Some people actively participate but rarely if ever start a thread.

Most times, I get a poor response. 
Discussions by noromance | Audiogon Discussion Forum

Yeah, you never know, and generally speaking, discussions now are not what they used to be ten or even fewer years ago, let alone twenty years. You used to ask a question about some tube or cable and there would be many posts and opinions.

Still, I don't pay much attention to it, when I have a question or simply think that there might be an interesting discussion, I start a thread.

They don't want to get "flamed"?

And others probably should refrain from starting threads...

Just sayin.....

Forum participation and the majority of their ad buys & sells in other audio forums….think inter alia:

CANUCKAUDIOMART in Canada,

USAUDIOMART in the USA,

PINK FISH MEDIA - AUDIO in the UK.

When I really ramped up this hobby in 2019 or so, I started many threads, most of them trying to get at questions for which easy information would be hard to find -- for example, "Is there something special about low efficiency speakers and higher powered amplifiers?" or, "My outlets are reversed in my listening space -- is that dangerous for equipment." Etc. The discussions which have ensued from many of my threads have been so informed that I’ve saved many of them as PDFs into a library of files on various topics in audio.

I do a fair amount of diy/modding, my experiences not applicable or of interest to most. Also, after many decades in this hobby my curiosity has waned. Between gathered knowledge and direct experience I've answered nearly all the questions I ever asked.

For me, same reason I like editing something that already exists than to start with a blank page.... 

Some members may be more active on other forums or facebook, i suppose

I primarily come here to check classifieds.

Some are happy enough with their system(s) as-is, no longer searching or less so, yet don't mind trying to help others when they can, is another reason perhaps.     

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fgjq7rzqjeb2b1.png

DeKay

fair question…i guess i’m happy enough drafting into a podium finish…. but the music / audiophile world is not well described by a mostly word format… just posting a picture here is a royal pita… i’ve managed to build / engage in a circle of people to text, chat with, exchange media and importantly listen together….globally… blessed i suppose… please do try to get on the list…that i might earn a place at your table of knowledge and experience / passion for music 

doors lead to other doors

I just came back to Audiogon after a being gone for a few years. Its a completely different website than it used to be. Like most of the other audio sites, its been overrun by people that hate the concept of high end audio and post for no other reason than to ruin the experience for everyone else. I used to be very active on Audiogon buying, selling and in the discussion forums. I haven't even bothered to look at the classifieds yet. 

Most of my questions can be answered via the search function.

I will when I have a question to pose to the forum that wasn’t already answered.

I've found that threads I've started that ask for something specific are pretty well responded to and answered. But ones that are more opinion based or ask for feedback on a certain component inevitably devolve into pissing contests. 

Speaking for myself, I have had a 50+ year career in the mines of audio retail, and have been an active hobbyist as well, but never wealthy, so my experiences are of little interest to the big spenders on this site.  Furthermore my hearing is no longer laboratory grade, so my opinions about sound are no longer empirical.  Add to that, my digital audio knowledge is rudimentary at best.  So I comment where I have something to contribute, and that’s it.

I think that's fine!! We all have our own way of participating.  I mean, really, do you want EVERYONE starting a thread?  :D

@inna  Here's another question along the same vein.  Many members participate a lot, and yet, have not added their virtual system.  Why Not?   

Me included. Why yes not why not ? But I did mention my system many times when appropriate.

1) When is it appropriate to just add to an existing discussion vs. taking up bandwidth to start and entirely new conversation? I do not know. I have one idea about close-field listening. Not sure how well that will go over. Is it too controversial?

2) Relevance. For example, how many people are interested in the low end? Bargain components that stand up to the high end? There is some controversy for you.

I would like to see a whole category here for just low price bargain components. And there are entire groups of people collecting / buying vintage on eBay. How about a category for that? Maybe they do not come to the ethereal grounds of A-gon.

Personally, I am not interested in low end. But what would we call low end? Audiophile value is not found in low end, good stuff does cost.

Vintage can be interesting, though I would have nothing or next to nothing to contribute, except asking some questions perhaps.

In any case, I don't view Audiogon forum as a free consulting service, I see it as a place where audiophiles and those who might want to become audiophiles communicate more or less freely and discuss various relevant subjects from sometimes different angles.

