

I suppose I've come to the end of my equipment journey, as I just cannot afford any more "new" gear and, in any case, am too respectful of the gear I've inherited in recent years. What's stunned me these days, is how bloody good a cheap used system can sound, and if you're able to do some simple soldering/desoldering, how rewarding it can be to restore an old piece of kit to better-than-new in many cases. Witness the Quad 33/303, which isn't at all bad in stock form, yet, with some careful fettling and staying mostly true to the original concept and updating a few bits here and there mainly in the 33 preamp, can be made to blossom into a fully comparable (with modern gear) product without losing one iota of the charm it now has as a vintage item... Another pleasure for me are the Spendor BC2's I run, which are now blessed with late production drivers, fresh 50 strand wiring/socketry and tweaked ports. What I thought were speaker issues are actually my ears having "off" days, as it changes from day to day, and I'm happier than ever, knowing there's better out there, but the current "BBC Legacy" standard isn't so much better that I've GOT to have it at all costs...

I could go on and on, but you lot will be bored if you're not already. I don't think Andr'e would be at all happy with a modern micro-system, but to have a well sorted vintage system gives so much pleasure, both in pride of ownership AND in the music it reproduces :)

[Tim]

Well apart from the odd tweak here and there I have only ever had four 'systems' in my life. The first was a PL12D with a Trio KA-3500 amp and JR 149 speakers. Next was an all Mission system, Cyrus II, PCMII and 763 speakers, after that my recent Musical Fidelity/Monitor Audio system and now my (IMO) well sorted current system, put together with information and help from AoS.

For me, I have reached the end of the road now - I would maybe consider an amp change, but only because the Albarry is 22 years old. But to be honest, I think if it keeps going and if I can persuade Neil Burnett to upgrade/service it, I won't ever need to change anything. Music is my sole focus now as I'm really content with my sound. I don't think I have ever obsessed about the sound, but until now I have never really been 100% satisfied - it actually feels fantastic to just concentrate on enjoying the music in my collection and also discovering new artists, which is now my main focus as I like to see them live as well.

So Andr'e, my journey is pretty much over too :)

[Puffin]

To get a result from the whole that's greater than the sum (and cost) of the parts is most satisfying.

I'm with you on this one. I have never spent more than £3-400 on any one component, and in most cases considerably less. I've done a lot of DIY and saved a packet, and mixing and matching and buggering about has led me to a very satisfying system. However that is all to change!

I have built a new room:eek::eek::eek: (picture will be on here when I can be bothered to buy some batteries for the camera)

Just the door to be fitted and after about 4 months it is finally finished.

Now, I used to have to sit nearfield as I only had a small room, this one is
17 feet long. I have been trying some old kit in there and I feel like Jesse (Fast Show) "today I arrve been mostly moving my chair backwards and forwards".

The results are very different depending on how far away you are from the speakers. I had no choice in the old room as the settee is bang up against the rear wall. No doubt it will be a compromise of some sort. How long is it going to take?! Took me nigh on 10 years to tune the old room. In fact it is sounding the best it ever has, and this is progress?!:eyebrows:

[hifi_dave]

I think Andre is talking about ditching the Hi-Fi completely, not just being content with what you have or owning a vintage system.

How many of us would be able to live without a Hi-Fi system no matter how inexpensive ?

I for one, couldn't live without a Hi-Fi system of some sort. Music is a major part of my life but so is enjoying it through a decent system - vintage or inexpensive modern.

My name is Dave and I am an equipment junkie..:drool:

[worrasf]

Witness the Quad 33/303, which isn't at all bad in stock form, yet, with some careful fettling and staying mostly true to the original concept and updating a few bits here and there mainly in the 33 preamp, can be made to blossom into a fully comparable (with modern gear) product without losing one iota of the charm it now has as a vintage item...

+1 for Quad 33/FM3/303

I had my 33/303 upgraded by NetAudio and could happily live with them and never buy another amp :)

[Rare Bird]

I think Andre is talking about ditching the Hi-Fi completely, not just being content with what you have or owning a vintage system.



Yes & No..I buy in late 60's/Early 70's vintage gear, get it upto scratch but never use it within a system (I've not have a complete working Hi-Fi for 15 years), all my listerning is done through headphones from a DAC i have absolutly no intrest in Hi-Fi as a listerning hobby.. I may play the odd open reel at times but i aint paying attention at all.

