Have you ever wanted to stop being an audiophile, and just listen to music?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Did you ever feel like the gear was getting in the way? A distraction to the enjoyment of music? I've been there!
Or maybe you just want to downsize?
Check out my videos going over choices in
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Fell into this trap in the nineties, finally said enough is enough. Settled on my current Arcam, Mission, Denon system with Lynn, Audioquest cables in 1995. This set up cost north of 2200 pounds sterling and to this day has given great service..... diminishing returns is a nightmare I wish not to revisit. Be happy with what you have and just enjoy the music....
My hearing issues, which started 5-6 years ago, have been a blessing in disguise. I do not fret anymore. I just enjoy music, accepting fully well that my time of listening and enjoying music may very well be limited by them.
As long as you can still enjoy your music .. respect every moment you have with you hearing & don't feel as though it's going to end .. all the best my friend
@@paulaj2829 Thank you very much! I firmly believe that accepting one's limitations (of this nature, when you are not at fault) helps you to overcome them. So, I think I am enjoying music more than I used to before.
Indeed, enjoy your music. =//=OldDudesStillRock
@@stephensmith3111 Thanks! That is the way I will go.
Your enthusiasm and (re)dedication are always infectious! Oops, bad choice of words...
Hahahahahaha
Thank you for your wonderful channel during this scarry, crazy time. I appreciate the distraction. Thank you!
This is great Steve! You nailed it. This is exactly what I always wanted to tell my friends and critics. You put it all together in a very eloquent, coherent, logical video! Thanks.
Another awesome topic. I certainly wrestle with that...searching for the ‘right’ gear vs. simply enjoying the music. I’m closing in on getting my desktop system fidget free. I love my main rig...& have no urgency to change anything there...so I’m processing the idea of enjoying the music through what I have rather than worrying about improving the sound quality that’s already truly phenomenal.
I dig what you've dug, Steve! Thanks for all you're doing here and keep on rocking, man.
Hi Steve, 4 days into total lock down, i suddenly said to myself, where is Steve. I hadn’t received any mail from youtube. I went to your feed in youtube and felt a sense of relief on seeing i had missed some videos, thanks for being there. These days music is helping kill time, and one comes to realise that the equipment without music (be it digital or analogue) is worthless. Its like a musician without his instrument.
Best wishes
Ramon
One of your best videos yet Steve. I could feel you r passion in this particular one. Excellent.
Thanks for the (thought) provoking starter. I have been on this journey for more than 50 years. There have been times - decades - when I managed with setups that were for domestic bliss and quality sound was not a consideration. However it is still about how much I enjoy the music. I think that the results that can be achieved now are better - in most price levels - than ever before. These are truly wonderful times for music lovers. Regards to one and all
I really appreciated this one Steve. A love of music, along with the tension and obsession filled hobby was in a way most fulfilling at the very start. My first stereo was a piece of crap compared to later iterations but I remember that first spin of Led Zeppelin II and it put the hook in deep. So many thousands of dollars spent over the years and much of that time I could not truly hear the music over the hum of my own expectations. This pandemic has remarkably helped bring the music back to the foreground. So much wasted time. Love your perspective. Cheers.
That’s what I do I listen . Sure equipment and the pure sonic sound is fantastic but some days it’s just good to stop worrying about hardware and just enjoy what you enjoy and that’s the music
I took a 30 year break! I’d forgotten how satisfying this hobby can be. Good to be back, thank you to lockdown!
Audiophilia is a glorious obsession. I will never give it up.
Great video and yes, we really are in a golden age of music discovery. When I heard the reference to building a playlist of "Send In the Clown" I smiled. Although I didn't build a playlist I did search for the song on Qobuz and listened to quite a few versions, great fun.
Thank-you. - Excellent thoughts Steve ... Sometimes I've felt like my system isn't worthy because of others comments. (Can create some serious anxiety) IMHO, figuring out what makes you happy is really important. Key mindset = Discover and follow your own path.
To paraphrase George Best, I spent 90 % of my money on recordings and gear, the rest I wasted.
brkly99 very good. 14 Brits got the joke. (I suppose...?)
Richard Singer I just looked it up again, it looks like the first version originated with WC Fields. Sounds like him!
it's much better than guns, you can't use cd to hurt anybody because you like that particular version cd,lol,peace
Great talk Steve. Should be saved for posterity. (Posterity, are you listening?) I became an audiophile when I received a HMV portable record player and a pile of old 78s for my Bar Mitzvah back in 1961. Stereo was just coming in and we reveled in the sound of a ping pong ball bouncing from left to right speaker. Would I have spent the time listening to a real ping ball bouncing from one end of the table to the other? No way! But the SOUND coming out of speakers is fascinanting. I think we are more enchanted by a well recorded orchestar playing Beethoven's Ninth than the actual sound of the orchestra itself. And if the recorded sound doesn't quite get there, we will never rest until it does. We will be searching, hunting. Audiophilia LIVES!!
