Hi-Fi and the Folly of Perfection

As mentioned or alluded to above, we have the ability to mitigate desire and/or enjoy the process. As they say, perfection is the enemy of the good.

@jengelmann

I have also crossed into the stage of less critical listening and more enjoyable listening.

That elusive peace of mind probably what we’re all looking for.

I have read here of people who say that their system is ’good enough’ and that after a period of some years they no longer actively seek ’upgrades’.

That elusive feeling of being content with your system must also bring with it a sense of considerable relief.

In my own case I’d say that I’m 80% there and that I’d probably be happy to stop at 90 before things get stupidly difficult and expensive.

Barring a major, seismic technological advance, that’s as far as I’m liable to get anytime soon.

Unfortunately for me, even at this theoretical 80%, I can still regularly hear things wrong with my system. These are mainly audible in the time domain, particularly in the midbass when the music gets ’busy’.

Strangely enough, I don’t have any of these niggling problems with my car system whilst I’m driving.

Perhaps the driving itself is enough of a distraction in itself?

In the same way you might not worry about a lack of height/ too much height/ lack of hair/ too much hair/ being too young/ too old/ overweight/ underweight etc etc when you’re in good company.

Perhaps it’s because during those relatively carefree periods one’s mental landscape is temporarily transformed into a pleasant place to inhabit?

Or maybe it’s simply that’s just because my car system is relatively unambitious. It has no pretensions of sounding ’lifelike’ in scale and depth, and certainly none of any real world bass, but then again it also has no timing issues either.

Paul Gambaccini still sounds reassuringly like the Paul Gambaccini that I’m familiar with on Radio 2s Pick of the Pops.

I often find myself obsessing over visual symmetry rather than sound.  Things like, "Is the toe-in on both my speakers identical?", or "It looks as if that left speaker might be an inch farther away from my seating position that the right one.".  I am a sick person!

@danoroo 

You're not the only one.

Just yesterday whilst doing the late Christmas shop I was telling my daughter just how much the rippled label on the honey jar was bothering me.

Unfortunately all of the jars had labels with that same rippled effect.

Now it could have been the intensity of the last minute shop and hoping that you can get everything essential on the list or it could have been a joke.

Or maybe I'm a little sick too.

Anyway, a couple of hours of listening to Christmas compilations seems to have helped with psychological readaptation.

For now.

@cd318  I understand completely.  Since I've been afflicted with audiophilia, me seeing wall art that is anything but perfectly level, is akin to having a severe itch at a place you just can't quite reach. :-)