[ursus262]

I think that for me, the hi-fi is only a means to an end, and that is to listen to music. We live in a very musical house: I sing, and my partner is a musician. We have a huge collection of vinyl, CDs and tapes and for us, the hi-fi is part of the infrastructure in which we submerse ourselves in the musical experience.

Getting the right system is in itself a journey. I'm nearing that journey's end now, bar a turntable refurbishment as ours is 40 years old now, and a new phono pre-amp.

There is more to life than fannying around with hi-fi equipment. I would rather spend my time driving through France in my sports car with the roof off than deliberate over cables and suchlike.

[chelsea]

Maybe me but i don't really understand what this thread is about.

[Macca]

Maybe me but i don't really understand what this thread is about.

It's about chasing the Unicorn. Or not chasing it.

Grasshopper.

[hifi_dave]

Quite straightforward really.

Andre is no longer listening to or collecting a decent Hi-Fi system. He enjoys his music but can't be bothered with a Hi-Fi system and enjoys it just as much through headphones.

The question is whether any of us feel the same..:scratch:

[Macca]

It's still a hi-fi even with headphones. I don't personally like them but Andre has no option because his neighbours will kick up a fuss. As I understand it anyway.

[Darren]

Love music. But love it most played through decent hifi. I got rid of all my hifi once for a year or three, then bought a new system and was stunned by just how much more music there was to hear.

So no, I'm not in the same place as Andre - far from it.

[Rare Bird]

Intresting posts but way off course ;)

[Vinyleyes]

I only rescued my hifi system from under the stairs a couple of years ago ,... the core of it is still vintage gear .. I am fine tuning amplification, phono stage and speakers ... I anticipate another couple of years then I will be retiring myself from further experimentation .. because lets face it .. when I'm retired I will not have the option other than extremely budget concious tweaks .. :). Until then though I am enjoying the journey towards getting as close I can to bring the performance into the living room .. before I stop.
I am blessed with not having neighbours to worry about .. so anything goes .. :cool:

[The Black Adder]

(please read with reverb and a spooky tone in the background)...

Yes but, Andre... how good are your headphones?... Lot's of better sounding headphones out there... expensive too... maybe better headphones will let you enjoy the psych more!.. maybe a valve buffer... maybe a better amplifier to plug your better headphones in to will blow your mind on that flange effect on Hendix's Electric Ladyland?

Wahhhhhahahahahahaaaaa!!!!

:comatose:

[jandl100]

Hmmm ... nah, I have several active hobbies.

One of them is music.
One of them is hifi.

I enjoy getting and trying new kit to play my music on.
I don't obsess about it. I don't lose sleep over it. I don't worry in the least bit about it.
I just have fun.

Music and hifi. Two complimentary and mutually supporting and very rewarding hobbies. Fantastic! :)

[John]

I think as long as you enjoying music it does not matter which path you travel

[MartinT]

Music and hifi. Two complimentary and mutually supporting and very rewarding hobbies. Fantastic! :)

Spot on, Jerry.

[Rare Bird]

(please read with reverb and a spooky tone in the background)...

Yes but, Andre... how good are your headphones?... Lot's of better sounding headphones out there... expensive too... maybe better headphones will let you enjoy the psych more!..

The headphones i use sound superb, i no longer use the AKG '701' the wife bought mi..

[Joe]

Could I do without music? No.

Could I do without hifi? Yes.

As it is, I can have both, so I do. But I don't faff about with cables, supports, tube rolling or any of that stuff.

[technobear]

I think I may be in a similar space to you Andre.

I now do all my music listening through the Audiolab 8200CDQ into a pair of Beyerdynamic Tesla T1's.

The Zu's are on the exit ramp. I'm keeping the Croft to drive a pair of cheap as chips Jamo Cornet 145's (£25 off Gumtree :)). The latter are surprisingly capable and perfectly good for watching TV or playing music when mates come round. I may add a small cheap sub if more heft is needed for movies.

Most of my mates wouldn't know hifi sound if it bit them on the bum so why do I need a big and expensive speaker system to impress them with. 99.999% of my music listening is done solo and the T1's give me sound quality that would cost thousands (which I don't have) in a speaker.

What's more, there are no room issues with the T1's. I can sit anywhere and enjoy full fidelity with no annoying booms or other artifacts.

The headphone amp neurosis has also been dealt a fatal blow. I auditioned the Beyerdynamic A1 (£800) with the T1's and could not find any difference between it and the Audiolab so no fancy schmancy headphone amps for me.

[Tim]

I think as long as you enjoying music it does not matter which path you travel
:cool: