We've only just begun

[WOStantonCS100]

I had a think recently and I have come to my own sort of peace about things as everyone must (or maybe chooses not to).

I "love" recorded music.

I "love" the gear that plays it.

There is no incongruence.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having a passion for "audiophile" gear. Whether I can afford said gear or not makes no difference. Should I say "pppsshhhaawwww" to a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Ferrari Enzo just because I can't afford one? Should I junk my 500ci V8 just because a 3 cylinder car will certainly get me from Point A to Point B, whilst taking the attitude of "it's about getting to the destination"? I totally do not understand that line of thinking. :scratch: It denies the "beauty" in the individual art forms. For what? Why should it? I'm sure it isn't; but, it often sounds a bit like sour grapes to me. Keep it mind, I ain't exceedingly wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

Music is not gear and gear is not music. A vehicle is not a vacation spot and a vacation spot is not a vehicle. Am I not allowed to love classic cars and muscle cars at the same time I love the beach or the city or wherever? Surely, if one can understand the apples to oranges metaphor there, it should be easy to see how this relates to "the art of sound".

Appreciating that recorded music reproduction equipment is an art and science unto itself, it should not be that hard to understand how someone can have a deep appreciate for the design, science and execution of the functioning end product, even if there is only a slim selection of music ever played on said gear. If the goal of the builder was to create a piece that covers a wide frequency range (high fidelity) and manages to, very much, please the listener then it's "job done". There is gear that is a work of art sonically, asthetically and/or electrically (an immaculately dressed circuit). I am happy to be able to appreciate what a piece of gear "is" along with the energies and talents it took to bring it about and I no longer feel like apologizing for that nor can I be persuaded to ditch my gear for a table top, clock radio. And, that stance in no way invalidates me as a "true" music lover. To say so, is to pull gunk out of one's trunk and attempt to make golden patties. In other words, I'm just not buying it because it is not factual. There are many personal and practical reasons not to pursue the "audiophile thing"; yet, that does not and can not negate in any way the fact that some "audiophile gear" is far better at achieving pleasant, balanced, high fidelity reproduction over a broader frequency spectrum than other convenience based appliances. I have driven a Geo Metro and a Mazda Protege. I have driven a Jaguar XJ6 and a Cadillac DeVille. And, they are not the same. I have lived in a one bedroom apartment and I have lived in a 5 bedroom house. And, they are not the same. All had their merits, one no virtuous than the other; but... yeah... they are not the same.

I love music. I always have. That's why I have over 3000 LP's, etc. etc. I don't love the actual music any more or less depending on which gear it's played on. But, I can hear more of what is in the actual recording, the nuances, using the best gear at my disposal rather than a pod and cheap "computer" speakers. Therefore, I do enjoy the activity of listening to music far more on better gear, purpose built, high fidelity gear. To say other wise, I would be crapping on someone's shoe, a practice I usually avoid as it often comes with vociferous reprisal. Likewise, in many ways, I feel as if my journey has just begun on the gear side of things. We should always remember "each to his subjective own" as we should "one man's trash is another man's treasure". (This is just as true in preferred music selection as it is in preferred gear selection.)

As crappy as this life often is, I have no intention of dumbing down my life experiences for anyone. As long as the family doesn't suffer and I am able to afford "upgrading" my gear and/or building gear that I think will be an upgrade in sonic reproduction or perhaps just a different flavor of sonic reproduction that I would enjoy, I'm going to do it. Unreservedly, so. The gear part (call it a hobby, job, whatever if you want) is an entirely different pursuit which just happens to work well together with my love of music. Everyone needs a hobby. (Some folks could do with two or three. ;) ) Why not audio? No reason why not. No harm. No foul.

Gear. Music. The two make merriment at my house. :)

Wow, did I just say all that?? :eek: I must be very tired. One more album, than it's off to bed!

[DSJR]

If you can afford it, then go for it.

As for the rest of us, I can guarantee that you can buy a good used system for well under £200/$300 that will communicate the musical message so well.. It's a bit like wrist-watches. A little cheapo quartz jobbie for a fiver will accurately tell the time as well as the best mechanical chronometers, but I must admit that if you can afford it, a mega thousand quid/dollar mechanical watch offers so much more (and will cost a fortune to service too ;)) - I'm not speaking Rolex here either, as these are regarded as the "B&O" of the horological market.....

[hifi_dave]

I can't see anything worng, at all, with appreciating good Hi-Fi equipment. I lurve it with a passion whether it is new or vintage. I lurve looking at it, touching it, using it and yes, even smelling it..:eyebrows:

What I don't particularly appreciate is the mega, mega buck equipment now touted in some mags. Having experience with some of this gear I would suggest it is often engineering for engineering's sake. Throw in some expensive boxes, marketing and BS and x 10 the true price.

