Do You Love Music or Do You Love Hi-Fi?

I am a VERY firm beleiver that 80% (if not more) of Audiogon roamers are gearheads first and that their relationship with music is contaminated by the never-ending analysis of sound and the "air" around the instruments and other sooooo-important sacro-saint things. Ridiculous terminology used by audio rag reviewers have made our way in our brains, to describe equipment as if they had personalities and as if they were more important than human beings. I also beleive that most folks won't admit to this gearlust over music- it is so much more dignified to claim a love for music to justify the "upgrade bug" .

I am as guilty as anyone else. I do happen to enjoy music to a high level, but gear has nothing to do with this. My enjoyment of music takes the form of actually playing instruments for real, and playing around with music-creation software and a keyboard. And of course attending live performances. Whether a symphonic orchestra or even a bar band playing "brown eyed girl" with the walls shaking from the bass.

I gave up years ago on trying to get the same level of satisfaction from a
sound system. Some will say that it may just be because I never had a good one...please witness my review of my Verity Audio speakers of years ago. If speakers that cost the price of a new car won't do it for me, well, that's as high as I will go.(sparing you details about the rest of my system at the time - not too bad to say the least).

Now, why am I on Audiogon then? Because I admire good design, good engineering, and also because those toys are FUN to play with and a pleasure to own! I just wish more people would admit to this.

Sorry for the long rant, but this topic got me started. Ending my post, I would just like to say that (pardon the following imagery) I'd rather listen to a tune from a favorite artists on a cheap boombox any day over suffering the sound of Kenny-G or Michael Bolton over a 100k system.

Rok2id...you mention ''I just don't understand the isolated attraction of stereo gear, without a corresponding interest in the function or purpose of the gear.''

You are only partly correct. And what is really for many the purpose of gear? It is not to hear music as a whole, but as superficial elements:

Soundstage
''Air'' around instruments
Top end
Low end
Midrange
Roll off
Balance
''driver'' integration
Sweet spot
upfront voices
Transparency
PRAT
tubelike
edgy

This is the language of the audiophile, and the above are just some of the many elements to distract from the artist performing in front of us through our system. And that's just sound.

There are even more elements concerning the gear...

Faceplates
Built-like-a-tank
tubes and tube rolling
the endless variations concerning cable

ok, enough of this.

No wonder the musical message takes a back seat. I don't want to make enemies here, but still, I would seriously doubt most of the postings claiming it is all about music. If it was, most Audiogoners would have just a few transactions to get their system rolling then stop it right there and just enjoy the music instead of enjoying the transactions and resulting ownership experience of gear.

Nothing wrong with that of course, but let's call a cat a cat!

"Good music can't be delivered without good system..."

I cannot be in agreement with this statement. Good - and great - music stays good and great no matter how you hear it.

In the car, on cheap earbuds, through shopping center el-cheapo speakers, and of course, at home on our "expensive" systems.

Good music is about ENJOYMENT. Great gear can of course help, but it is not essential to the enjoyment of music - unless you love gear more than music - (here we go again!)

I once heard Brown Eyed Girl on Bourbon Street played through crappy speakers full blast in a bar. Man, the energy and the FEELING was incredible. Good music will be crappy sound most times over bad music and terrific sound - at least for me. Your pick, Satchmo over an old Marantz with PSB speakers or Lawrence Welk over a Boulder-Wilson 100k system? (no offence about the music).