I took a long break and coming back I am struck by how awesome budget audio has become!
I’m a budget audiophile too !!!!
Not so much getting burned out ever, just trying to be satisfied with what I got.
Whilst this coronavirus is rampant my hi-fi is a form of escapism from what is happening on this planet I can quite happily sit in my room listening to the music and for a little while the troubles of the world fadeaway, unfortunately only for a short time my thoughts are with everyone who is suffering ore has lost somebody to this awful disease. all the best my audiophile friends
Excellent, I enjoyed this show a lot (full of life and enthusiasm, one of your best in recent time IMHO) 🙂👍
So about 2 weeks after upgrading my speakers and driving myself nuts about getting them set "just rite" and going though a bit of this. This video gets posted. Steve is dead on with this and of course the SME 15 in the background is just drawing me in. The inner struggle lol. That is my dream turntable which is really just code for I'm getting one just not this year, I just want to enjoy the music for now.
@Steve Guttenberg --
Thanks for trying to instill in us some "audio-faith" when at times we're ready to just give it all up for the simplest of ways to enjoy music wholly by itself (and not with the focus on gear): via a small "transistor radio," from earbuds connected to a smartphone or other "low-tech" means. I've been there, yes, but it's many years ago really. I turn on my stereo set-up nearly on a daily basis now, not necessarily always to listen in the sweet spot (though mostly), but just to feel the music being there in full flow. What does annoy me is the periodic, more or less subtle changes of the sound into something less present, out-of-focus, incoherent, less "ignited" or other, whether brought on by noise from the AC-power, changes in atmospheric conditions (i.e.: air pressure, humidity and temperature), physical/emotional reasons - whatever. Sometimes the sound coming from one's set-up is just.. out of tune, in a sense; it doesn't feel quite right, doesn't truly connect. While these variations in the sound are noticeable, and I believe they are quite often, fortunately they're mostly relatively benign.
I had been an audiophile since the early 70's but like many, I stopped buying records in the 90's mostly because there weren't many to buy. Gave my stereo to my brother and that was that! But I never got rid of my records. About 6 years ago, after years of saying it, I bought a turntable, speakers and an amp, and BaBam! I was back in again, and I never looked back. I only wish I had friends of my age (65) that shared my enthusiasm for this passion. The obsession has returned with a vengeance. Great talk Steve!
Same age as you, Robert (and same last name!) with a similar trajectory til the mid-80s when I moved halfway across the world and bought a new system (Kenwood components & Bose 601s). As CDs were coming in at the time I stopped buying records and switched to CDs. Still buying them; now have 6,000+, as well as a different system. But like you, I very much miss having friends my age to share the hobby and music with. Recently caught up with a high school friend of mine who was really into music and systems; he always had a much better system than me. I had to jog his memory and he finally said he’d given it all up in the late 70s - cold turkey. Hard to figure. I’ve been recharged over the years by discovering different genres of music, as Steve says.
@@jjquinn2004 Nice read Quinn boys....I'm not your age, but didn't stop buying records, when cd's came in I collected some 3500 cd's. I still call myself a record collector, but I don't buy cd's, haven't for some years now.
At the start of 2019, worked moved me and so all my gear & music went into storage. However, for a few years prior whilst still playing my vinyl, I was ripping all my cd's and buying downloaded music (flac).
So, to anoint my new dwelling, I bought some active speakers, streamer and dac. All was good, but I got tired of needing to have my laptop turned on to play my music. So, I bought a NAS & transferred all my digital music onto that....roughly 4850 albums.
Toward the end of last year I subscribed to Tidal.....this month I just cancelled as I never got much of a chance to use it. Seemed I was paying for nothing. I just have way too much music of my own.
Really enjoying streaming my music, but do miss the physical aspects to playing vinyl in particular.
Aaah the joys of music!!!
@@jjquinn2004 maybe we are related haha... I buy more now than I did way back when, my friends think Im strange and my kids think its "cute" I now often think what am I going to do with all these records, 3,000 plus.....oh well, enjoy them while Im here....cheers!
@@nostro1001 indeed the joy of music, no matter what you use to listen, I tell people that back in the day ( damn Im old)we heard new music on transistor radios haha
Same here. I’m 67 and lost my high-end system to a flood in the early 90s. Decided a couple of months ago to get back in and bought myself an entry level Fluance system. Will be interesting to see where it goes.
I have suffered from upgradeitis for decades - then sell it all and only listen on a boom box or nothing for 6-8 years, then go to the local audio store one day and spend another $6k and bring home audiophile separates and a pair of used Snell B-minors. I have repeated this behavior 4 times over nearly 50 years. Now, I have learned to find great electronics that punch so far beyond their weight, it makes it almost impossible to justify selling. If I ever do get the itch one more time, instead of selling, I'm just going to put together a second very inexpensive small system from the audio retailers you mentioned in this video for another room and learn to keep what I have. You know, just do it to have FUN like when I began my audiophile journey! Now, I have almost become more excited over a $2500 system that kills it vs a mega-buck setup.
