Hi John,
You make some very valid points here:
We don't have any kids, and thus I'm able to dedicate a (comfortable, nicely furnished) room at home which is simply for my hi-fi system and music collection. Therefore I can set my system up optimally with specialist equipment supports, and connect it to a dedicated earth and mains supply and have cables placed where I want them, with no concessions whatsoever to 'WAF' nonsense. All that matters is what sounds best, not what it looks like. We have a separate lounge for all the non-hi-fi stuff where the TV and all the 'normal' stuff lives.
I realise that I'm lucky in that respect. However, and this is the key, I'm far from being the 'lonely boy' who's locked away in his room from the real world with only his hi-fi for a friend, which can all too easily become the case with this hobby of ours.........
Quite often my wife will join me when listening to music and we'll share a nice bottle of wine and just relax and have a chat. The secret is to create an environment at home which is conducive to this.
I'm also lucky that my wife loves music, and crucially, is pretty interested in hi-fi. She even goes to shows with me and is an active member here!
We do this because we're genuinely interested in each other's hobbies and like to share our mutual interests, which is something that I find is sadly lacking in some people's relationships, where many married couples are like disparate souls leading separate (and often quite unhappy) lives. We're nothing like that, and indeed very close and do pretty much everything together.
Having that sort of relationship with your partner makes listening to music and owning a quality hi-fi system a joy, not a lonely existence. And not only does my wife often join me when listening to music, but we have many friends who share the same interests, so there is nearly always someone visiting who's into hi-fi and music, and we make it really enjoyable by sharing some lovely food and wine with them, so that the focus is not just on hi-fi and music, but a social occasion where there is plenty of fun and good banter!
As for the analogue vs. digital debate, I know where you're coming from. All I can say is that I have a fairly substantial music collection and own a very (VERY) good CDP, and also turntable. Whilst I enjoy superb sounds from CD and have heard some very good computer streaming set-ups, nothing I've heard digital-wise, and I mean
NOTHING, gets close to the sound produced by my T/T when playing mint superbly recorded vinyl of the type I mentioned earlier.
Clicks and pops? There's (almost) no such thing if you have plenty of brand new vinyl, only buy the best condition second-hand records, own a professional record cleaner, and above all, take care of your records and store them properly!
Owning a top-notch vinyl replay system, and both maintaining it and looking after records, is definitely a labour of love. But I enjoy every bit of it, as I much prefer this more tactile 'human' way of accessing my music collection than some 'soulless' files stored on a computer, which are worth bugger all in monetary terms, and which could be lost in the blink of an eye with a software failure!
No, give me a physical music collection and the ritual of pulling a record out of its sleeve, popping it on the turntable, and placing the stylus in the lead-in groove, and then sitting back and admiring the cover artwork and gatefold as I listen to the music, any day over some utilitarian computer set-up. It's such a dispassionate way of accessing one's music collection and yet another example of how modern technology, in some instances, has dehumanised us......
Don't get me started on that one though!
Marco.
Originally Posted by Marco
Hi John,
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Isaac Bashevis Singer
