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Has it all been worth it?

I recently turned 63, and I've been into all things audio since the mid 70's. In that time I've spent countless thousands of dollars chasing that damn rabbit down the hole. Solid state, vinyl, cassette, CD, tubes, big speakers, small speakers, pricy gear, cheap gear...been there, done that. Sitting here in my less than acoustically friendly office listening to a Hi-Res version of Angie by TRS this is probably the nicest stereo I've ever had. And even with my compromised hearing (bouts of tinnitus, and a stroke) I know the music sounds as good as it ever has, but yet I can't help but ask myself - has this journey all been worth it? The money, soul searching, reviews, disappointment in the review when it didn't live up to the hype, "am I missing out by not owning _____" etc. Sometimes I wish I were more like my wife who just bought a cheap shelf unit to listen to her CD's and is perfectly pleased with what she hears.

Anyone else find themself at this point sometimes?

craigvmn

Showing 3 responses by pablolie

pablolie
18 posts
 

A hobby is always a discovery journey, and there’ll be moments of joy as well as of disappointment. We’ve all been there.

I have gone the opposite way - about 4 years ago one of the components in my expensive setup had to be serviced. So I set up a system that was 20% of the cost with spares I had. I decided it sounded fantastic. When the other component came back, I didn’t bother to put it back together. I haven’t sold the more expensive system components yet, but shall do so soon.

I still care about audio, but found out I obsessed about it too much for too long. Now I just enjoy music that sounds amazing, and feel free having unburdened myself from the audiophilia nervosa that still lived on in my system.

pablolie
18 posts
 

That's why I kind of laugh it off when some audiophiles claim that the gold standard of audiophile authenticity is the live performance. 

The vast majority of concerts I have attended are hopelessly unbalanced - too loud (like you mentioned), poor room acoustics, no optimal seating position really existing in the venue... etc etc. And yes, this applies even to jazz concerts.

If I need ear plugs for something (and I have sensitive ears and often need ear plugs) it means the distortion in the live music is through the roof and in no way sets any audio standard.

Mind you, of course it's *fun* to attend and experience one's favorite artists live, which is why I continue to go. 

But that's why I remain convinced in over 95% of cases I get a far superior "audiophile" experience at home.

pablolie
18 posts
 

I should also note that I kept my first truly audiophile components, which I proudly procured as a young engineer around 1994. German speakers that cost about $5k in today’s money, and a Luxman LV integrated amp.
A few times, for fun, I have set them up and used a source with a 2010-ish edition DAC (Squeezebox Touch) to feed them... and honestly, if I had to, I could be quite happy with that. While any truly noticeable SQ improvement is awesome, the improvements have truly adhered to the law of diminishing results. At least IMO.

 

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