@jacobsdad2000 Schtick? Man to each his own. Look we are all men who say what they want and do what they want. I might not like your comments but you have a right to say them. If I get tired of you or what you are saying I just don’t comment on your post or don’t read them or respond. Best wishes take care.
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH HATE FOR THE HIGH END GEAR ON AUDIO GEAR?
It seems like when I see comments on high end gear there is a lot of negativity. I have been an audiophile for the last 20 years. Honestly, if you know how to choose gear and match gear a lot of the high end gear is just better. When it comes to price people can charge what they want for what they create. If you don’t want it. Don’t pay for it. Look if you are blessed to afford the best bear and you can get it. It can be very sonically pleasing. Then do it. Now if you are also smart and knowledgeable you can get high end sound at mid-fi prices then do it. It’s the beauty of our our hobby. To build a system that competes with the better more expensive sounding systems out there. THOUGHTS?
Showing 50 responses by calvinj
Look everyone I posted this because this particular subject over the years is something I see repeatedly. Dissing of high end gear. The rest of us ignorant for paying the prices. The snarky comments about the gear. The snarky comments about you discussing their snarky comments about your gear. The thing that surprises me is that most haven’t heard a lot of high end gear. They haven’t lived with it for months or years. They are annoyed by it. They don’t get it properly matched in their systems if they have heard it. Most don’t have systems resolving enough to tell the differences. They don’t understands the depths that people go to to create the gear. To get the low noise floors. To maximize the gear performance. It’s a lot that goes into cables and components to make things happen. |
@ghdprentice i agree 100%. The crazy part is they wanna tell you how to spend your money. Also, if you spend X$ you are an idiot for doing so. I chose my gear carefully. Yes it’s expensive. But I believe in the science and engineering of how my electronics and speakers were made. Are they expensive yes but I research and listened to these items and I’m sold on the sonics enough to be happy for a very long time. |
@lalitk wow I didn’t know you owned WBF and that you can make me not say what I wanna say. Didn’t know that at all wow. All in fun man don’t take this that serious. |
@coralkong @mitch2 i guess I should be surprised by the snarky comments. If you will tell a guy how to spend his money on gear. You will also have the nerve to tell him when, where and how he can say what he wants to say. The most annoying part is that it comes from a place of stereo knowledge superiority complex. It’s a new sickness that I have diagnosed most that speak this way with. STEREO KNOWLEDGE SUPERIORITY COMPLEX! |
@coralkong yes I see it’s serious. Must be when you are telling someone that posting in caps will get them violated. Lol |
@mahler123 I posted this because I was reading some of the comments about the gear. I see the snarky comments that happen I just wonder why. I wanted to know what people think. Look we all can say what we want and post what we want. I might not like something you post or say but I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I just don’t do that. Period. |
@csmgolf ok! There you go! I’m not riled up at all. Pretty much expect it at this point. I’m not the problem or a problem at all. I just wonder how a simple post like this one leads grown men to tell other grown men what to do. What to think and who they are. I posted this because I wonder about it. I’m not triggered at all. I got my system. It’s sounds great and I’m happy. Take care. Sorry about being so defensive. Lol. Anyway. Take care. Anyway. Everyone enjoy your systems and just ignore my posts if you don’t like them. |
@jacobsdad2000 not being abrasive at all. Man look. We all get to talk about what we like want or things that we ponder. This particular thing I see come up quite often so I’m just seeing how people feel or what they think about it. Not being abrasive at all. Just saying why do a lot of guys think they have the right to tell me or anyone else what to post or how to post or what subject to post on. |
@cmsgolf I met you a few years ago in person . I have actually bought smthg from you. You ought to know I’m not going to tell you what to do or post. You are not going to tell me what to do or post. That’s just how the world works. Not trying to be abrasive or anything. We have our opinions etc. But I’m not going to be mad at you over an Audiogon post. Doesn’t make any sense. Anyway. Take care. |
@mitch2 add it on my bill. It’s cool. Lol. Anyway I get what you are saying. Take care |
@mitch2 there in lies the problem. They take it way too seriously. They make themselves experts in technology, science , hearing and finance all in one degree ! |
@mitch2 @coralkong i agree with both of you. I see that hate because some people either are A. Jealous or B. Think we are idiots and they know more in a nutshell. Like when they say cables don’t make a difference. I’ve seen them take a system from blah to really good if done properly. |
@lalitk i would do it if I wanted to. We are all grown men. Come on let’s keep it real. We are all 50 and above. Grown men don’t tell other grown me what to do. But anyway. |