I'll never get burnout, nor will I leave this hobby, it may slow down from time to time but will not fade away. This hobby has made my life very fulfilling and I will die a happy man because of it, simply put.
Congratulations Steve you finally join the club it's all about the music!!!!✌
Just when I was out, you pulled me back in.
your comment make me laugh. Seriously though, I can do you a good price on some cables...
Touching!
That one came from the heart.
Yep, just did it. Sold all my records and equipment and just listen to music on my streamer. I listen to so much more music now and have much less clutter. I also am reading more. So much time, money and space to do other things.
Good for you! I'm still in it but when I get to the point that I don't enjoy it anymore, I'm out too! Same with beer, I love ice cold beer, I will drink it until I don't enjoy it anymore, then I'm done! Nothing worse than forcing one's self to continue to pretend you still enjoy something when you know damn well you don't!
Midnite Matador, yep. Too many things getting in the way of enjoying the music. I was spending all my time and money searching, buying, cleaning, cataloguing records. Not listening to them, not spending quality time with my family. Have a job-related down-sizing coming up, so sold my 2600-record collection (good timing on that) and equipment. Made enough money to buy a nice streamer and 60+ years of Qobuz. Feel light and airy and listening to more modern music than ever. Now about that beer...
RPD Reviews nice dude! I hear that. I keep my vinyl collection relatively small (compared to 2600) and I stream much of my music.
Years ago, I got a good friend hooked on high end audio. He continually improved his system to something that was very respectable. He visited someone in Vancouver who had a $250,000 system. It blew him away! When he got home, he sold everything. He could no longer settle for what he had.
I find the hobby more manageable if I focus on only one aspect. Too many variables to worry about all the aspects. Sources, DACs, power sources, pre amps, power amps, cables!.....I played with turntables and cartridges for a while and now I have ten cartridges (modest priced ones, thankfully). Got over that and now I am only playing around with speakers. Leaving all the other stuff alone - it is fine. I can deal with speakers - I like vintage ones. Cleaning them up, refoaming, upgrading (amazing the support that is out there for fifty year old speakers), hunting down all the little parts. My Advents were given to me, $300 for Ohm Walsh 4s, $200 for Dahlquist DQ 10s, free Quad 57s w/ crate.
Of course I am spending quite a lot for upgrading most of these, but I am amassing a nice collection of beautiful old speakers that are functionally new and learning a lot about the companies that made them. I can swap these in and out of my system and get plenty of sonic difference and, hopefully, they should hold their value better than new speakers.
Steve,I'm in complete agreement! I cancelled my subscription to a high end stereo publication 20 yrs. ago after I purchased an amplifier that was the envy of the high end world.it took me a long time to save for it.it was the most God awful sounding amp.i expect a high priced amp to be dead flat across the spectrum.but this had equalization built in! An Audiophiles worst nightmare.bumped up bass,recessed mid-range,and bright sounding treble. I realized that I bought the ultra high end Bill of Goods! I had many amps at the time,and all of them sounded better,regardless of price! Now I just like experiencing all sorts of equipment.
I've been lucky I dont have the extreme expensive equipment but what I have got I'm happy with and my wife and friends get it when ever they come to my home they want to listen to their music through my system to see if it's really as good as they think the music is, And it was actually my system that got me and the wife together (long story but she came round with a friend of mine) she was amazed by the jump up in sound quality and the feeling she got (hairs on the back of the neck moment) and started coming round on her own to see me once she got to know me better and the rest was history
I have actually done it now. I have not purchased a new bit of gear in three years and unless something goes wrong with what I have then I’m satisfied with the sound I have now. Is it the best, not by a long shot but it engages me and I enjoy my music so that’s all I need.
Best thing I ever did was accept colouration from tubes is a wonderful thing! I live just outside of Vienna and am lucky enough to go to the Musikverein frequently and if you listen to classical music there you would never own analytical HiFi ever again.
It has a delicious, rich ambience that envelops one and tubes replicate that beautifully. I’m also luck to go to early music concerts in a private palace in Vienna, low arched ceilings, the only light is candle light and now more than thirty people in the audience, again, tubes at home help me listen to the CD versions of the music played live and feel like I am almost at the live event as well.
From when i 1st started listening to music i have had WIMS.. Mono ... Stereo.. CD.. Cassette .. Tape.. then i wanted to play Guitar.. so i started playing guitar.. started playing along with my best mate & we formed a band.. on off!! on off!! now i'm back to listening to my records as if it's a new hobby... that's what we KIDS do.. & i still have the same system which i forgot was there waiting for me to have fun again.. at 70yrs old i love it.. music is what counts.. not what you have to look at.. but play & listen.. Rock On..
