Swinfrey, that is a very cool answer in that it makes alot of sense, well-spoken! |
I agree with Hbarrel's post as well, very well put! I am taking a hard look at what I'm trying to do and staying with a good simple system, I must conclude as well, is the ticket to get focused on the music, not the gear. |
The merry-go-round is exactly what an audiophile needs to finally come to the conclusion, you need off. As an audiophile I would of never rested or been satisfied without trying different products. In my search I have at times wound up with an inferior system, only to go back to some of the pieces I used to own. It is tough to find that magical synergy match between different brands of components but not impossible. The wealth of information I now posess from the merry-go-round has made it much easier for me now to choose the correct components and be much happier. |
Excellent words from Detlof. Admiration for an audiophile that has truely removed himself from the "merry-go-round" and has rediscovered his music, well done! We can all feel good to know that this is possible. For those members who have accomplished this same feat, the forums are still here for you to stay connected to your fellow audiophiles & friends. |
As a counselor I just want to add one more thing. There are some audiophiles that have an intense addiction to this hobby as an alchoholic would have to a drink. One of the obvious solutions to this problem is to avoid a drink as well as other alchoholics or in this case avoid anything to do with this hobby including the discussion, buying/selling of audio gear, & other audiophiles which in some rare cases is necessary. For those of us that are not as compulsive, this is an enjoyable hobby sharing the same common denominator, the love of music. I have tried many different components all giving me a thrill but never had too much problem selling and thus, no big loss. Audiogon is meant to be a media in which audiophiles can stay connected as well as means to buy & sell. This works for most of us but there are some that have it bad. I would like to say that I love all audiophiles who are interested in this hobby but keep it real. |
Some members have suggested there needs to be a psychiatrist on Audiogon available for some audiophiles. This hobby can get insane! I say " Why suffer with insanity--Enjoy it! |
Dgplo, yes you can find your power cord on the merry-go-round. Congradulations on your accomplishments |
Hi Dgplo, yes i knew you were being sarcastic but so was I with my post. |
Nrchy, I like your answer but I voluntary jumped, then I was quickly retrieved! |
Nrchy, definately the yo yo effect! I wonder if a mad scientist working out of a laboratory qualifies as scientific? |
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Whoaru99, how true! Price don't dictate a cable's compatability in ones system. |
There it is folks, if you don't hear the definitive shimmer, your doomed to spend eternity on the merry-go-round. And I thought it was just a compulsive disorder. Boy, I'm starting to feel better about myself already. |
Cdc, thats very well said. I think there are alot of other excellent statements above & by the way things look on Agon, many are taking this advice. |
Mrtennis, a table top radio? How about an IPOD? |
Detlof, yes some of us have been in this thread for the past 15 months. With your permission & others, I would like to leave and go home now! |
It feels good to be back, I feel more rested. Bruce30, Merry-go-rounds can be fun but not when someone is standing by collecting large amounts of cash at every turn! |
Blackwillard, I think it is true that 99% of the world don't care about this hobby. But approximately the remaining 1% that do care are audiophiles (audiophiles represent a small segement of society). I would also agree there are far more important things in life including family but for an audiophile, a healthy balance between the two is a very good thing. It is when this balance tips towards compulsive behavior & out-of-control spending that leads to more serious consequences, thus the reason this thread exists for some.
Anyway I'm sure there are is an audible difference between a $50,000 system and one that costs $5,000 but the law of dimenishing returns do apply at a certain price point. If given $5,000 to work with, I could come up with a very enjoyable & satisfying system. |
Emailists, you have brought up a good point in regards to the satisfaction of owning tube gear. I wish you would start a thread tube vs solid state & changing gear. I would post there. |
The ultimate merry-go-round is life, living on this planet we call earth that spins on its axes and there is only one exit, I don't have to mention what that is. Given that if being an audiophile means having to entirely give up this hobby then I'm on the merry-go-round ride indefinately. Yes we are in a recession and we all survived the recession of the 80's and we will weather this storm now. It is normal for the economy to rise and fall over a period of time. I have great hope that are current leaders will move the economy in a positive direction.