[DSJR]

I have to agree... Friend Alex very kindly gave me some of his recent mags (leaving out the WTF issues he hides under his bed...). The bling in HFN and 'Choice especially - the shinier the chrome the better... - actually made me feel physically sick, looking inside at the less than £100 of bits in a flash custom case and then looking at the £5K price tags........

On the other hand, you can't get away with the presentation of the Crown bits I have - thin bent leatherette covered case panels (oooh matron :D) with exposed unshielded mains terminals just underneath (!), but the likes of Stan and others have made neat looking yet inexpensive products available which do the job well without shouting it out from the rooftops - yes, and REGA too :lol:

[WOStantonCS100]

None of the gear I have was "expensive" to obtain. Techies for about a hundred pounds, for example. Most of what I have was purchased second hand and repaired. Other items were built by me. Most of my cables are DIY'd as well. So, I agree that good sounding, even great sounding gear, does not have to be costly. And, cost is my last concern, when I'm considering a piece of gear... not because I'm wealthy (I'm not). but because cost is so often set with irreverence. Immediately snubbing someone (not that anyone here is) for having a costly system or a cheap system seems pretty daft to me. I recently purchased a print (frame included) for a few pounds. It's now hanging above my system. There is no way I would be able to afford the original painting. Nevertheless, I'm sure the owner of the original painting is a happy chap. Who am I to say he wasted his money?? Who am I to say he should have settled for a .jpeg on his 'puter. Likewise, should I sell my wife :eyebrows: because I can get a blow up doll.............................................. okay, okay... ;) I'l stop there. :lol: When and if I get the opportunity to purchase a Trans-Fi Salvation, I shant feel bad about having done so.

[michaelhigh]

I had a think recently and I have come to my own sort of peace about things as everyone must (or maybe chooses not to).

I "love" recorded music.

I "love" the gear that plays it.

There is no incongruence.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having a passion for "audiophile" gear. Whether I can afford said gear or not makes no difference. Should I say "pppsshhhaawwww" to a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Ferrari Enzo just because I can't afford one? Should I junk my 500ci V8 just because a 3 cylinder car will certainly get me from Point A to Point B, whilst taking the attitude of "it's about getting to the destination"? I totally do not understand that line of thinking. :scratch: It denies the "beauty" in the individual art forms. For what? Why should it? I'm sure it isn't; but, it often sounds a bit like sour grapes to me. Keep it mind, I ain't exceedingly wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

Music is not gear and gear is not music. A vehicle is not a vacation spot and a vacation spot is not a vehicle. Am I not allowed to love classic cars and muscle cars at the same time I love the beach or the city or wherever? Surely, if one can understand the apples to oranges metaphor there, it should be easy to see how this relates to "the art of sound".

Appreciating that recorded music reproduction equipment is an art and science unto itself, it should not be that hard to understand how someone can have a deep appreciate for the design, science and execution of the functioning end product, even if there is only a slim selection of music ever played on said gear. If the goal of the builder was to create a piece that covers a wide frequency range (high fidelity) and manages to, very much, please the listener then it's "job done". There is gear that is a work of art sonically, asthetically and/or electrically (an immaculately dressed circuit). I am happy to be able to appreciate what a piece of gear "is" along with the energies and talents it took to bring it about and I no longer feel like apologizing for that nor can I be persuaded to ditch my gear for a table top, clock radio. And, that stance in no way invalidates me as a "true" music lover. To say so, is to pull gunk out of one's trunk and attempt to make golden patties. In other words, I'm just not buying it because it is not factual. There are many personal and practical reasons not to pursue the "audiophile thing"; yet, that does not and can not negate in any way the fact that some "audiophile gear" is far better at achieving pleasant, balanced, high fidelity reproduction over a broader frequency spectrum than other convenience based appliances. I have driven a Geo Metro and a Mazda Protege. I have driven a Jaguar XJ6 and a Cadillac DeVille. And, they are not the same. I have lived in a one bedroom apartment and I have lived in a 5 bedroom house. And, they are not the same. All had their merits, one no virtuous than the other; but... yeah... they are not the same.

I love music. I always have. That's why I have over 3000 LP's, etc. etc. I don't love the actual music any more or less depending on which gear it's played on. But, I can hear more of what is in the actual recording, the nuances, using the best gear at my disposal rather than a pod and cheap "computer" speakers. Therefore, I do enjoy the activity of listening to music far more on better gear, purpose built, high fidelity gear. To say other wise, I would be crapping on someone's shoe, a practice I usually avoid as it often comes with vociferous reprisal. Likewise, in many ways, I feel as if my journey has just begun on the gear side of things. We should always remember "each to his subjective own" as we should "one man's trash is another man's treasure". (This is just as true in preferred music selection as it is in preferred gear selection.)