I all most gave up I could get the sound I was looking for but I got the emotiva ta100 and the A300 and put that to my JBLS s310 and my marantz 6006 CD player and with that Combination it sounded fantastic and I stop buying for now! Steve have a blessed and peaceful day !! Btw your TH-cam videos have gotten so much better keep up the great work
good point.
I have never sold all my gear /particular music format. I just keep on keeping on. sometimes I get Hi-Fi ennui.and leave off for a bit .then I'll put on a tune and WHAM its brilliant again.
I love the music AND the gear!
I S K C bluescafe - free and great sound quality... Player Quality=320kbps -- It brought me back to what I love .. all of the ISKC channels are awesome.
I have observed that there are folks who use equipment to appreciate music, and there are those who use music to appreciate equipment.
It’s like a relationship really...Sometimes you just need to take a break.
Hi Steve, I am currently experience a complete rediscovery of my music collection, triggered by your spot on enthusiasm. I mounted new Audioquest signal cables between streamer and pre amp and the improved sound quality blew me away. I never expected this to make such a dramatic improvement. Next step is to buy a dact that will improve quality better. Could you make a video on cables and the impact they have? That would be great! Keep up the good work.
I lived some of my audiophile life vicariously through a very rich friend. Seemed like almost every other weekend we were traveling to a different State to some obscure audio store or show because they had something he already had but was just better some how. Even if it was just going from a 2-A to 2-B and the only difference was the label on the front. I got a lot of nice stuff from him over the years at huge discounts. I think the thing that broke the camels back for me (beside getting married, having kids, empty wallet) was after decades being hooked up with the owner of a local high end audio dealer chain they just kept pushing things that were less and less for more and more money and at some point I just had enough. Especially after buying a couple things for tons of money and actually feel like I was taking steps backwards. I got to a point in the mid 1990's I liked what I had, was sick of experiments and setbacks and was really sick of saying things like, "still wish I had that piece". If something breaks I'll replace it if it cant be fixed but I try to find something as close as I can to the original. I'm older now and have the money for anything I want but apparently I like what I like. I'm even going to test this theory by rebuilding my first stereo system I ever bought when I was a young teen and see how it sounds 40 years later compared to what I have now and see how my tastes changed (if will be a YT video of course). I really think it colored my listening taste form onward.
People pay for experiences it's just when I spend my money I want it to pay me back more then one night.
Send in the Clowns....I've hated that song for...ever...
I have three separate systems. All three have very distinct price points $1500.00, $3500.00 and $7000.00. I love them all equally and randomly switch between them depending on my mood.
Hmmmm....just think...without the 3.5k system, you could have 10k+ system. How good would that have been. 😦
Streaming has allowed me to sample so many pieces of music that I never would’ve taken the time to find at the library or buy outright. If you want to keep it forever for no more money down, then buy it.
my grandson came back from visiting his mate the other evening with his Apple Ipad & his Makita Bluetooth speaker blasting away.. & he tells me that is the way to listen to his music with a big smile on his face.. i thought .. ok .. until you understand HIFi .. enjoy what you have my boy ..
Like your confesion.
Sometimes you need to make a step back to see.
Audio therapy! Thank You.
I take breaks from both music and my system from time to time. There's nothing wrong with this. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. And when I return to my music and system it's always a joyous time.
And yes, now is a good time to be an audiophile--particularly a young audiophile just getting into the hobby. The quality of sound available at the lower end of the price scale is amazing to me.
Steve is such a genuine guy
I'm so glad that I have in place an acceptable music system. Especially so, since my State (Ohio, USA) has just ordered clubs, bars, restaurants, concert halls, jazz clubs, church concerts, and so forth closed. I'm also glad I have an Amazon Prime HD music subscription to listen way past my several hundred LP's and CD's. (I still haven't heard a review of the Amazon HD Music, and I haven't compared mine to anything else.) But, it's *pretty good*
I'm also grateful for some good advice from you, Steve, and Zero Fidelity that allowed me to choose the Klipsch 600M's and Denon PMA600. These, along with a repurposed JBL subwoofer make *adequately* good music. Good enough that I stop listening to the amp and boxes -- to listen to the music. While my preference is for entirely acoustic performances -- jazz, symphonic, folk, vocal, piano, organ, etc., I recently demoed my music equipment to some rock aficionados and they were (to use your favorite undefined phrase) *blown away* I still have a little tinnitus from that, and riding a motorcycle for 40 years. (Tested, I can still hear to 9500 Hz, which pretty well covers the *fundamental tones* of musical instruments, not the *delicious harmonics* I used to love.)
This sort of gear brings little admiration or brag rights from the *chasers of perfection* But, I can sit back, especially while in Ohio's C-19 lockdown, and enjoy music -- more likely wincing now and then at the performance, not the damn tweeter. Even more likely? Smiling at some cadenza done magnificently well. An orchestra that doesn't *go all ragged* in the tight spots. Or a recording that gets 'miking' really well.
