Why Don't More People Love Audio?

My system is barely high end by most of your standards. But I'm getting there! I've heard the awesome realism in salons, and know what I want! I am an audiophile, after all. But I have friends who come to my house, and we set around and drink while I play my stereo for our enjoyment. They love coming by to hear good music! So I ask, why don't you have a stereo? You make as much as me? Excuses already mentioned, "I've got kids", "the wife wouldn't allow it", "why should I when I can come here once a week?".

I think it's kind of like Radio. They came out with XM and Serious radio, better radio! Digital quality with no commercials! But people just didn't want it, they grew up thinking that music should be free! Or at least cheap. Even I refuse to subscribe, I'm happy with my analog FM tuner that runs for free.

Lots of people do enjoy good stereo! But they just don't love it enough to pay for it. Simple as that. When people ask what I paid for this or that, they always suck wind and whistle, or call me crazy. Even though they go out of their way to come to my house to listen, they wouldn't dream of spending their own money to hear it. I would never spent several thousand dollars to have a painting from a known artist hang in my house, few people would. Kind of the same thing, it's all in a persn's priorities. Few of us find good music important enough to part with the money, regardless of what your system costs. I recall at the salon a pair of B&K mono amps driving some Vandersteens with a Sota table, well under $10K, and it was amazing! Sure there are more expensive systems that sound even better, but it was very competent. I guess we should be happy that there are enough of us to have an industry at all! Recall back in the 50's, hi fi systems were home made! With amps scavenged out of old consoles and plywood horns, steel needles dragging around in lacquer platters, that has grown into quite the industry has it not?

I recall a letter to Stereophile, way back when they were a small paperback book format. A reader claimed he owned some 24,000 records! And according to him, this made him the ultimate audiophile, and anyone with less than 10,000 albums should not be allowed to voice an opinion. They printed his letter, with no rebuttals. I was flabbergasted! That anyone could have such a snobbish attitude about stereo! I did the math, and it would be impossible for him to listen to even half of his records in his whole life. If he played 10 albums a night, every night without fail, and never played the same one twice, it would take nearly 7 years! While my measly collection consisted of around 500 at that time, I thought to myself, if you owned but one album that you truly enjoyed, that moved your soul, then you had a right to own a nice system to hear it on! Now maybe one album is an exaggeration, but you get my point. My collection swelled to nearly a thousand, at one time, but I took all the ones that I didn't like and sold them, spent the money on more gear! Perhaps that makes me a gear head? Talking about the different kinds of Audiophiles, I do think there are ones who are more about their collection, and others who are more about the gear, even though they do go hand in hand.

I do like some classical, a little jazz, but am a rock fan most of all, and have been to hundreds of rock concerts. And believe me, no one wants to reproduce a rock concert! Very few that I would ever say sounded good. But! When I am critically listening to my music I am hearing the studio venue, and a good recording from a good engineer can take me to that place. That I feel like I was in that room where the music was recorded, in the studio with those musicians. And being a musician, I know what that sounds like. And perhaps therein lies the difference between regular people and audiophiles? Do normal people analyze music? Do they critically listen for those minute details?

Especially when young people are in the room, I will ask them, "Do you know what instrument that is?", "What instrument is making that sound?", and I am often amazed that they have no idea! They aren't even listening. They are singing along to the words, but are paying no attention to the actual music at all. And I also see that is an issue with modern pop music, it's all about the style and personality of the singer, and their accompaniment is a Casio keyboard. If Audiophilia is on the decline, perhaps it's partially due to the fact that modern music does not benefit from a good system? Perhaps if youngsters were exposed to better music then it would increase their interest in better reproduction? When I say youngster, I'm referring to those under 30, younger than me, let's say.

That's very true Mapman, very true indeed. I just don't see why one should preclude the other. In other words, I may actually listen to more hours of music with my humble collection than he who owns more records than he could ever listen to. I have noticed that my frequent listening stack of records, about 20 to 30 albums I keep to the front, hasn't changed all that much. While half of them my be newer albums, or old gems I am revisiting, the other half are old favorites that I find myself reaching for again and again. A true classic never gets old.

And thanks Phd, I wish I could have been a reviewer!