During these tougher times we can tighten our belts and hold onto what we have till things improve. In the meantime enjoy your music. Music is and will always be a media that can be enjoyed by all peoples regardless of background. |
Cdc, I like your plot theory! It places the blame squarely on the manufacturer & not the user. I think if you become too critical of your system you need to also look at the quality of the recording because even the most expensive systems cannot make every recording sound good. In fact such a system is more likely to reveal the flaws. My preference is a system that will sound good with all types of music. |
In summary, sometimes you feel like a nut & sometimes you don't. Please don't say I can no longer be taken seriously. |
Detlof, I don't know how but I missed your analogy of a spiral. Your right, the merry go round does sound indfinite. I think you can spiral up as well as down. I definately want a ticket to the spiral! When your done with that, how about a ticket to a state of the art roller coaster. You get on, you will have your ups and downs however when its over & all things being equal, you get off & that is a trick in itself. I think its important to to keep a sense of humor & reflect back to how ridicously as audipohiles we sound sometimes, at least to non-audiophiles. One thing I don't like is a snobby audiophile & you sir are not one of them. I can always appreciate a good transaction but some of my favorite people (friends) have left audiogon & moved on with their life but I still make an effort to stay in contact however I have managed to find a heathy balance. |
Cdc, I'm afraid the counselor is now caught up in the merry-go-round. As soon he is ok we will sign you up! You already know how addictive this has become. |
Rx8man, I agree, Drubin gets alot of credit for this intertesting thread. The fact that it has lasted near 11 years has reliably documented that we all sometime or another have been on this merry-go-round. |
Tbg, I agree, the merry-go-round is enjoyable as long as it isn't ruining you finacially. I never had the problem myself as I have sold and purchased many items on A'Gon. I think it is critical for some audiophiles to be able to sell their current gear to buy their next purchase. For others who have the desposible income anyway, more power to you. |
Pubul57, you just made the definitive statement, just listen to the music if you can. If you check my feedback, I have not had a transaction here on Audiogon since November of last year and that has been a milestone for myself but there are no absolute guarantees. I have a modest but enjoyable system and have reconnected to my music. I'm now down to just experimenting with different interconnects for the best possible sound and there are two large bags of interconnects to choose from, left over from a peak period of time that has passed but a tell-tale sign that there has been a great deal of passion towards this hobby. |
Tbg, I'm not suggesting that buying better gear is a bad thing but as Jmcgrogan2 pointed out, the main theme of this thread is to solicit ideas on how to remove yourself from the merry-go-round, it's contradictive to make posts otherwise.
One must recognize the fact that the pusuit of the perfect system has hurt some audiophiles in many ways where others have used sound judgement.
I can offer an example. Sometime ago I responded to an ad on audiogon via the sellers phone number. I called him and we briefly talked about the condition of the preamp and its sonics. He then told me that he would not be around to ship it. I asked why and he responded that he wanted to kill himself because the wife and kids just left because of his audio hobby. I must of been on the phone with him for an hour. I finally got him to go see his father who was the closest relative. |
Pubul57, thanks for you question. You already know that this thread is followed by a great deal of people in the USA and most of the free world since it is kept current by recent posts. You have already reached celebrity status including TBG as well as Drubin for starting this thread. There are folks riding on every word as if its playing out like a soap opera. Maybe you never thought of it that way. I can't give out too much information, maybe someone in Saipan is just waiting on a social security number. I'm relucant to share too much info on the internet but if you read back I have mentioned my occupation.
TBG, its ok, your not being singled out because you spoke your mind. You are acting as if you feel guilty because you choose to ride. There is no shame in it since I mentioned earlier there are resposible people involved in this hobby. Just because I'm satisfied with what I have doesn't mean that I myself am pulling away from this hobby. It means that I will be investing in more music as that is what really matters to me now. |
Mrtennis, good one, I think you have spoken from the heart as your statement is consistant with most all of your posts. Well done!
Cdc, I have done just that and my room of choice was the bathroom. Just rig it to start playing music everytime you flush the toilet, you will reach a rational decision. |
I'm afraid that I am the bearer of horrible news. Pubul57 has passed away. I just recently learned of this via a thread started 4/18/12 under the category of "best of" in the Audiogon forums. He has been a active member of this audio community for quite sometime as well as this thread. He will be sorely missed! |
Isochronism, I don't think Pubul57 was on the merry go round to that degree anyway, mostly active in the forums. Case in point, I believe this thread was one of the last he participated in.
As far as getting off the merry-go-round, we all will eventually take that big leap one way or another. |
By participating on this thread you already have admitted that the audio merry-go-round does exist for many however as mentioned above many do enjoy the ride. Why is it that Audiophiles are on a Merry-go-round while other people involved in other hobbies are just indulging in their interests and doing something constructive? |
Drubin, I think you have earned a victory with this thread and it's quite possible others who have participated here must feel some sense of victory as well.
I can give an example of why I feel my above comment might hold some truth. A friend and myself go into a local HIFI shop. He spends only two hundred dollars on a used Hafler amp and I have spent a great deal more money on an another piece a gear. The owner tells him that he is very smart because there are not too many people that are sensible when it comes to spending on audio. Basically it was just another way of calling me stupid. I suppose there is some criticism on other hobbies but I'm not hearing it. |
