How do you get Happy as an Audiophile?
There’s an interesting, relatively modern take on mental health called Positive Psychology. While not without it’s faults and detractors, PP has a very interesting approach. Instead of asking questions on the axis of illness and diagnosis PP asks questions on the scale of happiness:
What is it that makes you more or less content with your life and in your pursuits? How can these actions, events or states be codified and applied as general principles?
In the spirit of PP then I ask:
How do you get happy? What advice would you give an audiophile that asks "What is satisfying about being an audiophile, and what are the approaches that get me there? Do you personally know the answers for yourself? "
I’m not going to dissuade anyone from being a fanboy/girl of their favorite brands, but can we make these into generalized principles of our hobby? Was it really buying brand X that made you happy, or was it fulfilling certain needs, and if so, what were those needs? If a new audiophile reads this, are you saying if they don't buy cable y or speaker z they won't be happy?? |
I know a lot of older folks like me that are struggling with significant health issues that hamper their being able to do basic things and go places. Seeing this has given me a new-found appreciation for my health and mobility. Yes, I enjoy the music, but I enjoy even more the knowledge that at any moment I can stop listening and go outside, drive my car and get just what I want for lunch (rather than someone’s forced choice that is all I can choose. At older ages, health and the freedom to go and do as I please are the greatest happiness. |
I’m going to start answering my own question now that others have chimed in. For me, DIY was important. I got to make exactly what I wanted. It’s like cooking your own meal. I find I am 100 times less critical of my own speakers than I am of anything I'd buy. Not forcing you to go this route, just explaining my own path. Giving up on cables. I found pure silver wiring from Parts Connexion that was loads better than basic, and yet good enough. I make my own. Room acoustics. I found that a lot of the reasons I wanted to keep changing speakers were not solvable by new speakers but by having room acoustics that helped me see through my room. Giving up on imaging. It’s not that I don’t care about imaging, but given a preference I prefer hearing the acoustic recording space, and smooth tonal accuracy over being able to feel musicians in my room, or attempting to place each violinist. These items are often in conflict and I made my choices. This is also related to giving up on cables. I found too often I was giving up musical experience for imaging. Kind of related to all of this is I gave up on mining for details. There’s always some piece of gear that accentuates a different band of music than what I own, and for the moment it feels like I would "rediscover" my music all over again if I switched, when all I’m doing is switching one set of highlights for another. |
@erik_squires Good OP and interesting last response! +1 on the room acoustics point. I've found that some of the greatest improvements in overall satisfaction come from having friends who've ignored treating their rooms take a few basic steps to control side wall and floor reflections and experiment a bit with speaker and seating position combinations. Going in a different direction, my happiness JUMPS when I share unknown music with friends and it brings a smile to their face. Jaws drop, followed by "I have to get that recording". Cheers, Spencer |
