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Retired audiophile?

Maybe it comes with age. Fatigue with upgrades. Wisdom and satisfaction with the material world - acceptance of the audio system and a return to enjoyment of music without audio analysis - acceptance of deteriorating hearing and the resultant judgement that "what's the use" in the pursuit better fidelity - more restricted finances of retirement.. a feeling of "done for now" or forever. (Unless something brakes down) After improving and "investing" in my rig for over 30 years, I've come to the realization that I have little interest in the latest/greatest. "Tweaking" has little or no monetarily corresponding reward.
I'll still peruse the web, but the magazine subscriptions have elapsed and I don't miss the self-congratulatory reviews and commentary.
I suspect I'm not alone on this although the Audiogon community by it's very nature, is active in the hobby. Other retired audiophiles out there?
128x128papermill
papermill's avatar
papermill OP
80 posts
 
Zd,
Honestly, money is certainly always part of the equation . When isn't it? However, the last two years have been transformative in terms of equipment. Digital front end (Esoteric K-03) amp (BorderPatrol P21) and speakers (Volti Alura) have all been upgraded along with cabling. So the level of performance and investment has become very satisfying. I have the good fortune of having a friend who is an audio reviewer, and so I have been able to hear multiple high end systems through the years. My ear and heart are educated. My contentment then, is real.
Jayant,
I frequently tell my audio buddies that I am a committed luddite when it comes to new technology. I was recently forced to source digital (CD, iTunes, TIDAL) while I solved an analog problem. Although I enjoyed revisiting music in my library, I continue to prefer vinyl. New technology? Not so much: source - vinyl, preamp - tubed, amp - tubed 300b, speaker - horn hybrid. Done artfully, old technology is my preference.
Do I continue to consider myself an audiophile by its varied definitions? Yes. Retired.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
I wasn't being completely serious in my last post. By the way, who's the reviewer you know?
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I seem to be some kind of outlier. I'm 85, retired 15 years, still buying open reel tapes, vinyl, and SACDs/CDs, still investing in new gear (most recently an Oppo 105 with ModWright tube mods), currently comparing balanced interconnects between this unit and my Aesthetix Calypso linestage. Twenty-nine tubes in the system and I have massive quantities of records, tapes, CDs/SACDs and even 78s. Yeah, I can afford this and and am extremely grateful that I can. Downsides: my hearing sucks and my heavy lifting days are long gone. Upsides: plenty of time to indulge all this and my interest hasn't flagged in the slightest. Another major upside is having a group of audiobuddies of like mind who visit frequently (as I do them) and a wife who encourages all this nonsense.
papermill's avatar
papermill OP
80 posts
 
Dopogue,
Glad to know you and I'm sure many others who in the retirement years, continue to be active in our hobby!
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,742 posts
 
Dopogue: I was in the operations control room today at work. We were discussing playback media formats including vinyl, 8 track, cassette, etc.
Several youngsters (25-35 YO) had never even heard of open-reel tape recorders!
I must say, it felt a little like the Twilight Zone.

I'm glad to hear you're still interested in music and audio.
I'm 62 and still have adequate hearing (thank the Lord).
Audio has certainly come a long way since the 50's and I'm glad to be a part of it!
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