Taking audio too seriously?

Unsound - then make sure you and your runners have their sneakers Cryo'ed ;)

it is common knowledge in the publishing industry that people exagerate income bracket,occupation, proffessional title,spending habits, etc. when filling out surveys and questionaires. ironically when the magazine is a 'lifestyle or hobby mag' high times, better homes and gardens, shape, stereophile, etc..........

Heres the reality. Sound is physics, pure and simple. There is no magic. If there is something that your knowledge of phyiscs can't explain then go learn more physics. I am an audio consultant that works with everything from high end listeming rooms to perfoming art centers and everything in between. When I hear flowery audio language, I hear a lack of physics knowledge or someone trying to sell me something. With out comparing to the original master recording or the original performance, realistic is a relative term. Your listening space will never be Carnegie Hall or Royal Albert Music Hall. Conversely most commercial reinforcement systems are not as musical as a good private system. So stop worrying about it and start enjoying the music.

there is no reason to take "audio" seriously when there is such a gap between the sound of unamplified instruments in real space and the performance of most stereo systems.

I know a lot of people use hobbies to different purposes, but my quest has always been to keep my hobbies pure enjoyment, no stress. When I golf, I have a good time - I may shoot well, I may shoot poorly. If I feel like going to the range, I do it - if I don't feel like it, I don't. It's not a quest - it's enjoyment and pleasure.

Music and audio are the same way - I do whatever is fun and interesting. I'm not on a specific quest, and if I ever find myself on a specific quest, it will be with the strict understanding that I could change my mind / direction at any time.

Audio doesn't seem any weirder to me than any other hobbyist / purist pursuit. I never think about how much I do or don't spend on it as part of my budget, or what else it could have bought me, or compare it to how much somebody else spent on their equipment. It's just something that is fun to play around with.

I'll admit, though, that I wonder about the people who invented the green pens, etc. - there must have been a moment where they said, "Whoa, I think I just heard something after I marked up that CD. I think I'll sell green pens and see who buys them."