If fact, my only complaint, currently, is with some (many?) recordings -- especially from the 80s and 90s -- that vary from bad to horrible, even streamed in CD quality or better. No amount of my money and good choices can fix those.
Enjoy your stuff, Seve.
Sounds like similar tastes. Enjoyed your post. I too have some loss from years of combo, orchestral percussion. Also experience choral conducting, teaching, etc. You might enjoy Emily Claire Barlow's Clear Day album, with Metropole Orchestra. Also the video of Yuja Wang playing a Prokofiev encore. Enjoy your new setup. I still use my Klipsch KG 4's and have recently been having fun with various headphones. Having started with mono 78's I am thrilled with today's quality and the thousands of new recordings that streaming provides. Regards.
I totally agree that todays recording and sound reproduction equipment is better than it ever and I don.t get the vices you mentioned either. But I feel the music itself was better decades ago
For me the golden age of audio were the 1970s when I first brought a hifi system - Marantz receiver, Rogers LS3/5a speakers, Lenco turntable. Many audio stores to visit and listen to new equipment. In the 1990s lost interest for 10 years but now I'm back.
I’ve always been that. I’ve never been neurotic about my system. I don’t even know what it means to be an “audiophile”. I better appreciate good sound than bad but I enjoyed my Spica TC-50/Hafler system as much as I do my current much better one. As long as everything is in balance the brain fills in the rest. That’s true of food and wine too.
@Analog....hmmmm, I've got a Hafler sitting in my stairwell closet, stuffed full of audio gear I no longer use. I recall buying that sometime in the 80's. Gosh did I feel like I finally had a 'real' amp.
Retirement forced me to convert from being wrapped up in the equipment and the technology to just appreciating the music. Now I really appreciate the ability to just click on a song I want to hear and immediately hear it instead of monkeying around with LPs or CDs every time I want to hear a different track. Nowadays I just use my laptop or tablet and good headphones or IEMs to get lost in the music, but I fondly remember the good old days of hifi and audiophillia.
I can identify with this! I still love music, but do listen anywhere near as often as I used to. We have a dog now, who insists on invading my quiet listening time, so that might be it! 😃
900 episodes?! Wow! Nevertheless, I’m proud to say that I really have seen every single one over the past couple of years. I thankfully kept watching audio vids the last time I was even kinda thinking F all this audio gear nonsense. I just don’t need it all, and I especially don’t need 30+ carts and headshells, an amp for each speaker, a tube hoard, etc., etc. What sane person would? Luckily I’ve gotten over it, even during the pre audio video days. Doesn’t mean my friends don’t think I’m nuts, but I can deal with that.
Thanks for another question type vid, Steve. I really dig these! 🎶🔊👍
Well said Steve - it's all about the music.
WWOZ is a real jewel in the popular radio landscape of programming in “N’Awlins”. Listen to it awhile and you may get hooked. To use the catch phrase of the late N’Awlins Radio & TV personality Frank Davis, “It’s naturally N’Awlins”. Like the local food the music is a real “gumbo” of sounds that are “Naturally N’Awlins”.
As a side note to the topic of the day, being involved in music education for 33 years I always made it a practice to introduce to my students some degree of quality audio equipment. Whatever my budget could allow for I made sure that I obtained some nice fine equipment so that the students would at least have some exposure to gear that was of a class substantially better than the iPods and earbuds the kids had. They got to hear Klipsch and Onkyo and Technics, Marantz and Teac and AKG, etc and I played quality music, like Miles, Duke, Buddy Rich (yes, I had to get my drummers exposed to what an old dude could do on a drum kit) and Weather Report and the classic Symphony repertoire and Band Literature played through “good stuff”. I could not let generations of students pass through without giving them some exposure to what real hi-fi could be like.
Great topic.
May all you and your family and all your followers stay safe from the Coronavirus.
I just went over to check it out and they were playing Rap.
John Kubus unfortunately as with so many radio stations income is dependent upon many factors and while we don’t always like some kinds of music, stations out of necessity have to provide the programming that their listeners request.
I would suggest you seek out the program schedules for days and times of those types of music you may like to hear or something you may be curious about.
There are some excellent traditional jazz programs several times during the week. Of course, even “traditional” can be defined in a variety of ways and in N’Awlins it’s a great many things. Some of the R&B music programs focus on many of the local musical personalities of the city little known outside the region but colorful talented men and women who played an important part in shaping the musical landscape.
Please don’t judge WWOZ by one type of music. There’s so much more to their playlists than the one type you experienced. The depth and variety is so much more diverse than the one type you had a negative response to.
@@Aswaguespack I wasn't trying to criticize the channel just saying I thought it was an all Jazz station. I didn't realize they had different programs, I'll check it out, Thank you.
