Are all Audiophiles masocists?

Experience vs analysis, love and hate, pleasure and pain.

Why is human experience always linked and limited in such opposing ways?

Why can't we simply enjoy books and films in a purely visceral way without worrying too much about plot, direction or themes?

Why can't we have drugs that give nothing but untrammelled pleasure without any fallout?

Or sufficient amounts of alcohol without a hangover?

Or unlimited fast food without weight gain or sugar issues?

Did God make a mistake or is evolution only a work in progress?

The only two great pleasures in life that we can luxuriate in that don't have unfortunate side effects seem to be sex and music, as long as we take a bit of care with cueing up.

Perhaps there's some common link between these two great passions.

I bet Freud would say that audiophilia is a mere fetish. What might he say about tonearms I don't want to know...or the audiophile games people play. Or maybe we should ask Eric Berne, or even Joe South?

Or perhaps, just maybe, as long we can concentrate mainly on the music and not the means, ultimately the love of music is the greatest, most universal, least harmful pleasure of them all?

Something worth getting just a little obsessed about. So I don't think we're necessarily masochists as we know what we want but we do seem to have a lot stacked against don't we? 

Unfortunately that only becomes apparent at a later date as you eventually realise the record companies are not on your side, nor are most reviewers, and that the perfect playback you were looking for is not even a remote option, at any price.

Now if only you were aware of all that before you began...would you still do it?

For the first part of your post i will say that the price to pay to be free, really free, is consciousness of our own slavery, to begin with ourself and at the end to end with ourself....But in between we are suspended between polarities, and extremes.....

For the last question part, yes, i will do the same thing in my audio journey, and being without money has been for me a great luck because i has been push to be creative, then my audio wishes are realized by my own hands ....

Obsession is a problem only if we cannot satisfy it and control it by ourself, his name is creativity when it is the case, otherwise it is a bottomless pit...

:)

I apologize to give an asnwer to questions that were only rhetorical and for which you did not wait for an answer...

My best to you....

« All fundamentals are polarities» Goethe, Coleridge, Faraday, and Groucho Marx

I do like it a bit rough

@cd318....
"Now if only you were aware of all that before you began...would you still do it?"

*L* Since none of us gets the opportunity to live life backwards, that falls into the 'Monday morning quarterback syndrome'..mho...

If one did have the chance to 'play it again, Sam' the outcome would certainly be different....good, bad, indifferent, or even to a sudden unforseen Stop @ That Curb *screech*Smack*lights out*

Where you are is where you Is.

Are we masocists? *L* Yup.  We keep getting up in the morning.... ;)

@douglas_schroeder

I get bored without progress, and I love the challenge of advancing a rig continuously. I also thrill to hear a performance become more engrossing, emotionally fulfilling, over the years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that - as long as there is integrity in my relationship with my wife, maintaining my charitable giving, and I’m not blowing the rest of the budget.

Especially well said.
Guttenberg deals with the upgrade question by having listeners consider that maybe they want *difference* in their rig, and not just better. They want to turn the jewel over, get another view, expand laterally and not just "forward" or "better." I kind of took that from your comment, Doug.

Also -- your point about relationships, charitable giving are huge, to me. You’re looking at audio in the context of a healthy overall approach to life. That’s bound to mean that when you listen to music, you’re more fully open the to joy and meaning potentially found there. Admirable.

@asvjerry,
Are we masocists? *L* Yup. We keep getting up in the morning.... ;)"


Every moment of existence is priceless.
Every single one.

No matter how bad things get, there is always something to look forward to.

There has to be.

Hope is truly the most wonderful thing.
I don’t see how else we’ve made it all these millions of years.

We might all be partial masochists but we’re also life’s greatest optimists. Probably even too much much for our own good.

Somehow we never seem to get tired of wishing and searching.

Mitch, We live in New Hampshire. We have cycled in Italy twice. Once in the Dolomite's and once through Tuscany. Going down is a thrill bordering on scary. God bless disc brakes. I hit 55 mph on one straight. The Stelvio has 48 switch backs and each one is numbered. The Mortirolo is an entirely different experience-struggle. The Stelvio you are in a wide open valley with breath taking landscape. The Mortirolo except for a few views is closed in, wooded. 10% average grade. About 1/2 way up is the monument to Marco Pantani. This was his stage. 
We have some great rides in New Hampshire. Tripoli Road from Woodstock to Waterville Valley is a good one. If you really want to bust your chops there is the 6 peak ride in Vermont. Better start real early 5 AM!. This ride is certainly for masochists. But then if there was no challenge would it be worth it? Somehow the view is sharper and the colors brighter when your heart rate hits 160. 

mijostyn, Get the book, or read online ...  The RULES - Velominati. if you are not already familiar with it. 

cd318....*S* And also, quite true.  We do wake hopeful....have to.

