Some people are more into the music. Some are more into the gear.
Hi-Fi and the Folly of Perfection
I wonder whether at a certain point the pursuit of absolute hi-fi is in danger of blending into a folly of perfection. As I sit listening to my--frankly madly expensive-- set up, my enjoyment of the music I should be listening to becomes plagued with doubts - should I shift my chair a few inches left or right to get a better focus on the stereo image? Should I toe the speakers in a little more? Should I move my wife closer to the corner of the room to improve bass response?
I sometimes philosophize that the audiophile bug is a special--pleasantly harmless--form of nostalgia; a thankfully less embarrassing analogue of the hankering certain middle-aged men have for absurdly inappropriate sports cars, motorbikes, or even second wives. . . .
I would illustrate what I mean with a personal story. The summer before I went off to university in 1982, I bought my first "system," an Amstrad 8080 stereo tuner and cassette player with detachable speakers that cost me about £30 from my local Woolworth:
This was the system I discovered music on; discovered my own musical tastes, and I suppose it's what set me on the path to where I am today with a set-up whose speaker wires could buy me fifteen or more Amstrads.
I know that, without question, the sound I hear coming from my speakers today is "better" in all sorts of ways than what I heard back in the 80's. But I do, in my more self-analytic moments, wonder if "better" is, well, better. How much is one's endless quest for audio perfection (a quest I adore and wouldn't give up for anything) actually a quest to listen again with the ears of that young man diligently respooling mangles cassettes with a pencil and a lot of patience?
I wonder if anyone else indulges in such lugubrious ruminations?
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- 25 posts total
@grauerbar good post! Probably the desire to go back to these golden moments of the past gets transformed into some people‘s audiophile journey. Covering the inability to get back there with an ongoing quest to improve, which is naturally futile. There was a New Yorker cartoon with a guy reaching a mountaintop. The guru sitting there says something like „What? No, I‘m just here for the view.“ I like that a lot. There is only now. And striving for complete bliss is as pointless as time travel to a former self. Both are possible to a certain degree only and we have to deal with it. And for me the best way of dealing with it is to accept that this is ok, that desire does not fulfill me and to keep away from distractions. |
@sns Our journey and listening experiences seemed shared. I have also crossed into the stage of less critical listening and more enjoyable listening. Occasionally still listen critically and contemplate upgrades to address the minor improvements that could improve sound quality in specific areas. However, satisfied with what I hear. |
- 25 posts total