Are audiophiles obsessive....

cnh

This is a hard one because I'm probably two-faced. One side is "anal" with regard to the "condition" of most things I own, but NOT with regard to their "organization" into coherent and neat piles and spaces.

Let's take an example: my home office is a bit of a mess, there are several amps/receivers piled on top of each other. I have three pairs of speakers stacked on top of each other. I have papers and books in piles (a couple of thousand books in a semi-organized series of bookshelves with those I use less often in NO particular order) and a tube amp on the floor. Several surge protectors and wires over half the floor, etc. Now, while that might look a bit less than "ordered" to most people, including me, sometimes, everything is clean and free of any damage or possible damage. In other words it is pristine yet disorderly! Does that make sense?

But that also sums me up as well. Disorderly-orderliness. Disorganized-organization. It's what let's me control and order what has to be ordered and yet not to be obsessive about everything so that my mind can "Play" freely with the "as yet not" (possibilities)--which has always been what has most interested me. If you're too orderly, well, how can you engage the occasional moment of serendipity (no reference to our member, lol)? When life is becomes too "familiar" there is no "mystery"!

cnh

newrival

I'm completely the opposite. Everything is a bit of a mess. I'm controlling by nature hence my career and character. I live and breathe design, so audiophilia just came bundled with a much larger affliction of only wanting the best.

That's not to say I don't take care of my things, because i most certainly do. I'm just not tidy, and I lack the anal retention in my personal life that some of you are speaking about.

cfrizz

Since I don't/won't consider myself an audiophile, then no I'm not obsessive. Any purchase I make that is over say $300.00 will be researched and if possible checked out in person to make sure it has all the requirements that I need it to have. Especially if there is a wide selection to choose from.

Once I make my purchase, I sit back and enjoy it. That is the whole reason I got whatever it is in the first place, to enjoy it, not to get it then sit there trying to pick it apart to find some fault in it.

I keep my condo relatively neat at all times so that I don't have to do a massive straightening up if I have company, and since up until I got my condo, I never had any room to just collect stuff. If something came in, something went out at the same time. I have maintained this habit even though I am in a larger space. I'm not a hoarder, and I very rarely develop an emotional attachment to stuff. Whatever I buy, I make sure I get my moneys worth out of it, once it breaks, it goes in the garbage & gets replaced.

If something is serving it's purpose, I see very little reason to buy the latest and greatest replacement for it. I will treat myself on occaision, like when I got the TL3's to replace my perfectly working CSW speakers. But that was a small purchase, but leaves me with 2 small speakers that I don't have a use for but they served me well for over 15 years and I'm still using the sub/amp to power the TL3's!

I usually won't just spend money to have latest and greatest if I already have something in house that is working just fine. except on rare occaisions. Some of it is my own common sense, and the rest of it is growing up with parents that lived through the depression.

Tony M

I think there should be tiers of audiophiles. I'd be a ...say.....stage 2 if stage 10 is the top tier. I have way to many interests to be living in a "model home" style home. I collect artful figurines, nature art and figurines and just about anything that has to do with movies I liked. I have tools for woodworking, electrical, sheetrocking, plumbing, roofing, carpentry and fine trim work also in kind-of a semi organized state that I'm working on fixing this spring and summer. The new addition to the back of the man cave will help organize the tools and clear some space in the cave also.

The only things I haven't collected is fishing gear and welding gear. I once had soooo much audio gear I had isles to walk down that were 10' tall. I now have one isle left and that is because of the albulms I've collected in the past two years. There are still spare speaker systems lining the walls that anybody would like to have as spares. Def. Tech, NHT, JBL powered towers and then some spare older subs that are pretty cool.

Now many times people have commented on how beautiful music sounded in my cave over the years and I think it was because of the many books and many speakers acting as sound diffusers and absorbers. I also have pegboard lining the cave from 3' up to the 8' hiegth. That in itself helps alot with absorbing all the reflections at those few exposed spaces. Then the hiegth of the ceiling and shape also breaks up the soundwaves. 16' high and angled from the speakers upward and then back downward after a 6' flat top where the collar ties brace the peak of the roof.

