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An unscientific poll: How often are you happy?

What percentage of the time do you just break out in a smile and thoroughly enjoy the music *and* the sound when you fire up your system? 10%? 50%? 99%? (The other times: you hear something wrong, something lacking, needs tweaking, needs upgrading, colorations, distortions, you hear a noise, a tube might be going, not musical enough, can't suspend your disbelief the way you want to, your expectations are disappointed, it doesn't sound like you remember the dealer's system did, doesn't sound like you remember your friend's system did, you made the wrong move with the last upgrade, you doubt the money you recently spent really made a difference, the recording is too flawed, you wonder what it would sound like if you changed this or that, you enjoyed it more in the car, you question whether you've truly got your priorities in perspective, etc...) Give your %, and list the approximate $ investment you have in the system (specify new or used valuation). Mine: happy about 15% of the time, valuation around $17,000 if all bought new. Conclusions - if any - drawn later...
zaikesman
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Zaikesman, good thread! My investment,if I were to calculate store prices, is about 200k, spent in the course of the last two decades about. Satisfaction percentage is about 10%. But those 10% are pure bliss. Why so low, you may ask? Well I'm cursed with absolute pitch and am an avid concert goer. Live music is the benchmark and the goal for my efforts. A rather poor return you might think for all that dough spent. Not for me though, because there have been moments of rare rapture, which I would not miss for all the money in the world. This happens, when the mood is right, the performance musically outstanding and the system doing what it should.
gregm
3,396 posts
 
Throughout the years, I have raised my satisfaction ratio to ~50%... through self-imposed leniency rather than system performance level. As I, too, attend many live performances, my pure expectations from a home system (mine is ~60k) had been inordinately high with an inversly proportional satisfaction/ music enjoyment rating...

BUT:
On the one hand, I cannot hear all the music and performers I want live and on the other, I NEED to enjoy the music at home, too -- and get away, get transported... what have you. Hence, the Pavlov trick: it works as a catalyst, keeping sonic considerations from putting too much of a damper on my enjoyment of the music. Cheers!
jdwek
84 posts
 
Well thought out posts and it always bugs me when my two cents have already been mentioned by Craig and Beemer.
Still, here goes...I do have trouble finding music taht really wows me. I have gotten a bunch of music from other people's posts and these have varied for me along the lines of Beemer's posts. I wonder if it is part of a transition to listening and audiophilism (nice word huh) that we accept that we may buy alot mediocre stuff to get to the stuff.
As an addition to Craig's zenlike post, I would that in a way my stereo gets the brunt of my moods. It makes me happier when I am sad, relaxed when I am tense and adds to my happiness when I have enough brains to realize my good fortunes.
Now having said all that are there any audiophiles in the san diego area who want to go disk shopping?
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Greg, I envy you for your percentage, oh Wise One, myself , I suppose I've become a grumpy old curmudgeon. To wit:

JD, as a brother in arms as far as Spectral is concerned, I am rather curious in your case about the two factors this thread is about and which you did not touch upon sufficiently clearly, as far as my understanding of them goes: How much did you spend on your stereo and to what percentage are you happy with it. Without that input, your post seems to me a tad off topic. Regards,
jdwek
84 posts
 
Detlof, yes you are right. I didn't read the original post closely since I am at work and can only do this for short bursts. My apologies but I try to fit in a response when I can.
My rig runs about 40k and I since I have never added it up before it kind of shocks me. It was all used otherwise I would probably have to have a good stiff drink round about now.
I would say happy 80% overall. Truthfully my hearing is not as acute as many others here and I have trouble hearing what many others hear obviously can hear. So I still go with Craig on this one. It is my own performance that is not so good and that is probably worth most of the above missing 20%.
JD
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