John Kubus unfortunately being “all jazz” in today’s radio marketplace makes it difficult to pay the bills
I keep hearing this false dichotomy, that audiophiles don't enjoy music, just their equipment, but it's just not true. Audiophiles love music, it's why we got into the hobby in the first place.
It's probably not as false as we might think. But the dichotomy arrives at the differences between those who are often dissatisfied with equipment and those with musical quality. We have, I propose, recording quality in common.
Yet we all celebrate when musical performance, recording fidelity, and equipment adequacy arrive in a listening room.
Music is at the heart of being an audiophile, it’s fundamental. Without it there would be no audiophile. The gear we enjoy so much would be pointless. Make no mistake about it, we are gear-heads. It all starts with the love of music though. The idea that we don’t enjoy music, is without a doubt, one of the most absolutely inane mentally self gratifying, demeaning nonsensical thought the anti-audiophiles have concocted so they can look down their nose at us, so as to feel all superior. In other words, self indulgent bullshit. Just stop it, makes you look and sound like an...!
I'm an Audiophile that adore my stereo and love my music.
@@billdunn8542 Perfect said of you.
Bill Dunn i think some audiophiles get too wrapped up in showing others gear that they spent $$$$ for....some act like their music gear in a dedicated room is like an art show or precious jewels ....granted some gear is quite gorgeous eye candy!
Imo...true audiophile, like u r saying...enjoys music, even on a car radio, portable radio, boom box, old Walkman, or a Crowley turntable....but have one rig, system, room set up with a dedicated above avg stereo system, streaming, portable amp/DAP/DAC/amp IEMS, headphones...but the key is the gear gets them to the music...even if the gear is butt ugly. Audiophiles tend to know what makes music sound better to them, know what sounds great in any media. Music, hardware comes second!
WWOZ
IMHO - the most significant piece of information you've posted in awhile..because it is so attainable! (And that identifies which camp I'm in...)
So.....a request for a few non-review videos. How do we get better and better sound from the wall to the preamp?
A better DAC connected to my laptop, or a streamer in place of the laptop ? What makes the bigger difference?
And yes, budget is important, so $2500 does NOT define entry level...LOL
Yeah..few times...stuck in period where CDs were launched...media less likely to be scratched or damaged than my records, tapes....but was my old media going into mothballs, did i need to buy or record CDs of music to duplicate my music on vinyl and tapes? Drove me nuts adding more CDs: was it the ultimate safe or best media, did i need juke box Cd Players to replace single Cd transports? I spent more time on CD media, than listening to media!! Took a long break.
Tube amp...started tube rolling....omg...new old stock, premium tubes, military spec tubes, diff tube models, brands....power cables, speaker placement, TT cartridges, allignment, vinyl cleaning solutions, techniques, machines, non-abrasive sleeves, steam cleaning vinyl, demagnetizers...then media libraries exponential growth, storage, racks for equipment....tube vs SS amps, efficient speakers, vs speakers needing hi current amps, surround sound rig vs stereo music rig...my dedicated room...became an eclectic bunch of clutter, cables, cabinets....my passion was replaced by a sense of being overwhelmed what to play, buy, sell, keep, add, delete...again gear and media time consumed me vs listening to music. Music was mostly via Sonos Connects, car radio, clock radios, IEMs on smartphone or ipad....my dedicated audio gear collected dust!
Last was 3 teenagers using the den for sleepovers, gaming, tv, movies...room got trashed over time, was last place i wanted to be...empty nester...downsizing my gear to functional music gear now....room remodeling, dusting off vinyl, selling off unused gear...passion for music coming back finally, but a work in progress!
I just juggle my hobbies around; since I'm not making photographs, and currently on a reading slump, Im keeping myself busy figuring out which DAP/headphones combination I own has the best optimal sound for when I'm ready to just enjoy the music, I'll know I already did my homework and am already experiencing the best I can currently afford. But when real burnout kicks in, I still have other things to do.
Been there done that.
Play vinyl and cd's sporadically and appreciate them more.
I stopped the audiophile thing many moons ago in terms of spending money and chasing rainbows with gear. Sure, I read Stereophile and watch this channel and a few others but that's it. It's all about the music for me and it's always has been since I was a kid. The gear is just a means to a desired end for me.
In addition to your main system, I suggest people get a mini system, you know, an all in one inexpensive mini system they are very very good these days... You use it to listen to music in a more relaxed way not getting distracted with getting everything right. Forget about perfection and just put a red book CD or flac file in your mini system and play it and listen to music... So convenient... So straightforward... Just music
I consider myself fortunate because I began focusing on music more than my system long ago. For myself focusing more on my equipment was a short but counter productive period in my life
Changing up the music you listen to can be very effective for revitalizing interest. It's the opposite of going from extremely colorful and expressive shirts to a solid black crew neck, Steve.
Great vid Steve.
I went a yer without listening to my system. Then revisted a year later, appreciated what I have a lot more!!!
