Does a taste for high end audio, also carry over into your other interests?
I would guess there are some where high-end audio may be somewhat different than their interest or investment into "other" things. From myself and my audiophile friends, there seemed to be interest in food, cameras, computers and even into musical instruments and architecture/house design/interior design.
My question is, what else in your life gets the same attention and would some consider you "esoteric" in your choices? Of my two closest audiophile friends, one is into other things such as his home and interior design, cameras, foods, travel...and more... and my other close friend could care less about gourmet anything or the design/style of his home/furnishings, etc. so his interest in the high-end/audiophile world is more defined than some "other" things. Just kind of an open ended thought. In education some friends have pondered the idea of selective intelligence vs. global intelligence/awareness. Gosh, this is starting to should like an article out of Psycho Today.
In all cases with my friends and myself, the greatest interest is in family and friends...and those are the people we enjoy sharing the stereo/music with. Hope all have a great holiday season.
Call me shallow, but I just like quality stuff. I tend to purchase musical instruments that, how shall I put it, are a bit north of my playing prowess. Good beer. Good coffee. Good espresso machine. If I could afford it I'd buy better wine. My wife is a fine, fine cook, and we aren't afraid of going to fine restaurants. Large format and medium format cameras. Before the advent of digital cameras and quality computer gear to view digital photos, I used to schlep the quote-unquote pro-level cameras on trips, too. Yeah, I should be on the analyst's couch.
Seeking the best is part of human history. From the founding of countries for freedom, to medical advances and to most things..it seems to be part of what we as humans do.. We seem to try to learn and use that knowledge to improve what we feel could use improvement. Audio, sports cars and many other consumer goods are known to be things people do many things for...including magazines ratings and reviewing those products. From my audio, to my car (and my families cars), my homes and what I can do with my friends...improvement and growth..going forward has been a constant. My parents improved their lives from their parents, I have from mine and do what I can to help my children have good, perhaps better lives than mine. It is one of the best parts of being sentient. And seeking what a person feels is the best out of audio and music is what this site is about. Improving the lives of people I did not know when I was deeply into social programs in my former hometown was part of my personal quest. Audio components are for the reproduction of music, and what a cultural, gentle hobby to have and share. I hope and assume you all have that cultural appreciation of music and you most likely share that appreciation.
Of course, if none of this makes any sense, there are always PBJ sandwiches.
Of course, if none of this makes any sense, there are always PBJ sandwiches.
This gave me a smile. I just had said sandwich. Organic multigrain bread with organic freshly ground peanuts, Himalayan salt, and $13 blackcurrant preserve. It's the little things.
Many do not seem to know that health food can also be esoteric...or if you will, .high-end. I am very happy to say that my family has eaten healthy, well and a bit esoteric for 4 generations now. It was helpful that my Grandparents grew everything they ate and by that it was all organic and fresh. In staying at their farm, usually what was for a meal had been harvested that day. I wish I would have know then as a child what I do now about food...I would have thanked them for being who they were.
One of the things they had which I miss were Black Raspberries.
@whatjd Good question. At the moment, audio is the main one for me, and given the time and attention I’ve poured into it, it would be hard to do this for many other areas. Perhaps coffee makers, but not really to this degree. I’m not on forums, etc. My wife’s a different story...furniture, rugs, clothes, etc. My parents were raised in the Depression but they were willing to spend on quality when it really mattered -- their kids, mainly, and our college. Other than that, they "saved string" as the old saying goes. I suppose I’m much the same...except for audio. (P.S. Sometimes "consistency" is overrated.")
But sure... Westlake School furniture, vintage and new Stickley, Feinwerkbau air pistols, Heisey Glass, Seasmoke wine, custom aluminum boats, Islander fishing reels, a bespoke double and a better dog than I will deserve....
I do have other nice things, but mostly for a reason eg I’m a doc and must be able to get to work so I have high performing all wheel drive car and best snow tires (Nokian).
Thanks to all for your input. There is/are some common life history and/or happenings that most of us likely share more than we may ever know.
When I had my high-end furniture store, Stickley was one of our many brands. We sold the best from Scandinavia (mainly Denmark), Italy and America. Over the years the best thing I could do to maintain that stores success was to keep up with the changing tastes/wants of the "Boomers". Early they wanted what was "leading edge...cool" hence some of the Danish from some of the best designers/architects....later as that generation aged, many started to want their home's interiors look like "old money"...be it fake or not....so it became more Henredon, Baker and the like. I guess now if I were trying to keep with with the Boomers, I would own some chain mortuaries, and yes those will make a great deal of money as the "Boomers" die off.....hope their kids know how to take care of those "special pressings".