"doors lead to other doors" . That's intriguing.

@noromance ....🤷‍♂️...it’s hard in a land of SAS....there’s all too much happening at once everywhere all the time....I could relate to the movie...:

@erik_squires ...No, abstotootely no.... (see above)....

@bigtwin My ’virtual system’ doesn’t exist yet... I could post notes ’n sketches, but then ’your computer and all it’s peripherals will ignite in 15 seconds....

Good Luck!" *click*

I could post my real one...lots less damage, except to some synapse fry... YRWV
I’m been doing some clean ’n sort & spiffing....

Get a gander at my grip on the gallery gogglers.... ;)

I enjoy being here and tolerated somewhat for my version of sortaSOTA, if it’s mine alone to enjoy. Spouse likes what it all can sound like when times available to really light it up.

Besides, it keeps me out of other troubles that don’t need to be brought along.

...besides, there’s all this great noises to hear.... ;)

Good question and Congrats on starting a new thread.  I’ve started a couple and the responses have been great.  Encourage others to do the same if they haven’t already.  Positive and interesting threads are the lifeblood of online chats IMO. 

Most of my questions can be answered via the search function.

Bless you. There's so much here already. I've argued it should be organized into some kind of archive but that won't make any money...

I've found that threads I've started that ask for something specific are pretty well responded to and answered. But ones that are more opinion based or ask for feedback on a certain component inevitably devolve into pissing contests. 

I've found that too. It only takes one monkey to start a food fight.

I have one idea about close-field listening. Not sure how well that will go over. Is it too controversial?

I'd find this interesting. The heart of the hobby for me is how people listen and set up their rooms and gear.

I would like to see a whole category here for just low price bargain components

Me too. This would give a good boost to the hobby because younger people are, by and large, the future and do not have a lot of disposable income. Your idea is what Steven Stone and others have hit upon. See:
https://pmamagazine.org/?s=steven+stone

@asvjerry  Interesting video Jerry.  Kudos to you.  

I have not started any threads or opened any discussions for All of the Reasons Listed Above.

+1 @sns  

I for one start threads to get answers to problems. Here I can get honest answers from people who for the most part don’t have anything to gain. And vice versa,  I try to answer questions that others have.  

@bigtwin ...I find prog trance nice to put on and putter about with....no vocals, just 'tone poems' of a sort....."a slave to the rhythm.....", as it is...*S*

@hilde45 ... Yes, a forum on bargain basement buys on 'oldies but goodies' is a capital concept to foment around here.  SOTA stuff is great to look at, but beyond the grasp of many who wander about here, much less get the chance to listen to.  I've been pushing my personal envelope with this, that, and the other for so long that it'll take a Lotto win to change my 'daily drivers' beyond where it stands at present....which would only result in updating what exists now anyway.... *G*

I peek 'n poke the sites for 'the next new/old thing' if only to keep a handle on what might surface of interest....new of late is mostly that which allows to torque up my game with the items at hand....

Since I diy, 3D printing of enclosures is a fascination of late. One can print augmented wood fiber filaments in shapes that a wood butcher can only lust after and the characteristics of which could take speaker enclosures into sculptures with an acoustical grounding....

Besides, 'we' as a group have this grounding of vintage and 'not quite yet' equipment that would allow the newbies and the financially challenged to dip their ears into the sonic sphere properly....

Hopefully without brush-fire forum debates over 'proper' and/or pricing.... ;)

Hang 'round here long enough, one finds more tangents to a given item under consideration than there's course corrections to a multi-planet space probe..

But, overall, imh we're a great batch of digital denizens to dote about with....and I've learned when to keep my digits off the keys when the pond gets deeper down for this driver diver.... 😏😎

It's nice out today....Time to take the dog out to the dog park and watch Coco outrun the lesser K9's.... (Boykin Spaniel rescue...27 lbs. of sheer velocity....*L*)

I have access to many knowledgeable people, including repair technicians and builders of gear, so I don't have many specific questions about problems that I need to ask here.  As for equipment recommendations, I don't go along with something like "consensus" opinion, so I don't ask--I try to audition anything I am interested in and go entirely with my own assessment.

