What do you care about in this hobby?

1) Sound Quality is top.

But I without the factors below, it’s not going to get purchased. 

2) cost commiserate with sound quality

3) absolute reliability - decades without failure

4) top quality build

5)  good aesthetics

6) finally while I should never need it, but service and support. 

For me, Sound Quality matters the most by a long shot. And within the category of "sound quality" some things really matter, foremost the tonal quality of the instruments and voices. I care that they feel like they have body and color and a certain thickness to them. Lean but accurate would not make me happy.

I want a nice, simple soundstage where instruments live on the horizontal plane in some realistic way (I know the mix of the album controls this to a great degree, but if it is there, I'd like to hear it). I don't care about "3-D" imaging, holographic this or that. I find that distracting, and not musical. 

I don't need components to be silent - I need them to present the music. Tape hiss is okay, and if my tube phono section has a little noise at higher volumes, that is okay with me. 

After sound quality, Reliability matters to me - I don't want my system down too many days. And I need a manufacturer who communicates well, since I am not very astute when it comes to the technical parts of the endeavor.

And after that, I want gear that lets me participate, in at least a little way, in how it sounds. I want to customize it, a little. So, I want tube gear so I can try different tubes to get that sound quality I mention above. I like analog gear that lets me try new cartridges, and new settings such as VTA and azimuth. I like setting up a new aerial for my ancient tuner. But I am incompetent at soldering or even reading electrical diagrams, so only a little participation, please.  

I am blessed with my own listening room, so how it looks doesn't matter very much to me. 

And I love that others have very different audio values. I have a friend who lives and dies by how his system images. And it is remarkable, and I am happy that it makes him happy, and I share my admiration for how carefully he has set it up. The fact that I don't need or want the same is almost irrelevant. 

David

Educating myself about everything physics of sound 

And

Enjoying my media on my system whilst leaving room for discovery.

I’ve achieved the second one fully and I’m now reasonably knowledgeable in the first but still far from even being an amateur acoustician

Basically, all the above 

Sound quality first, aesthetics 2nd. Value only matters to me when 1. I can’t afford it anymore, and 2. clearcut cases of misplaced expense - i.e. obnoxiously bad engineering / design; ostentatious chassis; misguided product philosophy. 

The others categories matter to me about ZERO. Measurements can be a curiosity & fun read, but I treat them largely as a separate pursuit, with little overlap to listening.

For service and support - keep in mind so many hifi companies are "1-man shows", or close to it. Usually, the proprietor is OLD. What do you think the landscape is going to look like in 10+ years? The only service & support you can count on is having gear with (mostly) replaceable parts that can be reasonably worked on by other technicians. That, and get some spares for the parts that are hard to replace (drivers). You DEFINITELY want your key components to be known to known reliable units. I know my Tannoys are tough as nails because I've had several "oopsie" momemts with them over 15+ years, and they've come out unscathed. 

The Mystery. It's what keeps me interested.

The physics is known but perception is not.

@mapman - how are all 8 of them for you if the first one is 'Sound Quality Only'?

If we remove the 'Only' from that, for me, it would be 'Sound Quality', 'Overall Design', and 'Aesthetics'. The others come into play as well to some extent except for 'Measurements'; don't care much about those besides seeing what will drive what. 

1. Enjoyment.....

....which happens to put sound quality on a budget at a premium.  WAF and pleasing aesthetics never hurt.  

SQ and aesthetics. 

I have an open area where my 2-channels is located. For various reasons I’ve really tried to integrate the system into living space so that it doesn’t bring too much attention to itself.

For me, it’s more than just the components, but the way in which the system contributes and interacts with the living space both acoustically and aesthetically during the day and especially in the evening.

Service/support and value (used market) should probably be much higher if I were to be completely transparent with myself, though. And enjoyment per knotscott. Enjoyment would definitely take the cake if it were one of your options. Otherwise why bother?

