Head-Fi can be so hardcore

I was going through the IER Z1R thread on HF and the lengths some people go to to squeeze every last bit of sound (pun intended) out of their stuff make my eyes water.

To each their own but it seems like some (many?) people use music to listen to their gear, and I wonder if they even enjoy music or is it just something to justify their investments...  https://routerlogin.uno/ 

OTOH, reading that thread does make me wonder if I'm underutilizing mine, now I have to guard myself against bad financial decisions...

i got this.....

I am a very young dude with 72 years of experience...In the beginning of my journey, my audio system was so much not satisfying that i look to some albums particularly well recorded one only  to be able to enjoy music a bit...

I used for many years my music as a testing ground for my speakers/room because i learned hor to tune it incrementally ...  I listen to the "sound" then as much as i listened to music...

Now coming from a very good dedicated speakers/room at thend of the process  back to headphone by the fate ( asmaller house with no audio room for me)  and lucky enough to enjoy a fully optimized Akg K340 hybrid  headphone ( it takes me 6 months to optimize it)  i listen music and bother no more with sound and acoustic, not because my actual system is perfect , it is not, but because it seems perfect to me...

When music only is visible with your eyes, open or closed, and there is no sound, but only feeling, the audio system is near perfect for you....

In the meantime i learned enough about acoustic to be able to forgot it now....

I just listen Junko Onishi, a jazz pianist,  seeing her behind me playing with the other musicians in front of me...I forgot that it was just "sound"...

By the way, BEWARE, of those who will make you believe thats it is the money invested that gives you a "perfect" audio system, it is false and illusory and costly; it is basic acoustic knowledge and wise purchase that give me the "perfect" audio system... Anyway learning is more fun than just spending...my system cost is ridiculous : 600 bucks... Improving it will cost 15,000 bucks nothing less... But i did not bother to do it even if i could...

Forgot reviewers and read about acoustic...

Interesting thread.  If I can weigh in here about Head-Fi and headphone enthusiasts.

First, headphones have not yet seen the drastic and unprecedented rise in prices seen in speaker-based systems.  The most expensive, at least regular production models, run around $6K.  Try that on for size on speakers alone.  I remember when I first became involved with audio systems in the early 1980s.  I also remember when I thought an Infinity IRS system costing $50K was outlandish.  I just saw a pair of $1.1 million speakers for sale used for $432K here on Audiogon.

Second, I agree that headphones have made more inroads into the younger generations.  Maybe not the most expensive tier but just witness the number of younger folks listening to headphones, perhaps to drown out all the destructive noise in our society.

Third, I am probably guilty of riding the incessant merry-go-round of sonic improvements where equipment is most important and music merely test software.  It really is all about the music and whenever I enter that realm I am much more happy and relaxed than when I am obsessed with sonic upgrades.

Thank you.

My friend is a headphone hardware vendor. He tells me that the excitement in the headphone market is like the 2-channel market in the 1970's. More people can afford the gear.

I have sold a lot of gear on Head-fi, Audiogon, and USAM. By far the youngest demographic were the Head-fi sales.

I never wanted to go back to headphone ( i lost my room ) but headphone are economical and give a better S.Q. / low price ratio than speakers...

Especially better than  speakers of any price in a non dedicated room or a living room ... 😊

And no young audiophile can afford highly cost speakers systems... headphone can cost nothing...

Magnepan speakers for example in a bad room are less interesting than good headphone... Especially my TOP headphone...

I will never go back to dedicated room /speakers...