We do have enough days that ones' feet can't hit the floor fast enough.

There's also the *meh* days:
-Start good, go south in varied ways 'n means
-The inverse of that, begin not so but make up for it overall.

It's Those Days....when one would rather pull the covers up and cocoon oneself and wait for the next and preferable one....

...where exiting becomes more an act of faith, bravery, sheer determination, or utter abandon or surrender.

Those Days suck.

The only way they get worse is a firing squad waiting for you.

Those Really Suck.

Mho...the last 2 delve into the Masocist Zone.

Audioholics skirt the upper edge of the MZ, like surfers on storm surf....

"OMG, I've (fallen out of love/begun to detest/made an enormous error/(fill in blank) with the/this (fill in subject equipment).

Now, I'm faced with (replacing X) and (convincing self)(convincing spouse)(rationalizing this)(selling/trading/burying X in closet/backyard/trash fire) and determining what would make the remainder return to desired satisfactory status..."

Doing this occasionally.....fine.
Doing this yearly....mmmOK.
Doing this a lot?

You enjoy it.
Leather, whips, and 'restraints' would be cheaper in the long run, butt...

As long as you 'do' this in our company (obviously, the audio, please), we understand....

*poor devil...tsk*

...feel free to PM us the vids of the latter, though...;)

Salaciously yours, J

(FGS, I am kidding...I don't want the latter...the evening news is torture enough....)

Get a proper tube amp, a non-oversampling DAC and enjoy the music and stop chasing new gear.

We seem to be a bit condescending too. LOL

In fact several ingrained character traits have emerged to be prevalent in this post. I guess that means we're all just... Human.

More like perfectionists. Never totally satisfied, but it's great to feel the rush when you know that some change you made improved the sound. Sometimes people use crazy words to describe the sound (tubey, humid?) I just say it sounds better.

@asvjerry,

One of the worst things that can happen to an audiophile is some form of component failure.

Anything from a blown tweeter/driver to a recklessly damaged stylus can have an unusually proportional effect upon your mood.

I think I must have become complacent until a few weeks ago when my system began to lose signal in the left channel.

I tried various stuff, a different channel on the amp, checking the interconnects (horrible thick and ridiculously tight) and reversing and tightening the speaker cables etc. All would work for a while but the next time, same problem of a silent left speaker.

In the end I discovered that the volume dial on the amp was getting a little flaky. It might need cleaning or replacing soon but anyway it reminded me just how easy it is to lose your peace of mind when it comes to audio.

I used to pity my friends and family who’d get distraught when their car got the mildest of scratches, but now I can’t the volume dial out of my mind.

Is it serious, is affecting the sound, is it a sealed unit, can it be cleaned? Etc

Anyway, I can laugh about a little now, but a few years ago it would have been a real downer for me.

No, you’ve got to be good to yourself (don’t watch the news, it’s always bad eg Diana Rigg) and somehow try to address the stuff you might worry about.

Can’t wait around for someone else to do it.

@cd318....Oh, my....I hadn't heard about D. Rigg....😢😘
My first exposure to her was The Avengers series; after the 'effect' of her 'fighting togs' wore down, her talent as an actress became apparent and amplified with later roles...

(In an interview, she initially didn't understand the fan letters received that *mmm* refered mostly to the leathers....Confusion gave way to 'oh, give it a break..." *L*)

Rest in Peace, Ms. D...
Her Lotus Elan sparked a lifelong respect for that marque...*s*

I can relate to the 'lil glitches' that mar ones' system and ones' mind....
'Crackely switches', 'scratchy pots', 'cable conundrums'....
The minor ones' beget 'bug hunts' that engender desire for a simple 'boom box' that, failing, gets recycled without regret.
If something more major goes *foom*, at least one can shrug, get it fixed or get on with something Better...

'Hobby' budget of late is somewhat restricted, but I consider it a challenge to amass the means to scratch the Itch.  What it looks like a first glance is a bit of an polyglot.  But it sounds better than it appears and allows me to pursue my DIY penchant.

Ultimately, it makes me smile....which, imh(if odd)o....is my perception of the point.

I Do get: "You have a really odd sense of humour, Jer...."

Well....it seems better to laugh at the mess we're all in than to sink into hysterical screaming punctuated by near-catatonic silence.
It's infinitely more acceptable, and They don't come and take you away....*ha ha*...;)

Socially somewhat acceptably yours,

J...oh, and have a good weekend! 🤪

I do like it a bit rough

LOL.  I also wanted to mention we have a C7 Z06 Corvette. It isn't fast enough either. Wondering when the C8 Z06 is going to happen.

Its not masochistic to want to go faster. To want to do it in a Corvette, well then maybe you have a point.