Lightly toasted multi grain bread (“Bread Alone” multi grain health), fresh peanut butter (not too smooth of course and lightly salted), a bit of creamed honey and......dried cranberries. Check it out. Awesome.
I don’t care for clothes - cheap and smart. Preferably cotton and non itchy.
I don’t care for cars. I just want reliable, reliable and reliable. OK maybe quiet and with a decent stereo too.
I don’t care for uber expensive phones either. My old 64gb iPhone 6s Plus seems to be working fine. When I upgrade it will be to an cheap amoled screen, eg Samsung etc.
On the other hand I find poor muffled washed out sound almost painful. All of my audio experience has to be vivid clean and dynamic as possible.
I like my books to be in excellent condition. No folding corners or corrections/ footnotes in ink.
My shoes need to be as light and comfortable as possible as well as being smart. Only black trainers as well.
My food also should be as rich in taste as it can be. No interest in eating cardboard or drinking distilled water.
What else is there that can be mentioned here?
Voices. I love those you can listen to without flinching. I don’t know if it’s just me but I find a some American women (New Yorkers?) to speak with a pinched squawk that is somewhat unpleasant.
I guess all those BBC/ITN newsreaders from the early 70s must have left some impression.
When I was a high school freshman, I read that John Kennedy was a fan of Ian Fleming. Later when I had the funds, I bought every first edition British pressing (Cape) of the Bond novels (with original Dust Jackets) . A few years later I sold them in TWSJ for several times what I paid for them. Now nearly any one of them would sell for about what I sold the whole set for......did I mention what I sold the 67 silver Stingray with soft and hard top for..... Makes me cry. ...but hey, it had nearly 12k miles on it, so it was just an old used car.
Cheer up, its only money, and besides it was a Corvette. In 67 if I recall they still had live rear axles drum brakes and leaf springs like a pickup truck. Now if you had sold a Porsche then you would have lost disc brakes, torsion bars and independent suspension. So cheer up. Its not like you sold a real sports car, more like you lost an old pickup truck.
The early Corvettes started with kingpin steering, drum brakes, a straight six and questionable body style. By the time of the 56, the styling was cleaned up. The Stingray eventually had disc brakes and a much improved suspension. I lost my taste for Corvettes when I went from drag racing to road racing and started to enjoy cars that could corner. I did enjoy the 60 and 67 I owned. When I started racing at Road America, etc. I started to get my speed and handling fix on the race course and became less of a sports car for the road person.....but had some exceptions. Of sports cars, fancy watches, fancy mates and more, my audio love has been the most cost effective and reliable.
Miller, the 67 Stingray had all independent suspension and all disc brakes. But the series before the Stingray were crude with drums and a live axel. But even the best road cars I have ever driven, including Porsche and Ferrari, could not handle like the race cars I drove.
In any of you have not been to Road America...esp. if you live within driving distance, it is worth a visit. Each year on the 3rd weekend in July they have the Brian Redman’s Historic Races. It is eye candy in so many ways. There are a couple of people that are so rich they have a tractor/trailer with 6, or so, Ferrari’s in it, with an entire crew to maintain them. When my best friend and I used to go there every year, it was always fun to see the old rich guy with the multiple Ferraris and the young, pretty thing on his arm... and that young pretty thing was not his daughter.
They can’t love you back, they can’t stave off death, and they can’t restore health.
But they can help keep your inner child alive, and that’s important. Really important.
I used to be so clingy to stuff, keeping it in as good a condition as I could. I even got to the point of storing old Marvel comics in individual plastic bags.
Eventually it dawned on me that it was a futile process, doomed to fail. I could preserve my stuff, but not my body - a fact that slowly became increasingly obvious as I entered my 50s. And of course health must always come first. Yours and your loved ones.
Even worse I had got to know some mainly older people (mostly men, but a few women too) who seemed to be in serious danger of running out of living space in their homes due to the accumulation of various artefacts that they had collected over the years, some which were rare and valuable.
One dude had an awesome collection of classic Doctor Who memorabilia, first editions - many signed by cast members!
In the end he had to get rid of most of it upon the insistence of his wife to be. I’ve not seen him for a few years, but I hope he feels it was worth it. A necessary part of growing up.