As crappy as this life often is, I have no intention of dumbing down my life experiences for anyone. As long as the family doesn't suffer and I am able to afford "upgrading" my gear and/or building gear that I think will be an upgrade in sonic reproduction or perhaps just a different flavor of sonic reproduction that I would enjoy, I'm going to do it. Unreservedly, so. The gear part (call it a hobby, job, whatever if you want) is an entirely different pursuit which just happens to work well together with my love of music. Everyone needs a hobby. (Some folks could do with two or three. ;) ) Why not audio? No reason why not. No harm. No foul.

Gear. Music. The two make merriment at my house. :)

Wow, did I just say all that?? :eek: I must be very tired. One more album, than it's off to bed!

I haven't been posting in forums much lately, I've been listening to music on a farly simple assortment of really good and easily-attainable vintage stuff that's plentiful here in the States. I've been mostly buying local, and have reached a perfectly acceptable level of quality, and my music collection has grown by leaps and bounds due to cheap CD's, $1 LP's and downloads. My appreciation of music never fluctuates, I always have and will love it, and I definitely don't get caught up in the mad race of expensive interconnects, speaker wire or electrical treatments. The three components that have made the biggest impact on my continued love of vintage gear are my AR-XA TT, My Sansui 8080DB (undeniably one of the most popular and commonly-owned receivers in the world), and Klipsch Forte I's, highly respected and highly sensitive and efficient loudspeakers that go well with SS as well as tube (which in fact they are very highly-touted for use with). I have lots of other gear as a true audio lover would, but this is the rig I find myself in front of most. I am aware of the amazing amount of high-end gear available today, and I really do lust after auditions and would travel great distances to experience various lines, although owning them would be completely impossible. To have those experiences would number among the finest experiences in my life, however fruitless in the long run, and I am definitely in the camp of those who believe that the last 5% of improvement comes at great expense. If there's any advice I could pass along, it would be to find your niche with regards to cost, don't lose sleep trying to buy your way out of it, and find your own sonic nirvana within your own confines. That could truly be the biggest success of your life. It has been for me, that and meeting a partner who will allow me that luxury.

[Dingdong]

Jeez Dave, you slag my Linn amps off and now you're having a go at my watch. What did I ever do to you? ;)




If you can afford it, then go for it.

As for the rest of us, I can guarantee that you can buy a good used system for well under £200/$300 that will communicate the musical message so well.. It's a bit like wrist-watches. A little cheapo quartz jobbie for a fiver will accurately tell the time as well as the best mechanical chronometers, but I must admit that if you can afford it, a mega thousand quid/dollar mechanical watch offers so much more (and will cost a fortune to service too ;)) - I'm not speaking Rolex here either, as these are regarded as the "B&O" of the horological market.....

[MartinT]

Right on, Biff, I completely agree with you. For me, there is engineering beauty and I love it. Form Follows Function, or as Audi says 'Vorsprung durch Technik'. A component doesn't need to be purely utilitarian to be beautiful. And I challenge Dave to look inside my Pass preamp, for instance, and find 'only a handful of ordinary components' despite it looking gorgeous.

A Timex watch would keep good time but I love my Longines. A Ford car would get me to work but I love my BMW. A Casio camera would take pictures but I love my Lumix. What on Earth is wrong with that?

[Marco]

Bugger all, mate!

I too love expensive things which are expensive for the right reasons, and in the case of the items you mention, all offer a standard of excellence in terms of design, engineering and performance, which lesser products do not provide, so worry not (as no doubt you weren't anyway) and enjoy! :)

As everyone knows, I detest 'badge-fi', but none of the audio equipment you own, Martin, qualifies as such.

It's when you're paying through the nose for nothing more than a 'designer badge' that things gets silly (ordinary good quality plain white cotton t-shirts and the same with simply a Lacoste logo, or similar on it, and where the latter costs ten times that of the former) is an example of such silliness :mental: (and this too can happen with hi-fi equipment), but even then people can of course spend their money on what they like :cool:

Marco.

[WOStantonCS100]

The cost of things is not necessarily equivalent to the quality nor value of things (often).

I completely get that and agree with that. I sympathize with those who get right ticked off about that. I do as well. Likewise...

The acquisition of things is not and should not be synonymous with the appreciation of things.

There are tons of things I have no hope of acquiring; nevertheless, I do appreciate them, deeply. If I had known how much having three kids was going to cost me, I might have kept my spanner in my skivvies. Nevertheless, I love 'em like mad and sometimes appreciate 'em. ;)