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#11
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What are your goals with this hobby?
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OK, I misunderstood. I thought your premise for this thread was what our goals were for our hobby, not the validity of how we make our choices.
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Tony D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2 Last edited by Antonmb; 01-04-2021 at 01:33 AM. |
#12
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I've been involved with learning about, playing or listening to music my entire life and my audio hobby is a way to continue that. Nowadays with the rise and proliferation of audio forums the hobby is also a social activity for many - no longer a solitary listening experience - and I see that as a good thing. Serge - you should have stuck with the question in your title then sit back and enjoy the responses. ;-o |
#13
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Enjoyment of the overall experience: an emotional connection to the music, envisioning the performers live in my room, achieving an almost meditative state where I am totally present with the music. When the gear, the room and the recording all come together to create this experience then things are good. When the gear, room or recording get in the way, then something has to change.
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SF Stradivari, Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and Super KT Parallel amps; Pass XP 27, Raven One TT, Graham Phantom II arm, Lyra Etna Lamda, Airtight PC1, Bryston 3.14 DAC, Transparent Reference & Wireworld, dedicated treated room 17 X 34 X 9 |
#14
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Are there no goals when one makes choices? Probably not judging by the proliferation of power cords costing $8k lately. Heck, there are even $120k speaker cable boxes that have knobs in them... Wonder how much validation goes into that kind of a purchase....
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#15
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#16
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My goal in this hobby is that my room and equipment assist in engaging me with the music I play on that system. I know I have a good system, but clearly nowhere close to ‘the best”, but I can play music I love and enjoy that experience. For me, it is the engagement that I enjoy. I like holding an album cover and reading the liner notes. I enjoy recording and playing back music on my recently purchased R2R to compare how it sounds to the source. I try to understand why some sound better than the source and others not so much. But, while I love the convenience and reduced costs of streaming, I also know that for me, I do enjoy engaging with the actual media. I still read books, my Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado are still in print form. I just went through my more than 1000 cds and gave most all to my kids, who will most likely just sell them. But, I did keep and put into binders those cd’s that have special meaning. Those early Telarc recordings from Erich Kunzel, DMP recordings like Flim and the BB’s, first GRP recordings among a few others. Those recordings feel like almost a part of me, and just couldn’t let them go. I get those decisions and ways make me a bit old fashioned. But if we can decide what sounds “the best” based on our ears, then I should be able to decide “how” to enjoy this hobby is personal as well.
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Main System MC-2102--C-2700--HiFi Rose 150B--MVP-901--Revox PR-99mkiii--Klipschorns- - Shunyata Denali 6000v2 --Sota Star Sapphire Turntable with vacuum—SME series iV.Vi—Sumiko Blackbird— WireWorld power and interconnect cables MC-205–MX-100 |
#17
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Paul McGowan tries to tackle the question. Why do Professional Musicians ignore high end audio? https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/why-...igh-end-audio/
Well, it is an interesting question... |
#18
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My view is that I'm the only one who has to like the way my system sounds. Having started at a very modest level, I chased upgrades to just about everything Serge mentioned over the years and have settled upon my current setup. I believe it's just about as good as my ears can perceive.
I bought my speakers and amp because I truly believed they were generational products that would last my lifetime (or whatever time in life I have left). They form the core of the system. I have no desire to change it, especially if it's just to get the newest latest bit of kit. I also subscribe to the law of diminishing returns. I'm not wealthy enough to journey down that road, so I don't ever think about it. Aside: I would like an offshore center console about 10 feet longer than the one I currently own.