It was always about the MUSIC first, then the desire to have that music in a room playing as if the group was there in front of me. I grew up around a lot of stereos of all prices, so much of it wound up needing repairs after a few short years of use, RELIABILITY became paramount for me. I only use McIntosh amplifiers and I sleep very well.  

Matt M

The ability to listen to my favorite musicians, over and over again, to those performances that draw me in. Many of these musicians are gone, but the recordings allow them to live on, to my ears, and lately, to my eyes (posted recently, under music, watching a lot of YT). I use top quality ss, as I want reliability, consistency and sustainability. My best, MrD.

Sound quality is what I always listen for but there are many things that come along in determining each listeners’ personal expectations. I’d include "involving".

As for equipment: Quality, Reliability, Customer service....all these three equal "value" at all levels.

For me, musical enjoyment, which I consider to be very different from sound quality, YMMV.

@larsman true sound quality is the end goal for me then it becomes a matter of how all those other things factor in, which is where it gets really interesting.  
 

I care about measurements and quality of parts for example because they may translate into better sound.  Or do they?  Just how much do they matter?   What am I paying for exactly if I pay for better parts?   Better sound quality one would expect.   Why else bother?  
 

Aesthetics matter to me as well.  Call me shallow.    Not so much bling, more that everything looks nice and well thought out.  Especially when WAF comes into play. 

Then there is customer service.   I want it all and I want it now!  😉

How it sounds to me.  No matter how inexpensive.  One of my best sounding rooms utilizes a Reisong A10 EL34 Integrated Amp that costs me a whopping $350 including shipping.  I upgraded the tubes, and for less than $500 I have a beautiful tank build of an amp.  Sounds great with Klipsch Forte II and Heresy speakers.

Music first.

The rest will take care of itself.

#1 Enjoyment- Variety (SS,tubes,carts, swapping components in and out) at a high-sonic quality

I have enough friends.  I’m pretty much here to make enemies and disturb the peace.  I don't mean to brag but I think I've gotten pretty good at it.  

I played and composed/improvised as a teen, and having a half-assed stereo cobbled together from instrument equipment, I wanted more. So, the initial quest was getting more, better quality sonics from records. Eventually I got into the gear in the process--all ARC tubes and Quad Stats by the age of 20, and just kept moving, adding ribbons, woofer(s), changing gear. 

I was also very interested in music history, at first the delta blues, which took me to Chicago blues, the Allman Bros at the time of the Fillmore East. Over the years, as LPs started to phase out, I got more serious about buying everything I could find, but really didn't "curate" it in a quality/historical progression sense until the early aughts.

I enjoy all aspects of this hobby/pursuit, from the music and sonics to the gear and history. That I worked as a consigliere in the industry (outside counsel as a copyright lawyer based in NYC, but the practice was really multinational) didn't hurt, but there was very little overlap between the many projects I worked on and my personal interest, with a small handful of exceptions. 

Now, in my dotage, I listen to obscure jazz, favor Cecil McBee whenever I can find him on a recording and don't worry about the good/better/best thing. I run two systems- one that is my effort at state of the art and another which replicates what I ran in 1975. I enjoy both, and added digital to the mix for access to more content. 

I also like to write and research many subjects relating to the field and some of my essays are in the National Recording Registry. But the biggest gratification I get is to talk to the music makers and people behind the scenes, many of whom have left the mortal coil. 

I've been an expert witness in some notable proceedings and taught in media rights field at UT Law. So all of this is part of a big circle for me. As I age, I appreciate how ambitious I was as a youngster, and am thankful for the breaks I caught at being in the right place at the right time. 

I just care about turning it on sitting down and hitting play and relaxing. 

Reading your posts they make me 😃  . I love the banter and discussions.the experiments you do.keep up the great work as music calms the savage beast.

@mapman - I won't call you shallow because there's nothing shallow about wanting things in your living environment that please you aesthetically... 

Sound quality is far and away the most important and fun aspect to listening to music.  I can listen to any genre ( well almost) so long as the sound quality, clarity and soundstage is there. Sound quality is my personal perception not something that is measurable, 
 

Everything else are tools to get there.

