2. misc-audio
  3. 1183859668

System psychology, or just psyched out?

After reading through these forums a bit, listening to what some people have to say about their systems and given my own experience, I have noticed something of a pattern:
People generally like their systems.

Now my question would be is this for psychological reasons, or purely objective?

What I mean is, after we buy something and own it we usually become comfortable and accepting of it which may affect our judgement of it. We become accustomed to and familiar to our systems, and regard it dearly and would not wish to part with it... We have a pride of ownership.

For example, I met a guy in the hi-fi shop who said he loved his Totem Mani-II speakers, but that when he first heard them he wasn't really overly impressed by them, they were simply the best he could afford. But now, he loves them and is completely satisfied with their sound. I know that speakers need to be broken in and played in your usual listening environment for a satisfactory audition, but I also think that other psychological factors like pride of ownership, familiarity and comfort with the product, etcetera, play a role in the level of enjoyment and opinion of the sound.

Now don't mock me here, but my RCA home theater in a box system along with my Bose Acoustic Wave music System(you know, the big stereo box) gives me great enjoyment when listening to music. Playing CD's from my cheap $40 Cyberhome DVD player, the sound has good, not great soundstaging and depth along with decent, good stereo imaging. Also the sound is pretty clear, certainly not the best earth challenging sonics, but still nice. I actually think my system costing just over 300 bucks, 1500 if you count the Bose, which I guess you must although I got it for free from my uncle, he owns a pawn shop, sounds better than the 20, 50, 80, 100 thousand dollar rigs I hear at Audio Lab, my Hi-end shop. Don't get me wrong, I know there's better sound out there, and I want to upgrade which is why I go there(Audio Lab), but I do enjoy my modest setup immensely.

So what's the deal? You think if people heard their own system blindfolded they would be so thrilled, or does the fact that they own it influence their views... and ears?

Oh well, just a thought I had about systems and speakers, what about you?
audio_obsessed_novic

Showing 2 responses by jax2

jax2
3,031 posts
 
If you are enjoying your modest system immensely, by all means, keep on doing so. You're the one who matters where that particular decision is concerned.

Is it psychological? Heck, yeah! We don't really "need" any of this stuff. Without it, we'd still survive. Your desire and preference for any of it is certainly psychological. You're the one making all this crap mean something...and what it means to you is not necessarily what it means to anyone else. We all do that, it's part of being a human being.

Is your system "better" or equal to a 10-20-100K system? Well, you say it is to you...what more do you need? Why ask any of us? First off, we haven't heard your system, and more importantly, what we believe really should have no bearing on how you perceive the world. Of course, you could certainly choose to make it have some bearing on how you perceive things...and that's psychological too. Do you want to do that? I'd guess you'll find the majority of the folks who actually take the time to post on a list like this one probably don't share your perceptions. Better yet, repeat after me: I do not want what I have not got.

I'm happy for you, because, as has been pointed out, if you really find your modest system as rewarding as you say (and I have no reason to doubt that you do), you'll save yourself a whole lot of money, as well as tedious obsessions that take up time which you could otherwise be spending actually listening to and enjoying music.

Marco
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I don't think I missed your point at all, as far as your further clarification of it has illuminated. What I am missing, and perhaps you can help me here, is your motivation for asking the question of a bunch of folks who most likely have entirely different perceptions. I'm just speculating there, because, as far as I know, no one else here has heard both your own system in your own room, and those in your dealer's room. I'd still hazard a guess that the majority of others hear may disagree, certainly on only a verbal description of the components involved (and certainly psychology has everything to do with that since we're all humans). My point is that this stuff is all entirely subjective (psychological, if you want to call it that) and it really is only you that should matter to you in the end. You have nailed the mechanism at play. Bravo. What is so difficult to grasp there? You do seem to be argumentative to me, or at least looking for an argument, because you seem to belabor the same point (beating a dead horse, if you will). You'll get no argument from me that psychology is strongly at play here, and I'd ad that it is far more complex than we can begin to say and as different as our fingerprints in each of us. I can't tell you what your opinions should be, nor can anyone else here; you form them on your own, and for infinitely complex reasons.

So I do try to be consistent and objective, definitely impartial, to say the least.

Where you will get an argument from me is applying the term "objective" to any of your personal observations, no matter how hard you "try". It is not possible. If it is filtered through you, IMO, it becomes a subjective observation. You can use the term "objective" when you start talking about numbers and curves and graphs spit out by machines. As far as I'm concerned, those "objective observations" (by machines) of this gear are only a point of departure, and I would choose to depart and move a vast distance away from them as they've never proven to mean much where real-world (subjective) listening comes into play. In fact, some of the components I like best, SET amps for instance, don't look that great on paper in "objective" terms, but they sure sound great to me when set up well with synergistic components.

For what little it may be worth, I've never been really wowed by impressions at a dealer showroom, either. I've been to some pretty high-end showrooms too. I have been very impressed by other's systems in their homes, most of which were thoughtfully and carefully assembled over many years from some of the very same components I've heard in some of those showrooms. But again, that's all subjective. Your "good, bad, better, best" is entirely different from my "good, bad, better, best." Neither are right or wrong, they're just opinions. Of course psychology is involved, we are humans and not machines. Really, what is your point?

Marco
More to discover