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McIntosh MA8000; McIntosh MC1502; Canton Vento Reference 1 DC; E.A.T. E-Flat; Soundsmith Paua Mk II; Technics SL 1210 MK5; Audio Technica AT-150 MLX; Tascam BR-20; Teac X1000R; Pioneer RT-707; Oppo UDP 205; Denon DCD A-100; HP All-In-One Touchscreen Server; JRiver MC 28; Woo Audio WA6; Shure SRH 1840; SVS SB 1000; Jolida 502BRC; Jolida JD9; VPI 16.5 RCM; Wireworld Oasis 8 Speaker Cables; Audoquest Columbia 72 DBS IC's; Panamax PM-5400 (source components only) |
#19
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All too often and over the decades, I have seen both sides of the camp. Folks who invested into gear that brought them pleasure and have held on to their systems while building their music libraries (streaming has completely changed that concept for me personally now) and folks who are proud audiophiles in the sense that "only" best quality recordings should be listened to on their systems and components must change in the quest for best sound. I am personally far from the audiophile I was a few decades ago. Sure, it was always about the gear and sound from day one. I liked music.. I loved good sound even more it seemed. How many audiophiles have a hundred or a few hundred albums/CDs that they listen to on a constant basis because of good sound? Listen a dozen times, buy a new cable... Listen a dozen times, buy a new DAC, another dozen times and the inner audiophile wants a new pair of speakers.. It never ends. Now I love music and I enjoy good sound. As long as my system works, there is no pressing need to upgrade or change anything and I have not in a while now. There is a difference in my own approach, for sure. Not saying it is right or wrong, it is highly a personal choice. Seems the main objective for many audiophiles is chasing good sound but judging by all the music documentaries I have ever watched, not one portrayed a high end system. Far from it. Musicians are involved with the emotional content of music, not "sound" that the typical audiophile is after. That is what Paul McGowan failed to convey in his answer as to why the Musicians Ignore High End Audio.... It's not about the sound to the average person and it is definitely not about the sound for the musician. Only an audiophile tends to treat music as sound? |
#20
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My goals have changed substantially over time.
When I was a kid interested in electronics (age 10-13) it was about learning and playing with the gear - I built all of my stuff from kits or salvaged parts from radios and consoles. Then I got interested in the music (13-present) still used the gear I built, and bought LP's, which I still have. In college, (17- 21) having a good stereo was a kind of a status status symbol - how you spent your limited available funds was important! I spent mine on stereo gear and had a decent enough system with Ohm F's, and Dynakits, Thorens TT, etc. I still bought a lot of albums and so did everybody else. I think my focus was on the gear. I started working in broadcast audio as newly minted EE, and learned a lot about the craft and what made things sound good or bad. All objective folks in the business, no tweakers. I got exposed to a lot of great systems, but since the gear was all work, the focus shifted back to the music. I did some upgrades over time but the focus was still on the music. The gear was what I did for a living, so I didn't mess with it much in my free time. Fast forward to the 2000's and I wasn't working in audio design anymore and I had enough disposable income to mess with gear again, so everything got upgraded. The resulting equipment-focused upgrade merry-go-round was a very painful time for me. Most of the upgrades were downgrades. I changed out my Adcom GFP-750 for a McIntosh C 2200. Total downgrade. I changed my Classe' Model 15 for a McIntosh MC 2102. Another total downgrade. Vienna Acoustics Beethoven to Wilson Sophia 2 - expensive parallel move. While all this was going on I did a bunch of soul searching and decided what I really wanted was a great listening experience. I had been going to classical concerts and live jazz venues for years. So I started to really think about what gave me joy. "Great" for me was a laid back musical system with realistic instrument tone. I got there about a decade ago and was able to focus on the music again. I've spent the last 5 years getting my digital playback front end to sound great, with a few targeted upgrades that were truly upgrades. C 1100, MC 2301, SF Amati Futura's. All in service of a great listening experience. That's my goal now.
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Main System: Amati Futura Mains Amati Homage VOX Center, Proac Response 1sc Rears, Three MC2301's for L,C,R MC 602 for the rears C 1100, MX 151, MCD 1100, MR 80 Nottingham Dais with Wave Mechanic Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation SurfacePro 3, RPi 4, ROON, WW Starlight Platinum USB, Schiit Yggdrasil, Benchmark DAC3 HGC MX 151, OppO BDP-95, JVC RS-500 DILA projector, 106" diagonal Stewart Luxus Screenwall Deluxe with Studiotek 130 G3 material. Lake House: Ohm F, MC 275V, C2300, MR 77, Rega P3 OnDeck: McIntosh MAC 4300v |
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