Why do folks spend more on electronics than on speakers?

I think for the almost all audiophiles, whether they admit it or not, it is a matter of logistics and retail therapy. Audiophiles buy equipment because they like to buy equipment. It’s retail therapy for them. Just the simple act of something new is a psychological reward. Come on, admit it, you all know this is true.

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i cannot contradict this analysis...

I dont suffer of this "buying and plug" pleasure disease it is the reason why it takes me a long time to determine (without being able to listen to them ) the rightful piece of gear...I could not  take the risk of frustration and loose money after buying...

Once these choices  was done i FORGOT the gear, and focus my attention to their mechanical, electrical and acoustical performance ....

I had never thought seriously about this "retail therapy" or obsession for products and successive upgrade at this view angle, i thought that it was only ignorance, or laziness, or the fact that few people dont own a dedicated room ,which is for me the greatest asset ,but effectively if an audio system is not acoustically optimized in his room, there cannot be always a great musical satisfaction because  will focus theior attention  always on the sound defects or too many defects... Then upgrading and the pleasure to buy something play a role...This change the body place sickness...

Then buying give to the brain his reward , but this question "why" is a mix of many factors not only "retail therapy" but you make a point....

There is only two way the brain release the "rewarding chemicals" at the end : buying a new piece of gear, a new tweaks, or buying new music...

Then we must solve the three embeddings control problem, mechanical, electrical and acoustical,  if not, what i call the upgrade obsession or " the retail therapy" will replace the acoustic optimization process...

And the acoustic optimization process ask for a "method" not for the accidental addition of external "tweaks" even if some works....I dont doubt it much because i replicate many at low costs... 😁😊

Most tweaks though  are minor modifications compared to the acoustic and psycho-acoustic method...Sometimes very interesting and low cost yes...

But tweaks are not a method of listening nor an acoustic method...

Because they like electronics more than speakers?

It is not false...

But it is not true completely ... Most love speakers too... 😁😊

But they hate the time they must need to give  learning  acoustic to control the system/speakers room...

Time is the last thing people want to give ...They prefer "buy and plug" with nothing to study...For some money is not a problem at all... The more rich you are the more busy you are also....Acoustic is not simple matter to understand...it was easy for me because i am retired...

I dont speak about purchasing costly acoustic panels here... 😁😊 Anybody can do that... But it is not enough for me ....

here is some perspective 40 years professional experience

speakers determine the overall level of what you can acchieve

the electronics and source will derive what the speakers are capable of

great speakers can not compensate for difficiencies elsewhere

long story short the electronics preserve the integrity of the signal the better you feed the speakers the better the sound from those loudspeakers

All you said is perfectly right...

But it lack the essential: no speaker beat their room...

For the speaker to work at his potential peak qualitative level the room must be not only treated in a classical sense but mechanically controlled to serve the needs of the speakers acoustically and to serve also the listener psycho-acoustically ( Schroeder frequency for example must be adressed and many other problems) ...

Then the room acoustic is the last and more important tool...

It is not my opinion it is Helmholtz teachings...He never sold anything but he was the father of modern acoustic and psycho-acoustic science...

He sell something in fact few people want to buy: science but more than that necessary listening experiments very costly in time more than in money though...But time is more precious than money, it is a too higher price to pay for most alas!

But the truth is there...

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@mulveling

+1

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Why do some spend more on electronics and speakers than on their ROOM ACOUSTIC?

I dont speak of money only here , i speak more of tuning TIME....

The same people spend more money on upgrades than time in tuning their room...

For sure all people dont have a dedicated room, but this will not change the truth : acoustic matter more...

Focus on electronic is the reflection of consumerism market conditioning... Reviewer need to sell you something... Acoustic will teach you something...

We dont listen to a piece of gear alone but to a system +room...

It is acoustic and psycho-acoustic which will explain to you what is a SOUND and how to control it in a room...

Not the owner manual of your dac, speakers or amplifier...

Why idolizing gear price and ignore the essential : acoustic...

My 500 bucks system is a proof of what science claim: acoustic explain sound not electronic...

The Egyptian and the Greek learned how to control sound in a room before the invention of the gramophone... Even before Helmholtz...

😁😊

I know for sure that this truth about acoustic can be an inconvenient one ..... Especially for those who has spend big money....And for those who like with passion  with good reason for sure their excellent gear...

Even for them acoustic matter more...