that's a great looking rack.
The frames on the wall are crooked, fix them before the boss sees it :)
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
- ...
- 216 posts total
listening to live music we enjoy is indeed useful in informing many of us what that really sounds like -- and helps ground our expectations for what our hifi’s should deliver... but just be careful to understand that much ’live’ music is being amplified before the audience hears it... so what you are hearing is also reproduced music in a sense (and arguably, rather poorly replayed, just alot louder...) perhaps it is partly joking, or just snippy commentary many of us are prone to at times, but some people seems to glom onto the negative connotations of being an audiophile... you can take any positive pursuit too far and have it enter negative territory... this is true for some many of the luxuries in life |
@ghdprentice : It appears that what you have me be more of an obsession than a hobby....not that there's anything wrong with that! |
Audiophiliacs suffer the same fate as "fine dining" experts in that, in the pursuit of some imagined perfection they limit themselves to experiencing all that life has too offer. One reason why people found Anthony Bourdain so relatable that the guy ate anything and everything. He knew what a good steak and fine wine would taste like in a Michelin rated restaurant and enjoy the culinary delights that street food offers the human spirit. I admire audiophiles who enjoy the music first and the equipment and recording quality follow. |
- 216 posts total