Hobby?

@mopsauce Many consider it  hobby!

listening to music as hobby - Search

Part of my point is of course subjective sound quality is the thing that matters most to anyone in this club.  The question then is what else of a more objective nature is important towards achieving that goal, if anything?   I’m sure many could care less about specs, measurements, build quality including quality of parts, etc.  Personally I am a technical person, an engineer by trade for almost 40 years now.   I hear very satisfying sound at all price points.  How do you decide?   To me quality of design and build is what helps assure good sound.   But what does that mean?  Quality design is a given.   How much in material parts are needed and what will it cost me?  If it sounds good to me but measures very poorly in comparison to other products that is a big red flag. 

I like the way my stereo sounds.  I love the bloom of the bass, the separation and being able to feel  and hear the room of the recording.  I started this hobby loving the music, but as I’ve gotten deeper into it, I also enjoy the sound and synergy of the system.  Sometimes, I’m not listening as much to the music as the sound.  I definitely want my system to be reliable (60 year old McIntosh stuff…ha..all tubes…double Ha…def needs its share of attention).  I miss it so much when it’s in the shop.  So really it’s a combination of sound, synergy and music.  I know some folks will say, “it’s all about the music” - it used to be to me, but now there’s more things to appreciate.  

All of those things are important to me.   But some, like sound quality, value, parts quality, and measurements are higher on the list.  But yes they are all factors.  But I am not going to buys something that is off the charts in every category but fails in sound quality.

I am only in this because I have always loved listening to music.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  I know its working when I can listen to most anything and stay glued in place focused happily on the music for hours until I force myself to leave.  Its a state of bliss... good karma!  As such it is also a very healthy pastime.  

The question for me is always how do I decide when making my purchasing decisions towards that end.  Thats where things can start to get complicated.  The easy way out is just listen to the options and decide.  But how much must it really cost?  That’s always the thing!  I try to not stress about it too much and ruin the karma.  I am willing to pay any price for that end result, but the engineer in me says be smart about how you go about making your decisions.

What do you care about in this hobby?
 

1, Sound quality.

9, Relaxation.*

*House quiet, lights low, eyes closed and Bill Evans playing @75dbs.

Sound quality of course. Because I enjoy the technical side of this hobby as well, I almost want to split that category into sound quality and musicality. I am amazed at the technology that can deliver this level of performance in my home. Aesthetics matter to some degree, particularly with speakers. I also enjoy the endless possibilities, some day I may settle down with a system.

1. Sound quality.

9. Experimenting. 

10. Everything matters

First and foremost, the ability of the system to express the emotion of the composition and performance.  I have auditioned 7 figure systems that have accurate sound quality, but fail to express emotion and do not touch my soul, and other much less expensive systems that reproduce the composition and performance in a manner to bring a tear to my eye and fulfillment to my soul.  I recognize this is a very subjective quality but critical  IMHO.
 

The others are listed in order of importance:

• Sound quality, especially timbre. 
• High benefit/cost ratio
• Build quality and reliability 
• Excellent customer service/Dealer representation 

Design and parts quality are important but not a per se’ concern, for they are evident in the execution of the design intent during the design phase, design transfer, and manufacturing process,  and expressed  in the SQ, B/C ratio, and BQ and reliability listed above.  Measurements are of no concern other than electrical specifications for determining component compatibility.  

+1 @jsalerno277 Couldn’t have said it better.  The only important element I would like to add right behind SQ is:

- Discovering new music in a convenient easy manner.  

High quality streaming has really changed the game for me.  No more costly physical media to buy, store and discard . 

I've been into audio for decades and it all matters to me. It's a passion.

1. sound/enjoyment, it has to move me.

2. Price as it can be tided directly to #1

3. aesthetics, the other half has to approve.

4. Synergy, finding out this is very important, separate from value, money spent.

My setup is vintage, sans my streamer, so there has never been any support. Fully rebuilt my speakers, amp and pre-amp last year, hoping they last another 50 years without being touched. 