Of course you should never ever grow up completely. Just enough to survive and prosper. So if it’s a super duper turntable, a dream car, or a collection of Steve Ditko’s art, or sharp suits, whatever, you certainly should go for it - if it’s practical.
I remember once watching an interview with a Japanese film director who spoke directly and candidly told his audience to get as many orgasms as they could whilst they could. He went on to elaborate just how awful it was to still have the desire but no longer the means.
Great thread-thanks. Audio reproduction, better and better has been a never ending hobby/quest for 40+ years and I am thrilled where I am with the two channel system I listen to.
But the love of fine art has overcome (by twice) the expenditures I've made on audio with (30) oil originals in the listening room alone, along with bronzes, art glass, pastels, etc. These things of artistic/expressive beauty give me pleasure on a daily basis and will as long as I live.
Books are also a pleasure and although most I read are historical fiction, one great historical author is David McCullough. And not to laugh, reading Crime and Punishment was a wonderful experience (as were War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, etc.).
Of course excellent quality and fine engineering in various devices appeals. Fine optics like telescopes (not mine per se) sure do appeal as well. I do like motorcycles (not so much culture with those) and still have five around that are a hoot to ride.
My "low end": cars (merely transport except for my wife's Miata). Clothing is high end for outdoor gear but low end for fashion and daily wear (I simply don't care).
It is very interesting to hear where other members have interests and additional hobbies. Of course, had I more shekels, I'd sure love a nice handling modern sports car...and new amps and...
Except for MY Hi-Fi interest, i dont give a dam about quality of materials in my life... a minimal quality will go a long road.... For sure i like costlier wine but anyway i cant afford them, but more than that i dont care.... Life is too short to be bother by accumulation of pricey products...except for sure in our main hobby: an amateur astronomer for example dream and need the best telescope and it is pricey....I was dreaming about the best Hi-Fi in the world 7 years ago.... i created mine in the last 2 years at peanuts costs and i am happy....But you cannot go so easily with the telescope quality....Hi-Fi products are very overvalued, it is possible to create very high S.Q. at low costs but anyway it is not the subject matter here....😁
My Hi-Fi system is then the only material object i care about because it is my access to my immaterial music....
For all my life the only material question i was asking myself was how many books can i afford to buy? Today with internet my problem is solved...I dont need the university library anymore....I dont miss my 25 thousand books personal collection....i replaced it by a digital one....
I cancel at 18 years old the purchase of my first dreamed and last motorcycle to buy books....I never rode one....I go more speedier with books.... I dont understand why people focus on costlier objects anyway except the necessary one for their hobby....
I dont have enough time to even read my unread books and listen to all music...( i just finish to read an article about the mathematical impossibility to control A.I. )
Nothing beat being in love with a woman or thinking a great new idea... Keep the wine, the car, the last new amplifiers or anything else.... Is there a limit to the universe ? If there exist infinite prime numbers, how do they live? The greatest thing in life cost nothing....or few peanuts... My dog Boris say so to me....😁
If i was crafty with my hand i must confess that my hobby would had been linked to audio...Speakers design for example....I like mushroom collectors and stones geology collections or insects collections...It is my link to nature....
But the world is the kaleidoscope which reveal a different picture for each one of us...The converging of all images in the same rythmical dynamic pattern is at the same time the beginning and the end of science....This memory pattern is also a sound by the way....😊
« The most miserable man on earth is the one who has more than he can chew »- Anonymus Smith
«Any tree is the tree of knowledge»- Anonymus Smith
When Alexander the Great, admiring Diogenes volontary bareness, offered to give him whatever he wanted, Diogenes replied: do not hide the sight of the sun from me.
«Useless philosophy when you have children to feed»- Groucho Marx
I think it kind of depends. A lot of audiophiles, and I argue, the backbone of the hobby relies on tinkers. We make things. We experiment, we do things ourselves. We call the fire department and the ER knows us by name and knows whatever it is was self-induced.
And that fine American spirit of mixing experimentation, the courage of the ignorant, and fire often leads us to other pursuits.
For me, vintage audio is absolutely my thing. But, I also play and collect guitars. 2 Martin’s, 2 Taylor’s, 3 gibsons, fender, you name it. At last count, I was at 17 with a few great vintage amps. I’ve built a dedicated room that keeps the proper humidity and temp.
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