My lifestyle is so busy it resulted in most of my listening becoming on the go, and so the value of mobile/portable sound took over. I got rid of hot and energy consuming amps long ago.
I stopped wanting to look at and fawn over my sound equipment by the 90’s. By 2005 I was able to get all sound gear (except speakers) out of my sight. I can block external light from my media environment at will. Thus, I can listen in the dark whenever I wish. Visual distractions have ceased to be a “thing.”
If I want to take a break from my preferred sound, I turn the system off and switch on various inferior sound sources (radio, TV, Internet, lousy surround satellite speakers, etc.).
All my social listening is done outside my home. I have friends/acquaintances who enjoy sharing and showing-off their stuff. OK for them, not for me. No one has entered my media environment for over a decade. It’s my private space, and I like it that way.
There obviously is something just fulling and tactile about putting on a vinyl record or even playing a CD that streaming an OGG compressed file just can't match. It just is so much more satisfying. It doesn't mean we are crazy, just that we appreciate quality. A cheap cellphone can take outstanding photos these days, but they don't compare to what can be done in a full frame high quality digital camera.
I think the observation some would make is that yeah, for $1200 you can buy a great sounding system these days thanks to the march of technology, and to get 5% or 10% "better" quality, depending on your definition of "better", you can spend thousands more - and people will do that. And be happy. It is a hobby like any other. An endless quest for better sound and all along the way appreciating some of the best music ever recorded by human beings. It is a great time to be alive!
Interesting discussion.. Maybe there are different types of music lovers out there. Which might fall into two generalised groups.
1. Those who start with a love, curiosity, passion and wonder for music and then group 2. Who equally like/love music but are also more sensitive and critical regarding the music the mix how it sounds (to them) so naturally will naturally investigate and fall into hi-fi equipment rabbit hole - of trying and buying new and different stuff in the hope that one day they will find a system or systems that reproduce music in a way that connects and pleases them (in the same way as group 1) but takes them often longer and at far greater cost.
Now both groups are equally audiophiles, but the first group are often more happy and content in simply hearing their music but also will still appreciate good hi-fi so create reasonable systems but can stop. As they are not so critical and more accepting of their music whatever it's played on.
However the second group often remains in a state of flux so continue to tryout new equipment and get more and more hooked on the supposed pursuit of sonic but equally compromised excellence... Rather than appreciate the simple joy of the musical composition.
In truth there's nothing wrong with either group...and of course there are people that fall inbetween those 2 groups mentioned ...as it's all a personal and individual choice thing. but in my experience the first group rarely suffers from audiophile fatigue and music burnout as they will always be in love with music (or the specific music which floats their boats) while the later group often live in an ongoing momentary states of joy and bliss followed quickly by doubts and disappointments which is fatiguing.
But both groups are equally important and collectively keeps the music and hi-fi industries alive.
But if electricity ran out or perhaps I really needed money the last thing I would not want to sell would be my trusty old acoustic guitar.
I evaluate myself as a pragmatic audiophile. I'm in a point in life where I will invest my money in other hobbies. I can't go higher because the acustic room is the impediment. I will not change my house for this reason because will be minor but the expense high and the estetic of the room will suffer to. So I will concentrate myself on the music and educate myself about the history and development of different style of music etc. Probably I will un subscribe to allot of audiophile channels if is just about reviews.
Some people say that audiophiles listen to the gear. Music lovers listen to the music. It's all about the music for me (on decent gear). 15k on 3600 cds since 1980's. 5k on gear since 1980's (including ipods). As hobbies go over 40 years, that's probably not too bad. Plus there used to be a lot of pleasure in going to cd/record stores to buy music. But I have never walked away from it. The way I figured it is you get an avr, a dvd/cd player, and a pair of decent speakers and you're good. I guess it will be back to the 70's today. Excuse me, while I put on some Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and the Doobies.
GREAT MAN .GREAT IDEEA.
Not really burned out. Just had to stop 🛑 chasing sound and be happy with what I have since I’ll never be able to afford what I want😊. I recently spent $500.00 on the Fluance RT-85 and my friends think I’m nuts 🥜. I told them a good turntable (IMO) starts around $2000.00. Dead silence😂.
Count me as: GUILTY! More than once in each of the 70's, 80's and 90's, I actually did sell all my gear. Haven't quit this awesome hobby since 1998. And even so, I HAVE thought at more than a few times, "why am I the only guy I know that has this kind of passion for this hobby?" "Is there something wrong with this hobby?" "Why can't I convince anyone that being an audiophile is a great pastime?" "Do people in general think this hobby is a waste?" Well, now later in life I have perspective, don't care what others think, and appreciate music, sound and the gear that produces it. Now, that we seem to be ordered to stay in our homes over pandemics, boy, do I ever have a great hobby!! In fact, I am truly having fun with cheaper gear (Schiit Audio) that punch way above what they ought to for the price - hey that's fun and great audio has never been more afforable!