Also the itch is never scratched, have been thinking about new speakers, turntable, streamer....

Experiencing End Sound produced by an audio systems interaction with Speakers.

I have a selection of Speakers and will add to the selection increasing the options.

Additional to this I have a variety of of Analogue Sources and a Digital Source > A selection of Amp's - 3 x Phonostages (soon 4x) - A Pre Amp being commission Built to supply SS and Two Different Valve Types - Other Pre' Options - PP Valve Power Amp's - SET Valve Power Amps - A recently loaned to the System Neurochrome SS Power Amp' - ESL Speakers and different Cabinet Design Speakers.

I am not Wed to any one End Sound and there is not a End Sound I produce that is any lesser than another, when created with the permutations of audio equipment readily at hand. 

Musical Enjoyment.

Happy Listening!

They all matter to me. I really only care that I get transported to a wonderful place which includes all the factors listed in varying degrees of importance depending on where the listener takes off from. 

The question for me is always how do I decide when making my purchasing decisions towards that end.  Thats where things can start to get complicated.  The easy way out is just listen to the options and decide.  But how much must it really cost? 

It’s not so simple.

It’s common to derive value by “cost + a reasonable (subjective) markup”.  But that usually applies to higher volume larger markets with higher competition (which drives prices down).  Our high-end audio is a small niche market with much smaller quantities of the costlier components.

What’s really describes our open market is supply and demand.  Learned this in college economics, took me awhile to get curve shifting.  Could I sell an ordinary pencil for $1000? Sure, if it was chewed on by Taylor Swift (maybe not a good example, but was fun to say ;) )

Usually, we strive for sonic uptick.  Evaluating a sonic uptick then being told what it costs would be ideal - “is this sonic uptick worth $?”. We’d be saving loads of money but unfortunately this doesn’t exists.

We also don’t rate sonic upticks the same between different component classes.  I splurged on a Koetsu stone cart fearing it’s my last chance to hear a Corralstone, but I’ve plenty of carts so the money could have been spent elsewhere.

Finally, many outside our hobby would question the price/performance value of our components.  Not a need, but subjective wants.

Bottom line - we earn and spend for our enjoyment, as it should be 

1. Sound quality.  It has to sound good to me in my room with my equipment.

2. Looks.  It has to look cool and blend in with the other gear.

3. Cost.  I only buy it if I can afford it.

4. Customer Service.  More important than ever in my experience.  

With over fifty years of putting together hi and lo-fi audio recording playback systems I’ve enjoyed two distinct endeavors of this crazy hobby. The first is the research and deal making that comes with finding the proper equipment for my needs. In college it was all about getting the best speakers and a good stereo or quad receiver to drive them with. Four track recordings were a huge thing back back In the seventies where everyone had a turntable, and decent reel to reel tape deck recorders were plentiful and not that expensive. The artists and their music were far more important than the gear that played the music. 
 

 Now it seems to me that the acquisition of higher and higher end gear has defined the landscape of what used to be music enjoyment for its own sake. Yes sound quality is very important in its own right. But I can enjoy good music listening through a crappy car radio or in a dedicated listening room or home theatre. 

Sweet, reserved, delightful You. @erik_squires ?! 👀🤦‍♂️✨*BOOM!*

"E's off his meds again....*sigh*  Bring out the net and the long-sleeved canvas coat...."  

Shark glove time....😏

Oh, yeah....#'s 1 through 8....
Enjoyment primarily....making my modest investments punch above their weight....diy-ing a speaker type that I enjoy but the commercial versions are out of reach or too old and compromised to restore without factory assist.
So I'm literally rolling my own cones creating a personal variant just because I can.
It's involving, 180 out from what I've used to do.

One concept that intrigues is a line source version, just for grins....modules stacked, flipped at the top end....'bout 72" tall overall with some subs.
Thinking a sub swarm might be interesting with 4 line columns...

...not the usual bucket filler, but someone's got to do it. *L*