Going through an audiophile 'funk'...

tonyb

Phatattack wrote: »

............ sad but true, a middle ground isnt possible for an audiophile.

Oh. I dunno about that. Everything has it's limits, dictated by many other things.

Here's a few things I learned along the way of 40 years of being a budding audiophile.

No matter how hard you try, being completely satisfied is like chasing a ghost. At times you think your completely satisfied, until you hear something else that throws your perspective of good sound out the window. Don't go listen to stuff if your satisfied already, your wallet will thank you.

Audiophiles like to brag. Who has the latest and greatest...the coolest looking set up, the best tube gear, etc. Not that it's so bad to brag, very understandable, but at times you wonder if some are more into the gear than simply good sound.

If your a loner, no outside interests, no family obligations, and an endless wallet.....then being a true audiophile may be up your alley. Able to chase down every last bit of resolution with the latest and greatest gear and have the time and funds to do so.

Ease of use is important for those who must share their systems....and know not everyone under your roof may share your extreme desires for audio. Vinyl...too time consuming to do it right with also the care needed. Tubes can also be costly with additional care needed, especially with tube amps. Nobody wants to have to flip 5 different switches just to listen to some tunes.

There will always be someone with a better system....always the next greatest piece of gear to lust over. Prioritizing things in your life is necessary to enjoy it all, not just one narrow aspect of it.

Myself, and others here, still maintain that good sound can be had at any level....any price range. You have to decide what fits comfortably into your lifestyle and wallet. Obsession is a musical enjoyment killer. Stop obsessing over gear....all the time.

Synergy is a ****, hard to find....but when you do....heaven. Try different stuff when you can, nothing was ever discovered sitting on the couch with a closed mind.

Find your own point of "diminishing returns". In audiophillia land, those last bits of sound quality can cost a tidy sum. Spending more money is no guarantee of better sound....sometimes it may even be worse.

I always tend to use a common sense approach, buy what you can afford, but buy quality. Above all, just enjoy your music as best you can.

Msabot1

cfrizz wrote: »

For me this is the bottom line. I want to listen to and enjoy ALL of my music whether it's on cd/mp3 player through my system or on my pc with my TL3 speakers.

Life is simply too short to spend half of it exhausting myself constantly looking for and spending money looking for the perfect sound.If I'm 95% there then it's not worth it to me to go looking for the last 5%. I'm much rather sit back and enjoy the tunes.

The question you have to ask yourself is, Do I want to spend the time looking for something else, or do I just want to enjoy what I already spent good money on and I am enjoying it already.

Just follow your instincts. If they are telling you to enjoy what you are enjoying now then do that, if they tell you to keep looking (and you can affordto do so) then do that.

Also realize that posting the question here will have the majority telling you to spend even more time & money when you just might not want to.

Very good point.....nuff said...

tonyb

cfrizz wrote: »

The question you have to ask yourself is, ....

Do you feel lucky ? Well....do ya...Punk ? LOL

Moose68Bash

Life is too short to waste it trying to talk yourself into spending it in ways that don't give you satisfaction. If you've come to a point at which "audiophilia" doesn't give you the same level of satisfaction it once did or if you find other activities more satisfying, do what makes your life most enjoyable. The audiophile "bug" may strike you again or it may not. Either way, spend your time in the way that satisfies you most.

You said (in my words) that the incremental improvement you experience from your more sophisticated system does not give you enough additional satisfaction with sound quality to justify the time and effort spent to get it. Spend your time on something that does give you adequate "pay back" for your time and effort.

I bet the audiophile yearning returns after a bit of a break!

Just a thought from an old retired guy in New Hampshire! :~)

D_M

I assume that everybody has a favorite song.

Step 1. Put your favorite song on.
Step 2. Turn the volume up a little louder than normal. The hairs on the back of your neck should stand on end.
Step 3. Repeat steps one and two once a day for the next three days.

Said funk shall be relegated to the audio doldrums.

[Deleted User]

Danny,

I have something new coming in soon. Once you give it a spin, it may be the game changer... We still need to meet up, as I have a couple other things for you.

Halen

PSOVLSK

I've been there, but I always snap out of it.

Feel free to give me a shout if you want to listen to my 6311's. Bring you're Oppo and we'll both benefit from the visit.

nooshinjohn

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I love funk!

txcoastal1

The audiophile funk would never be a problem if there was so many piss poor recordings

DarqueKnight

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Every time I want to sit down and really listen to the Maggies I have to unhook the amp from the AVR and connect the Oppo and then switch it back when I'm done, it's not the end of the world and I know I can purchase my way out of this with a good preamp but then I'm adding yet another piece to the mix.

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

This is something specific to audio and all the associated gear and hassle, this is not some kind of mid life crisis...

I think you are burned out with the hassle you have to go through whenever you want to enjoy 2 channel stereo. If I had to go through that ritual every time I wanted to listen to music, I would be in a funk too.

tonyb

Agreed ^^^^

Buy speakers that can do double duty, with the same amp so you don't have to switch it all around.

I learned that lesson long ago. Was tired of this or that speaker being good for only HT but not music. Find your Huckleberry in a speaker that will allow you to enjoy both.