A semi audiophiles "room to order" but in a chaotic way is what I've been blessed with. A wood-shop turned audio room and storage of all audio that's not in the house where things are alot more neater of course.

I would like to have a barren room like alot of rooms I've seen but I don't think that will ever happen here. I like toooo many other things besides having just one system at a time. If I see a bargain, I used to buy it. Now I see bargains and think, I've already owned that and don't need to rebuy that and hope to sell it in this market of where people won't pay much more than a bargain price anymore.

So I'm downsizing while still collecting some things so I'll always be surrounded by things I like. I grew up in a kind-of poor family where I was lucky to get my one bike and train set. So I guess I'm making up for my childhood but with a frugal buget for sure.

No McIntosh here yet....

But maybe someday, since I've read they're great stuff, I'll give em a try if the price is cheap enough and I have some money at the time.

Fongolio

My place is very cluttered looking. To an obsessive tidy freak it's disaster but I'm comfortable with it. However, my record, cd, dvd, sacd and computer music collections are very organized. For example, I have very close to 2500 records but they are all alphabetized and are catalogued on an excel spread sheet and saved on several hard drives. All my computer music is saved and backed up. I have all my audio stuff very well organized but the rest of the house.....not so much. I do research obsessivlely any new purchase considerations and will find the best deal possible but will spend good money for something good. By the way tomorrow I go to pick up a used but in superb condition Shelter 501 MkII cartridge. I did huge research before making the decision to buy this. It will cost me $500 which is getting pricey for a cartridge but I already know I'm getting huge bang for the buck on this purchase. New cost is $1195.

mantis

I'm a neat freak to a point. I don't like things un level , I can't stand dust , I hate when my car gets slightly dirty , I vacuum my car every few days as I hate to see anything on the mats , I wipe down my gear often again dust bothers me , I keep my underwear and socks folded and military neat as well as the clothes hanging in my closet. Shoes are all straight.

I love to research things even outside of this hobby. All my hobbies I have a good understanding.

steveinaz

"Audiophile" is probably not the best term; lets say Hi-fi hobbyist.

gdb

mantis wrote: »

I'm a neat freak to a point. I don't like things un level , I can't stand dust , I hate when my car gets slightly dirty , I vacuum my car every few days as I hate to see anything on the mats , I wipe down my gear often again dust bothers me , I keep my underwear and socks folded and military neat as well as the clothes hanging in my closet. Shoes are all straight.

I love to research things even outside of this hobby. All my hobbies I have a good understanding.

What time of day do you schedule your bowel movements ? JK !! I'm actually envious of the organized people like yourself.

Oldfatdogs

I have to admit I am a neatnick.gdb is that rust on that beautiful old Delta?Steel wool and let the shaving fly brother!

amulford

Why can't you geeks just come to grips with the fact your all a bunch of nerdy freaks? Jumpin Joseph and Mary, it ain't all that hard to figure out, buncha friggin wackos.

My place is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy. I have a standing rule that you DO NOT clean up my mess. you'll just confuse me and screw up my world...

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

"Audiophile" is probably not the best term; lets say Hi-fi hobbyist.

Lets say... Looney Tuners, seems more appropriate.

Btw Antny, I'm diigin' your analogy. "Clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy".....Same here bro. Who wants to live in a museum ? I grew up with relatives that had that whole plastic on the couch thing, parts of the house roped off, rakes for the footprints in the carpet....you kidding me ? A house has to be lived in, without being a total slob that is.

gdb

Oldfatdogs wrote: »

I have to admit I am a neatnick.gdb is that rust on that beautiful old Delta?Steel wool and let the shaving fly brother!

Just a fact of life in my shop building, steel wool,paste waxing and even Boeshield only work for a while. At least light rust won't destroy efforts to apply finishes. (to the wood stuff):cheesygrin: