Do we ever forget that it's all about the music?

organ

Joe,
LOL:D I'm actually in Toronto, Canada. Not too far from you:).

Adam,
Very interesting. I think you're on to something. I have a little problem with OCD as well. Found out when I had to take a misc. subject in college. Took Intro to Psychology and that's where I found out. Last week, I took some psychology test online, and guess what, my rating for OCD is "high". It also listed other symptoms I may have (certainly hope not!).

Some people can listen to a high performance rig and still enjoy their music just as much on their boombox.
Musicians would be a fine choice. I once read an article (can't remember what it's called) which tried to explain why musicians have great instruments, ears but are completely satisfied with boom boxes. They said musicians listen to music in a different way than non-musicians. They care more about timbre and timing. Whatever, their sound system won't produce, their brains fill in the empty spaces. Say the system rolls off at 60Hz, they get the fundemental (mids) and their brain tells them the bass is or should be doing this at this time. You know, like when we hear something we already know on a cheap table radio. It can't produce bass but we already know it's there and how it's being played. Our brains are just filling in the empty spaces.

For us gear whores and music lovers, our hobby just enhances the experience. Take people with sexual fetishes as an example. They enjoy the sex but they say performing certain fetish acts that gets them going is an enhancement to their sexual pleasure.

MSALLA

I look at the equipment as a tool to listen to music or movies. But you know you always have to have the best & newest tools.

organ

MSALLA wrote:

I look at the equipment as a tool to listen to music or movies. But you know you always have to have the best & newest tools.

There will probably be no best. That's when you've reached your goal. But don't forget vintage gear. I have a vintage amp that can blow away modern ones.

heiney9

Sorry people not feeling the debate. The reason for tweaking/swapping gear is ultimately for the music….. Period! Sure sometimes we may get lost in the allure of new gear just for the sake of change or because we have some $$$ burning a hole in our pocket, but to be an audiophile is to be a musicphile. If better music reproduction isn’t the end result what’s the point. Sure there are gear collectors who just have gear to say they have gear. I don’t find that sort of individual too often on CP.

Sometimes the quest for better audio reproduction leads certain music to be less enjoying because of the flaws the new gear reveals. This is just a by product of this hobby. It happens a fair amount of time to me for certain music, but that’s life and if that’s the case the music wasn’t recorded/mastered/engineered all that well to being with. One positive side effect is it makes musical passages that are recorded properly sound spectacular.

H9

[Deleted User]

Hello,
Good thread! One of the ways I've always explained good audio equipment to people is by using an analogy. Let's say you're in an art museum and you see a painting by Matisse that really amazes you. There's something about the way the artist used colors and light to make something that really scored a hit with you. So, after the visit you go to the gift shop, in the lobby, and decide you want to take something with you to remember that particular painting. You find that there's a 3" x 5" black and white postcard of the same painting. You look at it and you can remember, very well, what the subject of the painting was and how you liked it. For many people that would be sufficient, the card costs $1.00, is easy to carry around and does the job. But, you look in another place, in the gift shop, and find there's a 3" x 5" color postcard of the same painting. Ah ha, now you have the image and it's in color. You can now remember how pretty the flowers were and the way different colors blended together, the sky looks much more real. The color postcard is $3.00, triple what the black and white one was, but for you, well worth the money. It's still portable and easy to carry around with you. Just as you get to the check out counter you find they also sell full size color posters of the same painting. Now this is really cool, not only do you have the image, and the color (maybe the colors are even more accurate to the original) but now it's about the same size as the painting. You look at the price tag and its $25.00 and definitely it will be harder to deal with. You will have to put it on your wall and maybe even get it framed with a glass cover to protect it. But look what you now have, you can very easily remember exactly the feeling you had when you were first blown away by this picture.
And then, just as you've got your wallet out and are standing in line you notice that guy in front of you has a special version of the painting where they used a laser printer to print a duplicate of the painting on canvass. Now there's everything, the colors, the size and the texture of the original printed on real cloth canvass. But, you look at the price tag and its $250.00 including a nice wooden frame and glass protecting it. You've gone from a $1.00 investment to considering $250.00 and have to decide which level of reproduction, of something you like, that will satisfy you. For everyone there will be a different answer and each person has to determine which one is right for him. But, don't forget it was the initial connection, between a long dead artist and you that started the whole process. Matisse isn't going to paint any more paintings and most mortals are not able to own the originals. So, the best bet is to try and appreciate art at whatever level satisfies you.
Ken

zombie boy 2000

Slap a gold star on our good friend Kenneth...

excellent analogy and I'd like your permission to use it

[Deleted User]

Absolutely!

heiney9

Great analogy Ken, it’s always nice to see you posting outside of the troubleshooting forum.

H9

Ricardo

In my case, I think I have a handicap ..I have bad ears (edit....I think bad hearing would be more what I mean ); to me it is difficult to hear some differences between two pieces of gear than for others. Maybe others say they hear differences because they want to hear it or they need to justify the cost of the upgrade or something? There's the obvious differences that make something sound good and inviting, from something that sounds plain bad and no matter what the music is playing you just don't enjoy it, but things like changing a wire, or differences between two similar CD players...I just don't get them.

In any case, I seem to enjoy music where others find something does not sound quite right. Handicap or blessing?

zombie boy 2000

HT --

enjoying music is always a blessing
(whatever the means, medium, translation, etc.)

Early B.

HTrookie wrote:

In my case, I think I have a handicap ..I have bad ears (edit....I think bad hearing would be more what I mean ); to me it is difficult to hear some differences between two pieces of gear than for others. Maybe others say they hear differences because they want to hear it or they need to justify the cost of the upgrade or something? There's the obvious differences that make something sound good and inviting, from something that sounds plain bad and no matter what the music is playing you just don't enjoy it, but things like changing a wire, or differences between two similar CD players...I just don't get them.

In any case, I seem to enjoy music where others find something does not sound quite right. Handicap or blessing?

****.:p You don't have a hearing handicap. How many upgrades have you done in the past year?

If you truly have that handicap, consider yourself blessed.

PolkThug

Music??? I been listening to just test tones for years. I almost got my system tweaked enough for actual music, but not quite.

Ricardo

Early B. wrote:

****.:p You don't have a hearing handicap. How many upgrades have you done in the past year?

If you truly have that handicap, consider yourself blessed.

I am not saying I have not tried.....I did do some upgrades; I got the itch from this place . Some of them showed an improvement, some just didn't click it, and some were just a way to try something new/different; Every time I expected to hear a difference and I couldn't, I did feel somehow fustrated.....because of what others had to say for similar changes...but hey, if it sounds good both ways, I take the cheap side

I've been happy with my system for months now; now I am ready to try something new with the AL-III's. This would fall in the "obvious" differences, for the good from what I hear.

Holydoc

PolkThug wrote:

Music??? I been listening to just test tones for years. I almost got my system tweaked enough for actual music, but not quite.

madmax

HTrookie wrote:

I am not saying I have not tried.....I did do some upgrades.

Unless you really have a known hearing deficiency I suspect you have a component which limits everything else. This has happened to me a couple times and each time it took me by suprise when I happened to replace the component. Not saying you have to find this component and upgrade, but it would be nice...
madmax

Edit: Not to mention that if/when you do find the limiting component you will be compelled to keep going.

Ricardo

madmax wrote:

Unless you really have a known hearing deficiency I suspect you have a component which limits everything else. This has happened to me a couple times and each time it took me by suprise when I happened to replace the component. Not saying you have to find this component and upgrade, but it would be nice...
madmax

Edit: Not to mention that if/when you do find the limiting component you will be compelled to keep going.

You might be right.......so I'm thinking..I'LL BETTER NOT FIND IT !!!!

organ

Kenneth Swauger wrote:

Hello,
Good thread! One of the ways I've always explained good audio equipment to people is by using an analogy. Let's say you're in an art museum and you see a painting by Matisse that really amazes you. There's something about the way the artist used colors and light to make something that really scored a hit with you. So, after the visit you go to the gift shop, in the lobby, and decide you want to take something with you to remember that particular painting. You find that there's a 3" x 5" black and white postcard of the same painting. You look at it and you can remember, very well, what the subject of the painting was and how you liked it. For many people that would be sufficient, the card costs $1.00, is easy to carry around and does the job. But, you look in another place, in the gift shop, and find there's a 3" x 5" color postcard of the same painting. Ah ha, now you have the image and it's in color. You can now remember how pretty the flowers were and the way different colors blended together, the sky looks much more real. The color postcard is $3.00, triple what the black and white one was, but for you, well worth the money. It's still portable and easy to carry around with you. Just as you get to the check out counter you find they also sell full size color posters of the same painting. Now this is really cool, not only do you have the image, and the color (maybe the colors are even more accurate to the original) but now it's about the same size as the painting. You look at the price tag and its $25.00 and definitely it will be harder to deal with. You will have to put it on your wall and maybe even get it framed with a glass cover to protect it. But look what you now have, you can very easily remember exactly the feeling you had when you were first blown away by this picture.
And then, just as you've got your wallet out and are standing in line you notice that guy in front of you has a special version of the painting where they used a laser printer to print a duplicate of the painting on canvass. Now there's everything, the colors, the size and the texture of the original printed on real cloth canvass. But, you look at the price tag and its $250.00 including a nice wooden frame and glass protecting it. You've gone from a $1.00 investment to considering $250.00 and have to decide which level of reproduction, of something you like, that will satisfy you. For everyone there will be a different answer and each person has to determine which one is right for him. But, don't forget it was the initial connection, between a long dead artist and you that started the whole process. Matisse isn't going to paint any more paintings and most mortals are not able to own the originals. So, the best bet is to try and appreciate art at whatever level satisfies you.
Ken

That's one of the best explanation I've seen. Thanks for sharing, Ken. I'll remember that next time my friends tell me I'm insane for buying audio gear.

HTrookie,
No way man. If you had hearing problems, you wouldn't be here with us.:)

SCompRacer

Kenneth Swauger wrote:

Hello,
Good thread! One of the ways I've always explained good audio equipment to people is by using an analogy.