2. audio-clubs
  3. 183387-171875

un-becoming an audiophile

Yes, the title is what is sounds like.

I remember long ago, as a boy, I used to be able to enjoy music without picking apart a track. is the bass tight? is the midrange clear and life-like? is the treble resolution spot on? What about imaging/sound stage?

Most people have this very same superpower - not being an audiophile. They can play a song from the worst earbuds, laptop speakers, or even computer speakers - and enjoy the music; even sing along. They aren’t thinking about "how it sounds" or scrutinizing the audio quality. Actually, they couldn’t care less. They can spend their time on other life pursuits and don’t feel a need to invest big money (or much money at all) in the hi-fi hobby.

Any psychologists or scientists in the building? (please no Amir @amir_asr ) since you are neither! ...despite the word "science" being in your domain name - audio science review.

Please, I beg you. Help me get away from this hobby.

Imagine - being able to enjoy all of your favourite music - while still achieving that dopamine rush, along with serotonin, and even oxytocin - the bonding hormone, which can be released while listening to songs with deep emotional messages, or love songs.

We’re very much like food critics or chefs in a sense. We want the best of something (in this case, audio) I’m sure michelin star chefs face the same thing in their own right...can’t enoy or even eat the food unless it’s up to a certain standard.

When we audiophiles want to listen to music, we often play it on a resolving system, so as to partake in a a "high-end" listening experience. We often pick apart music and fault the audio components in our system, cables etc. All of this takes away from the experience of enjoying music as a form of art/entertainment. It has been said that some famous artists don’t even own a high-end audio system.

I gained a great deal of wisdom of from the documentary - Greek Audiophile. In it, we have audiophiles from all walks of life. Their families think they’re crazy for spending all this money on audio. They say it sounds "nice" or "real" but still can’t justify it.

I think it’s all in the brain. If we can reset our brains (or me at least) I can still enjoy music without needing a great system for it.

- Jack

 

jackhifiguy

Showing 2 responses by simonmoon

simonmoon's avatar
simonmoon
476 posts
 

@grislybutter 

I don’t think people generally who spend many 1000s a year on upgrades alone are the type concerned with thinking about the well being of strangers. But I could be wrong. When I read the comments on the post of how-do-you-stop-house-guest-from-damaging-your-speakers, I seriously thought that some of the members here are pretty scary, narcissistic and antisocial - not in a good way.

I am not sure how you came up with your hypothesis, but how would one's hobbies influence whether they have philanthropic tendencies or not?

Do you have the same hypothesis about people with  large expensive watch collations? Or people with their own wine cellars and wine collections? Or people with car collections? 

My cousin is quite rich, and has a fairly extreme high end system. He also made some pretty expensive upgrades to his system. And I know for a fact he is a very generous philanthropist. His audio hobby has no effect on his donating. 

 

simonmoon's avatar
simonmoon
476 posts
 

Not this subject again! So frustrating to me.

I am an unapologetic audiophile, yet I have none of the issues the OP mentions.

I apologize in advance if anything I say sounds condescending, but the OP contains several flaws.

First of all, it seems to imply a ’no true Scotsman’ fallacy. As if, being an audiophile negates the ability to love music first, and foremost.

When I set down to listen to music, I am fully immersed in the music. I do not sit there taking about the track. I fully am sucked in to the listening experience, not the gear. I am transported by the music.

The OP also seems to imply a false dichotomy. As if, being a music lover excludes one from being an audiophile, or vis versa. What about those of us that are both?

For at least 90% of my listening time, I completely ignore my gear. All that matters is the music.

But every once in a while, maybe an hour or two a week, I will have listening sessions where all I do is care about the gear. I listen to ’audiophile’ approved recordings, and pay attention to only how it sounds. I make changes to my system, change speaker position, move my room treatments around a bit, change a piece of gear, etc.

And you know what? That is fun too. Not as much as the time I spend just listening to music, but still fun.

The two ways of listening, and enjoying audio systems are NOT mutually exclusive.

I am sorry the OP has a ’problem’ with how the audio hobby has influenced their listing experiences, but please don’t put everyone that identifies as an audiophile in the same position.

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