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Am I right for this forum?

I’ve been an Audiogon member for some years now; I remember (fondly) "millercarbon," for example, which will mean something to some of you. And I’ve been a lover of audio equipment since high school—so, for over 50 years (I graduated in 1973). And yet...more and more, I find myself alienated from this forum, even though I do still read it regularly.

I do have what I consider a very "high-fidelity" system. I’ve written a very long account of my "audio journey," complete with many photos, but not "published" it on this site. I’m also a member of our local audio club, which includes several very well-heeled members who have systems costing more than most homes (one of them owns equipment valued at nearly a million dollars, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg: his system is housed in a separate structure purpose-built for it that cost well over a million). I play cello and guitar; my wife plays piano, my daughter piano and violin. We play those instruments in the same room occupied by my main audio system, and so I can attest to the "fidelity" of that system’s reproduction.

And yet...my system cost me less than $3,000 in total. I don’t lust after any particular "upgrade," even though I read reviews and all the many accounts of improvements in "SQ" documented in this forum.

So...am I an "audiophile," or not? Do I belong here, or not?


I’m listening right now to a wonderful bit of Mozart. I also love Tool. And Christy Moore. And Eva Cassidy. And so many others. I agree with Nietzsche: without music, life would be a mistake. But am I an audiophile? Do I belong on this forum?

Any sympathy here? Anyone else feel alienated from the "audiophile community" despite loving the miracle of audio technology?

128x128snilf

Showing 3 responses by mahler123

mahler123
3,080 posts
 

I just saw this thread.  OP, you definitely seem to know a lot about music, and probably a lot about how acoustic music sounds.  I suspect defer to your judgement on acoustic instruments reproduction more than I would for the majority of posters here, including myself.  I think your observations would be valuable here.

  I think that you are justified in asking if you belong here.  Clearly the emphasis in Audiogon is about individuals that like to experiment with changing equipment, and as you note, most individual components cost more than your system.  I am not being pejorative here, merely stating an observation.  There is also a smattering of people with modest systems, some of whom make claims that their low priced systems have reached the limits of music reproduction and can’t be bettered.  
  I guess you have to decide whether it’s worth your time being in the big tent with the different viewpoints.  I know many people who read car magazines who are lucky to be able to afford a 20 year old Honda Civic with 200K miles

  To 

mahler123
3,080 posts
 

@waytoomuchstuff 

There are many parallels between our relationship with our systems and our relationships with significant others.  However it’s less messy to change an unsatisfactory component 

mahler123
3,080 posts
 

I’ve developed an increased appreciation for music, and the love of communicating it, since starting piano lessons over a year.  I still suck, but have at least a small little collection of of pieces that I can play with feeling and get a response from the few listeners that put up with me.  It’s not a feeling that I ever expect to be equaled by listening to recorded music.  The ability to move another…at least a little bit…is irreplaceable 

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