a rant

I agree with the idea that my audio journey is a hobby, and for the time being, I get great pleasure in learning from and engaging with the hobby; and that means spending money. I am not retired and can afford what I spend on audio, and for now the cost does not impact my life in a negative way. I'm adding upgrading a pair of speakers, a streamer, a DAC, and finishing a dedicated audio room.....which I may add home theater later.

Mahgister brought up Baach, and I will be spending a lot of time at Axpona with the folks from Theoretica and learning much more about the Baach systems. The ability (claims they can) to present most recorded music closer to how it is presented in a live performance, greatly intrigues me. Tom Martin from Absolute Sound recently made a written and Youtube review of the technology, and now I'm very curious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxI6wf5TYTU

Thanks for the video...

Mahgister brought up Baach, and I will be spending a lot of time at Axpona with the folks from Theoretica and learning much more about the Baach systems. The ability (claims they can) to present most recorded music closer to how it is presented in a live performance, greatly intrigues me. Tom Martin from Absolute Sound recently made a written and Youtube review of the technology, and now I'm very curious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxI6wf5TYTU

I've encountered some issues with the audio hobby, and if I were to list them out, they’d look like this:

1. Lack of Progress: The audio industry hasn't made significant advancements over the years, especially when compared to the rapid progress in the video industry.

2. Overpriced Equipment: Prices across the board are outrageous. I usually buy used gear to avoid this, but even basic items like cables, DACs, vinyl, and SACDs are overpriced—especially when you compare them to the affordability of 4K Blu-rays, projectors, and OLED TVs.

3. Minimal Returns on Upgrades: Every upgrade feels marginal. I recently added an external SMSL DAC, which technically counts as an upgrade, but I see no reason to spend over $1,000 on a DAC—it’s just not worth it. On the other hand, when I upgraded my projector from an HD bulb to a 4K laser, the improvement was massive. I can easily tell the difference between an HDR 4K Blu-ray and a 1080p Blu-ray, but with audio, the difference is subtle—even when switching from Totem to Sonus Faber speakers.

4. Human Hearing Limitations: Our hearing is inherently limited compared to our visual capabilities, which makes it harder to perceive these subtle audio upgrades—unlike the clear differences in video quality.

Overall, as someone interested in both audio and video hobbies, I sometimes feel like people are being ripped off in the audio industry. The returns on investment in audio are far less noticeable than in any other hobby.

@sheri2022

Those are great points. I would add auditioning is a giant pain. I can watch a tv at BestBuy, drive a car at a VW dealership but listening to a $2000 amp? I am not blaming it on anyone, but it slows down the process.

@smargo Chasing every fad in audio will not get you to the mountaintop.  That's more like an M.C. Escher work where you start to climb the stairs(of audio)only to end up where you started again.  Or you're chasing some perfection that never is satisfied/fulfilled and becomes some hellish nightmare from a Bruegel painting.  Or, of course, you stop and listen to the music like you did and enjoy what you have.  Okay, I'm done with the artist analogies.