@coralkong exactly. I had a great conversation with our cable maker on how he chooses materials, shielding, connectors etc. Keeping outside noise out. Limiting things that can affect and change sound negatively and it all makes sense. But you can’t have that conversation with them. It turns into a measurement argument. Then they tell you. You can’t hear. When it’s actually them that can’t hear. Lol |
@nonoise great take on it all. We all have our opinions about this all. At the end of the day. We all purchase what we want. Have our opinions and express them in any way we feel like. There are those that think it’s ok to,post this. There are those that don’t. The truth of the matter is that most of us will never hear each others systems. Most of us will never do any business together or even talk to each other in person outside of these forums. Most of us are so strong willed about how we feel that we wouldn’t listen to each other anyway. I see posts all the time that I don’t like or agree with and I pass them up. To each his own mind and opinion. This is only audio. A hobby we all should enjoy. But like I said before I would never tell you or anyone what to post or how to post. Not my place. |
@mitch2 maybe Im projecting. That’s possible as well. But look we all have our opinions about what we see and feel and I’m ok with all of it. At the end of the day it’s a forum. People talk and have opinions and I will mostly leave it at that. Not searching for an argument. Also I haven’t complained about the feedback at all. The only thing I complain about ever is anyone telling anyone else what they can post or not post. The rest I’m ok with. |
@coralkong i guess it is serious business you are 100% right. I’m argumentive. I’m projecting and I’m supposed to get my posts approved by certain folks. Interesting. Anyway it is what it is. |
@jacobsdad2000 i saw that article before and I agree with most of it. When I go to audio shows the prices for gear are all over the place. There is a segment of the population that can afford the gear. There is also less of a middle class now. In addition to that the music sometimes becomes secondary. I listen to a lot of fast quit hitting jazz that I want to sound live. Some people have taste that don’t require that and don’t need gear to the level of what I have. We all have different goals in audio and sometimes just a warm relaxing full sound will do. Some of us have taken it to extremes. But reading the article he makes several great points about affordability, need, accessibility and the actual music. When I demo tracks I know the artists, when it was made and the story behind it. That makes the music more enjoyable to me. Also I can’t stand the same track that we ALWAYS LISTEN AT THESE SHOWS! |
@hilde45 i agree with you on that I come from very humble beginnings. Built my law firm starting with $1500 I’m in my 21st year of business. I definitely understand. The cost of some items to some people are just not how they see the world and money. I can respect that. |
@hilde45 at first I said I would never now I am! Lol. Definitely understand |
@audioman58 definitely understand that part. I got into this by happenstance. You learn a lot through your experiences. We all have different levels of those experiences. I met a guy Dave Baskin some years ago. A dealer in Whithouse, Texas. He had a speaker bucket list and he was a high end dealer. He was dying with ALS and he built him a home listening theater cottage. Behind his main house. Amazing place. Had 600k worth of Audio in there. That’s when I realized long ago. This audio is only to be enjoyed once we die it gets sold and they move on. He passed away 9 years ago but I got to hear the best stuff on some of my long visits. We all have different experiences. I’m going to send mines enjoying this not arguing with people. |
@tony1954 people can tell us what to post and then we we so no way they say we are nasty. Look the internet allows us to use our fingers and thumbs with reckless abandon. |
@curiousjim you are spot on my man! |
@knock1 i see a lot this. I’m not trying to ring the ants out but somehow I always manage too. |
Yes I do go to what’s best forum sometimes. They are less judgmental on the higher end equipment. I own a 35k Infigo DAC that is state of the art. Hans Looman actually worked with the inventor of the Ess Sabre Dac chip itself. So he knows how to get the best out of it. There is a lot of engineering that goes into the higher end gear that people dismiss. However the important part is how it’s sounds. Most people don’t have equipment that is even resolving enough to even hear the differences in sound. Like have extremely low noise floors, greater soundstage width and depth. Extreme detail retrieval and increased dynamic range. There are levels to this and when you get to hear them you see why some people are willing to pay a premium for that you are their experience. It’s kind of funny on Audiogon you get them calling you crazy for spending. Then on what’s best there can be a sense of uppityness at times where they think they can say whatever they want without push back. Sometimes their systems are their identity. |
@heretobuy +1 I agree |
