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 1 response by stuartk

@snilf

Simple question: how often, when listening to music, are you distracted by thoughts about the sound of your system -- especially thoughts tinged with dissatisfaction?

If you really are a "pure" music lover, who doesn’t fixate on sonics, congratulations! The "disease", as @ghdprentice calls it, once contracted, can be tricky to manage.

Perhaps it would be helpful to know most of us are located somewhere on a spectrum, being both music- lovers and sound-chasers in varying proportions and that, furthermore, this balance often changes. For example, when I’m happy with the sound of my system, I naturally tend to focus on music. On the other hand, if I’m experiencing problems with my system and listening is yielding little pleasure, I tend to become absorbed by the drive to address sonic dissatisfaction and seek advice. Of course, some of us are more easily taken over by obsession than others. ;o)