I think that very few would come across this hobby in the first place, to say nothing of then choosing to indulge in it, if they didn't love music. Maybe some of us are eventually swallowed by the beast, when we reach the point that we don't hear music anymore because we're gauging instrument tonality, dynamics, soundstage depth, blah blah blah ad nauseum...
I've always been bad at tweaks and tests of equipment because I'd rather be listening to the music than thinking about the sound. But there is no doubt that I love music more when I hear it reproduced with greater authenticity. I'll not deny the "cool" factor. When somebody comes over to my house and sees the glowing tubes and the turntable, they are always pretty amazed, before even hearing it. (Most of the population is unaware that vinyl is being pressed today, and many don't know what a "tube" is.). And then they hear it, and the jaws drop and eyes bug out, etc. That's pretty fun. (Fyi none of my house guests have been audiophiles.)
So, to sum it up, I'd like to think I do this high end hobby because I want to be able to hear, as accurately as possible, what the intentions of the artist were. An analogy, for me, would be going to an art museum without your glasses, during a daytime power outage. Maybe you would still enjoy the art, but wouldn't you enjoy it a lot more if you could see it clearly, and under good lighting?
Cheers.
I've always been bad at tweaks and tests of equipment because I'd rather be listening to the music than thinking about the sound. But there is no doubt that I love music more when I hear it reproduced with greater authenticity. I'll not deny the "cool" factor. When somebody comes over to my house and sees the glowing tubes and the turntable, they are always pretty amazed, before even hearing it. (Most of the population is unaware that vinyl is being pressed today, and many don't know what a "tube" is.). And then they hear it, and the jaws drop and eyes bug out, etc. That's pretty fun. (Fyi none of my house guests have been audiophiles.)
So, to sum it up, I'd like to think I do this high end hobby because I want to be able to hear, as accurately as possible, what the intentions of the artist were. An analogy, for me, would be going to an art museum without your glasses, during a daytime power outage. Maybe you would still enjoy the art, but wouldn't you enjoy it a lot more if you could see it clearly, and under good lighting?
Cheers.