But, I do enjoy the discussions here, and I do learn a lot by reading what a lot of people say here about a wide range of subjects.  I also try to add my own knowledge and opinions on various subjects, but I hope no one "relies" on my opinions but i do hope they at least consider them.   

@inna 

Yeah, you never know, and generally speaking, discussions now are not what they used to be ten or even fewer years ago, let alone twenty years. You used to ask a question about some tube or cable and there would be many posts and opinions.

I guess some newcomers aren't aware of how to search past threads, so they end up asking questions that have already been posed many times over. Perhaps this has the effect of causing some long-time participants to lose interest? 

To state the obvious, it's only natural that all posts won't be relevant for everyone. For example, I don't have a dedicated room, so posts that flatly assert that attempting to improve sonics without treating the room are a waste of time and energy aren't very useful to me. And the fact that I haven't found this assertion to be true doesn't make such posts any more relevant.  

Over time, I've compiled a list of guys who I've found to be knowledgeable, patient and happy to offer suggestions. At this point, I'm more inclined to PM them, directly if I'm trying to solve a particular problem. 

Because a lot of people respond with great knowledge and they don't have any interest in seeking knowledge from others so they never create threads.

Yeah, when I recently asked to recommend $3500 used speakers, there were probably one hundred brands mentioned, I didn't count. But no "consensus opinion". Am I going to audition those one hundred brands before choosing ? Of course not, and it would be totally unrealistic. Sometimes, people just talk. I expected it in that thread and took it accordingly. It's like a small talk, which is fine.

I too am over the hill. I have been reading this site for less than 2 years. So do not know how splendid it all was. The low end market is not to be avoided. This is how we got to entry level in the first place. To encourage young and money-less folk to avoid the errors we all made, so many years ago. We cannot tell these "excluded* folk they need SS monoblocks, and a valve pre amp. My kit is still under the value of $10,000. But as we all know, ask me again this time next year! The whole reason I am here is; I really do want a pair of mono blocks and a valve pre amp.

It is not a new thread, but I had to respond.

IAN.

Consider tube mono blocks as well ! Sorry, I never said it. You would need lots of tubes, and the heat..forget about it.

I agree that talking about low audiophile end can be beneficial to the beginners.

I can find most of the answers I need in threads that have already been started...but I do enjoy participating in other threads from time to time

P.S. I do not have a TT, and I never will. What a waste of money. That is how I feel.

You see, I did not have a relitavely comfortable lifestyle, where I could accumalate all my property from birth to death. Some of us wandered and lost the things we cherished. The Hi-Fi I now have, started just 20 years ago. Now I'm retired and no longer threatend with eviction.  I watched from the other side of the street, as all my possessions were loaded into a dump truck. You cannot take for granted that we all had it so good. And that is why I donate my unwanted kit to a charity.

Now you know something about me.

IAN.

Get it in gear folks before we run out of new things to talk about. 

I don’t mind posting a specific thread topic but I am well aware one can go so far south the penguins listening wonder what is wrong.

Case in point. I have a current thread on advice on how to set up outside for a store anniversary and asked for advice. I will not name the responder but the name says it all.

"Keep the speakers behind the bar so the drunks don’t wreck them and elevate"

I responded LOL its a daytime cannabis dispensary event. Look out for the stoners or such comes back.

I’ll let the crowd judge whose group looses control first. In any event simply someone trying to be Debbie Downer. Giving them too much attention even now.

@inna Congratulations on starting a new thread.

Maybe identifying some of the reason why people start a new thread, then apply some "reverse engineering" might add a little clarity?

First the question: "What’s in it for me?" There is A reason (or reasons) why someone begins a new thread.

Possible scenarios:

A deep curiosity related to a subject with a geniune intent to do a deep(er) dive into the subject.

An entrepreneural spirit where one enjoys contemplating original thought(s) and wants to share them. "I have this idea. What do YOU think?"

Actually "owning" a topic, rather than being a mere participant

Establish (or reestablish) "SGR" (Smartest Guy in the Room) status. "You think you’re pretty knowledgable on this subject? My concept can beat up your concept."

Serving humanity. Presenting a solution to a problem that seems to be unresolved to help others.

Ads for my new thread introductions. "Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should."

So, now we take all the above and invert it 180 degrees out of phase and we understand those who don’t start new threads?

Thanks for the (new) topic. Fun read.