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AVForums Super Veteran
I've loved music for just about as long as I can remember and it has resulted in my amassing an extensive collection of music crossing just about all genres and styles with the exception of rap/ hip-hop etc. Music to my taste can invoke calm, excitement, melancholy, longing, escape and memories so real it is as if you were reliving an event. I love hearing certain voices, instruments and melody. Sometimes I get goosebumps whilst listening to something I really enjoy. There's not a week that goes by I don't find at least a few hours to slip away and listen. Music is my release, and its the beginning and end of hi-fi for me - the equipment is merely the means of accessing that release. I've bought two hi-fi's in my life, a NAD separates which I used for the better part of a decade, and subsequently, after much auditioning, replaced the setup with a reasonable transport/ DAC, good preamp and active speakers. I'm satisfied, my hi-fi mostly does what I want it to, and apart from pursuing a slight boost in bass response, I've no bug or desire to tweak/ change or swap out components.
I've been thinking about some of the interactions I've had with hi-fi enthusiasts over the last few years and it struck me that we're complex, mixed beasts, some of whom I understand and relate to, and others whom I cannot fathom at all.
The first are pretty much what I described above - people who love the music. Yes, they appreciate good gear, but for these individuals it's about the music before anything else and they're far more obsessed with the pleasure that music brings to their lives than getting the latest, greatest, often over-hyped hi-fi gear. Visit their homes and they'll be pulling out albums and telling you, "have you heard this...you've got to hear this" as they embark on a mission to share with you that which gives them great pleasure.
The second are an extension of the first, but a rare breed that has the best of both worlds. They love music, have their favourite artists but they also understand the equipment and are often capable of turning middle of the road or good gear into something really special. They experiment and they tweak, but based on hard-earned knowledge and with an end in mind. Visit their homes and you're likely to encounter a mini electronics store/ workshop tucked away somewhere. Reference books you'll find aplenty, but you're unlikely to find any hi-fi magazine littering their coffee table. When they press play you're immediately drawn in, wowed by the sheer quality of what you're hearing. Browse though their collection and you're almost guaranteed to find a few of your favorites lurking on their shelves. Play them at your own risk, because you may find yourself a little unsettled and peeking (albeit briefly) in the direction of the third.
The third are what I'd describe as gear sluts. Whilst they enjoy music superficially, deep down, these guys don't really have that much of an appreciation of music. They're obsessed with gear to the extent that they never truly have the opportunity to enjoy the music. They're forever tweaking, swapping components in and out, listening to reference tracks, trying to discern subtle differences between one esoteric or insanely priced component over another. Visit their homes and the discussion will center on the equipment. Hi-Fi magazines abound and take pride of place on their coffee table. Music is only played to illustrate specific attributes of their gear. Their CD collection is largely comprised of esoteric audiophile recordings and demonstration discs. Many don't even know who the artists are they're admiring during playback. Often their gear is the most expensive, current, or legendary stuff out there, picked because some hi-fi magazine told them it is the way to go. Their homes are the Cash Converters of the 2nd hand high-end hi-fi world. Whilst they're proficient in the language of the audiophile, technically these guys are often vacuous and are quickly silenced when countered with information they don't understand.
Which are you? ;D
I've been thinking about some of the interactions I've had with hi-fi enthusiasts over the last few years and it struck me that we're complex, mixed beasts, some of whom I understand and relate to, and others whom I cannot fathom at all.
The first are pretty much what I described above - people who love the music. Yes, they appreciate good gear, but for these individuals it's about the music before anything else and they're far more obsessed with the pleasure that music brings to their lives than getting the latest, greatest, often over-hyped hi-fi gear. Visit their homes and they'll be pulling out albums and telling you, "have you heard this...you've got to hear this" as they embark on a mission to share with you that which gives them great pleasure.
The second are an extension of the first, but a rare breed that has the best of both worlds. They love music, have their favourite artists but they also understand the equipment and are often capable of turning middle of the road or good gear into something really special. They experiment and they tweak, but based on hard-earned knowledge and with an end in mind. Visit their homes and you're likely to encounter a mini electronics store/ workshop tucked away somewhere. Reference books you'll find aplenty, but you're unlikely to find any hi-fi magazine littering their coffee table. When they press play you're immediately drawn in, wowed by the sheer quality of what you're hearing. Browse though their collection and you're almost guaranteed to find a few of your favorites lurking on their shelves. Play them at your own risk, because you may find yourself a little unsettled and peeking (albeit briefly) in the direction of the third.
The third are what I'd describe as gear sluts. Whilst they enjoy music superficially, deep down, these guys don't really have that much of an appreciation of music. They're obsessed with gear to the extent that they never truly have the opportunity to enjoy the music. They're forever tweaking, swapping components in and out, listening to reference tracks, trying to discern subtle differences between one esoteric or insanely priced component over another. Visit their homes and the discussion will center on the equipment. Hi-Fi magazines abound and take pride of place on their coffee table. Music is only played to illustrate specific attributes of their gear. Their CD collection is largely comprised of esoteric audiophile recordings and demonstration discs. Many don't even know who the artists are they're admiring during playback. Often their gear is the most expensive, current, or legendary stuff out there, picked because some hi-fi magazine told them it is the way to go. Their homes are the Cash Converters of the 2nd hand high-end hi-fi world. Whilst they're proficient in the language of the audiophile, technically these guys are often vacuous and are quickly silenced when countered with information they don't understand.
Which are you? ;D
