So often I find myself resenting the fact that there are only so many hours to listen to HiFi
That's why they invented whole house audio. I have systems all around the house of various types and brands using the DTS Play-Fi ecosystem, works for me:
Who has the Sickness, the Phile or the Non-phile?
So often I find myself resenting the fact that there are only so many hours to listen to HiFi and I think of those that don't hold this resentment.
I used to think anyone who wasn't obsessive simply lacked exposure, but even though I have introduced many, I have discovered no takers.
At audiophile club meeting it seems to me that the attendees are mostly gear-heads and posers; they say "Ooo & Ahhhh" to anything presented and you can see 1 or 2, maybe 3 in the seats nonchalantly looking over in the direction of the ooo-ers and Ahhh-ers; those few get it. And before anyone is defensive because they know, lashes out that I'm this or that....I don't care. These are obviously my opinions and I'm looking for the opinions of others On The Question At Hand and not whether or not I am a deluded self important snob.
So, if it is not a lack of exposure, is it a lack of ability?
Surely we are all different, short, tall, smart, obtuse, near sighted, far sighted. Are the ears and or the brains of an audiophile just wired differently than others? Can non audiophiles just not hear what we hear?
Was it childhood exposure that caused this difference in wiring? My father had Altec Voice of the Theater horns and the accompanying gear. Was that it, being exposed to HIFi during brain development? My daughter gets it and boy was she pissed when I sold my VPI TT. I never got along with my father, but was he responsible for my affliction by introducing me to superior sound as an infant?
And, who are the sick ones, the philes or the non-philes?
TD
Showing 25 responses by kota1
It made me realize that being an audiophile is relatively rare. I understand, as 2 channel music hasn't changed in over 70 years. It started out as 3 channel, went to two channel and got stuck. The stalwarts will dig in and defend the beach but that war was basically lost after CD sales imploded. Welcome to the next level of "audiophile" where you have a screen in addition to your speakers. You system will playback both music and movies and check out the growth in the US:
and the global market? Fuhgeddaboudit:
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First, there is no "war." Tell that to Virgin Record stores or Sam Goodies, wiped out and a distant memory of nostalgia:
Tell that to the brick and mortar "high end" audio stores, remember those? Who won the war you ask? Custom installation companies of "smart homes" where they not only will install a home theater, they’ll put kit in every room and you can just tell the system what to play (yes, I actually can do this)
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Elvis has left the building audiophiles, if you want to know where he went click the link below: https://www.mixonline.com/tag/dolby-atmos
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I appreciate the reply, you are an excellent wordsmith and yes, I may have been a bit dramatic :). Going back to the OP, I believe the "phile" has the sickness because both the demographics and technology of audio reproduction has changed. Investing heavily in a two channel system is a waste when compared to investing in a high end home theater and a smart home. Both the sales data I posted and the link to mixonline data (above Elvis) shows this is the direction that both the consumers and the producers of todays media content are going. 😎
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Personally I’m much to simplified / lazy at this point in life at tackling such a project but that’s just me. It’s not just you, this is why "philes" are sometimes infected with OCD. You spend and chase that last 10% in pursuit of ___________ (fill in the blank). @mahgister has hit the bullseye IMO, music + acoustic. Even the most hardcore, spendaholic philes seldom convert their beautiful listening rooms to a soundstage/recording studio type setup (like I did🔊, see the pics in my system page). Enter the home theater market. Multiple in wall/on wall/satellite speakers and receivers with built in DSP for the lazy among us that want everything, now, on a budget. If I were single and living in a 1 BR apartment today would I drop $30K plus on a "stereo". LOL. But I wouldn’t blink dropping $10K for a Sony HT A9 Home Theater sytem with one of their BR players, TV’s and receivers. Is it as good as an audiophile chrome mountain of gear and sound cannons, no. Is it "good enough"? See what Andrew Robinson says. BTW. I chose Sony in this example because they coinvented the CD. the SACD and DSD. They have a music label and a movie studio. They generally have a finger in all of the media we consume on both the production and consumption sides. For the cheap and lazy among us, its a great soilution. If you still live with your parents or in a dorm get their Signature Headphone stack. Andrew Robinson 6:10 mark "traditional stereo setups, they can't touch this"
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I assume you mean as an wholesaler, otherwise, ... what a strange thing to say. Look, I suppose a lot of money is all relative. If you have a lot of LP’s, a great TT then spend what you need to git er done in an analog system. But if you are going digital Moore’s law is real. You don’t need chrome mountains and sound cannons at $$$$ prices when you can get an active all in one speaker system (with built in room correction) for a fraction of what you would spend just 5 years ago. Darko- The Future of HiFi Is Here: For home theater see the Sony video I posted above.
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The Sony HT I posted doesn't use a CC because it images so good, not needed. "Surround sound is so last decade- what you really want is 360-degree audio" Sony HT-A9 review, Tech Radar: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/sony-ht-a9
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All this is not industrially fabricated music, but music created in a TRADITION , cultural and musical tradition... Right now my favorite genre of music IS industrially fabricated in the TRADITION of the tribes of Africa mostly in the Zulu language... Amapiano music. Thankfully I can get mixes of it on Mixcloud, hit play, and be taken on a journey of rhythm, heart, spirit, it is magical. Here is a mix, enjoy: https://www.mixcloud.com/DJRobbiez/soul-ii-soul-vol25/
The above set was mixed by a woman, see: I have the pleasure and honour to introduce you to DJ Jean Karungi, the first female DJ in this series. Jean is an Ugandan Based DJ who started mixing professionally in 2021. Since this time she has played in bars and at events. A lover of music in all its forms but particularly drawn to amapiano, afro house and EDM. Her sets are always a reflection of her eclectic taste and an assured vibe for a good time.
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Look, another acousti-file joined the club! Sometimes, the music that is being played becomes secondary. This could be some kind of an ancient phenomena, because there is so many types of music the value of which is not given by beauty or intellectual content, and they have only an acoustical effect. |
@tonydennison Sure, (you can also find playlists on spotify, etc if you search amapiano) Kelvin Momo: Gabba Cannal: Kabza De Small
FYI: DRAKE IS A KELVIN MOMO FANIn two separate private messages, Drake praised Momo’s talent and told him he listens to his music. “You my friend…are from another planet. [I] Listen to you like a religious experience,” – Drake said in a private message sent to the musician. Sharing the screenshot, Kelvin Momo wrote: “Waking up to such, speechless! Jokes aside, getting a direct message from Drake means a lot. I don’t even know what to say, but I am f**ken grateful man.” Drake’s messages come a month after Momo released his 26-track album titled Amukelani.
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