@mahgister i researched the hell out of every component speaker and sub in my system using the knowledge that I gained in this hobby over the years. For example my Gato speakers were designed by a former senior designer at gamut. I researched them to the hilt. Say that they were similar to a speaker twice the cost. Realized he designed that speaker for another company as well I ordered it. 9 years later still my reference. My amps and Dac have design elements that have zero noise floor and implement design elements to provide power and limit distortion at every turn. I was the ear for the cabling that we use at the company. So even though the system is expensive I just didn’t pick stuff because it was expensive but it met the design and performance elements that I sought. I have room challenges so it needed to perform in my conditions and it does that well. It’s not about what you spend. Design, performance, environments, personal tastes and equipment matching are all important. Truth of the matter is some of the higher end equipment build quality and design lows it to achieve things sonically that most other equipment just can’t reach. However you can still get pleasing sound out of a well put together system without spending a crazy amount of money. |
@rcm1203 i agree. I go to WBF and because the guys there spend more I literally had a guy that was in here and there tell me what I wouldn’t do or say they there. It just wreaked of uppityness there. One of the most knowledgeable audiophiles I know has a modest system that just sounds amazing. He is happy and enjoys it. That’s all it should be about in the first place. |
@riccitone the beauty of this hobby is that we build a system and try to get premium performance sometimes without paying premium price. You wanna maximize your dollar and performance. My speakers for instance perform well with the higher priced gear that I have but I bought them because if the research I did and they fit my tastes. There will always be trade offs and tastes preferences. |
@mteetank great post. I’m laughing 😂! At the end of the day. I enjoy my system and the music. Music is the soundtrack to life. |
@campoly a few years ago I left the forums because of the snarky comments about high end gear. I didn’t put a lot of stock in the peoples comments but when trying to discuss it on forums it devolved into personal attacks or people are idiots to spend a lot of money on gear. People think I’m trolling because if this post and others. The reason why I post on this topic because it went back to the reason I left in the first place. I used to have great conversation about gear, systems and tweaks as I grew in the hobby as was able to afford the higher priced gear. Then when I discussed higher priced gear on Audiogon in particular. I saw the snide comments. I don’t care about the comments but it would destroy the reasonable legitimate conversation and listening experiences of the folks that were interested. I’m more agitated that it destroyed serious discourse and conversation more than anything. |
@audioman58 love your post. Truth! |
@firstonetallguy and our wives will go and spend 2,3,4,5 hundred or more on a purse and justify it. |
@dekay reading the reply is exactly why I made the post and how people make legitimate post personal or they turn it into it being about selling smthg etc. I left audiogon a few years ago because of this reason. I’m posting about it because I wonder. Take care. |
@kairosman i agree with you as well. I have seen the negativity rise again and again. I left audiogon a few years ago because of the the rudeness. The nastiness that has nothing to do with the question I asked. It becomes personal real quick. No worries I will not be posting in this subject again. But reading some of the responses. Learned a lot about different audiophiles. Their thought processes. Which ones that I care to have discourse with. Which ones I don’t. People that don’t know you and your journey and how they will make assumptions about you and why you post. The crazy part is most of us are are 40,50,60,70 years old and don’t understand how to interact with grown men and women who are in our hobby. Learned a whole lot. There are those who I enjoy talking to. Then there are those who take it personal. If you reading this and you got a problem with what I post. Do what I do. Keep scrolling. Be happy! |
@cdc simply because someone said I could and shouldn’t. I will not do it again but I had some interesting responses. Anyway. THIS IS AMERICA! |
@knock1 music is. I do this for the music. When people try to say I do it to sell gear I get agitated because it’s disrespectful to me and the music. Lol. I enjoy listening as much as I can. When I retire 3-4 hours a day minimum. Lol |
@bob540 all great points. I started in the hobby as a hobbyist. I actually sell gear now but I enjoy the music more than anything else. I looked at some of the responses and some of them are on the nasty side. I’m ok with that and I’m not complaining about that. Those that have nasty comments about or think I’m schilling or just trolling I don’t want anything to do with. I’m past all of that. I’m going to be happy and enjoy the wonderful system I have been blessed with. |
@asctim perfect post. We look at this stuff and put too much into it at times. In life there are way more important things. |
@mahgister im sound obsessed. Every little detail. Soundstage depth width air realness of instruments decay etc. not afraid to admit it. |
@mahgister i been blessed. I have worked my way into my setup in various ways. I’m blessed. But I don’t only look at price. Im picky. Technology used is important. Design elements is important. The importance of low noise floor with musicality. I found this in INFIGO AND GATO |