Yes, music is the main thing but I fully admit that I love the gear. I think its as beautiful and as impressive as any classic car.
Everyone, might have there thing, but none of them come close to Hi Fi, Hi Fi is the best hobby ever, & watch you steve, makes it even better 👍
Didn’t go that far, but have at times lost the enthusiasm to chase that next piece of gear or tweak to supposedly take my system to the next level, and ultimately being underwhelmed. Other times there’s just no time left to mess with it when more important things get in the way. I think most people just get to a point where they say their system’s fine just like it is, or it just sits around gathering dust.
As a professional I have too on a on going basis. live music depends on so much,, the performance, the space, how many texts te sound engineer reads and how many cigarettes he smokes, what the reinforcement equipment is like and yes I have to stop being an audiophile and get past the technical considerations and listen to the message
Thinned out my gear last year, replaced some expensive bits with well reviewed cheaper new ones, couldn't be happier. 😁
If you don't get goosebumps everytime you listen to your system at 85 db or more you're not there yet. Old music or just newly discovered it should touch your soul. That is the ultimate goal for an audiophile.
Awesome Video.
I'm all about the music and enjoying it .. i love my vinyl and my music on my phone. My system let's me do both . Bam.
I do like the glow of tubes-wether it’s an amp or the 250kw transmitters I use at work!FIREBOTTLES!Also their smell of hot glass or metal -and tubed electronics in wood cabinets.
In the midst of this right now. Still don't know how it will turn out. I do agree with you on it being "the good old days" right now for audiophiles though. Just might not be that right now for me. First world problem.
My best friend around 1980 when I was 17 called it audio pile. The things that we remember.
I stopped fussing over audio gear about 3yrs ago when I simplified my setup by taking my DAC, phono pre, pre and switcher box out of my chain and just became content with it in it's minimalist form, less cables, less mess (barely noticed a difference in sound quality)
Turntable
Cd player
Intergrated amp = 😆👍
I burned out on home theater and it brought me back to 2 channel. Technology is moving too fast. Pretty soon all the walls will have sound and be the speakers as individual speakers won't keep up. It got to a point that to keep up will cost you a fortune and in a year it will be absolute. I stopped at 7.2.2 My 2 channel or 2.1 is fine and fun to listen to. I started streaming and it opened up a new world of music. Right now even my tv is on a 2.0 system.
Fwiw, I had a 5.1 amp for over 25 yrs for HT. Only added a sub recently.
Atmos has appeal, but too much money now I am (mostly) retired.
@@leswever9014
My whole system is in storage. May end up being the first audio things I have sold since the 1990s
Wow 2 or 3 weeks with no hi fi.
I go 2 or 3 days and I’m fully recovered. I couldn’t agree more about finding new music. I’m discovering new Jazz artists all the time thanks to Ken Micallef etc.
I would be board as hell if I didn’t
have my sound system. 😎
I try to be a minimalist audiophile with an integrated amp and relatively small standmount speakers. By keeping the"stuff" down to a minimum, I guard against burnout.
I considered myself a vinyl collector first...but I did want a good system to listen to my records. That's around the time I discovered your channel. (Sean's, Ron's, Thomas', and Jay's channels followed soon after!) I do feel sometimes like I've fallen down the audiophile rabbit hole when I find myself saving for 6 months to a year to buy some component and realize I've bought very few records as a result. I can easily see where someone gets to that point you described in this video of saying, "To Hell with all of this!" I mean, you're friends with Sean, right? On a recent video of his, he was saying that his goal was to get his system down to a desktop system with a good pair of speakers (I think he mentioned some Harbeth's?) and be done with it.
Everyone listens to music in one way or another-folks I know listen on a range of apparatus-from a lowly 5 tube clock radio to high end hi-fi-all are happy.I listen with a pair of Klipsch speakers and an Onkyo receiver.It has Bluetooth capable so I can listen from my IPhone or IPad.I am happy.have some tube amps in the closet that need caps No one has the ones I need.Apparatus is getting too expensive for me who may be retiring from work in a few years.The prices on hi-fi gear are just getting too outrages.Esp tubes for tubed amps-yes of course they will wear out-those are PARTS-not some mystical magic component.A part like caps,transistors,diodes,Ic’s,resistors or other parts.Stop the price madness!Now I step down from my soapbox.
In plain English as far as burnout as an audiophile . Absolutely yes
Never got burned out on audio. Got burned out on the snob culture of magazines like stereophile that fosters an environment of lording the newest and most expensive over common sense. 2019 model: Awesome! The ultimate! 2020 model: Ohh, this one is sooo much better, last years model is sooo pedestrian. What? you've owned that for 6 months? wow! Time to upgrade!
I stopped listening to music between around 2003 to may 2009 because I got so tired of hearing everything strongly angled to the left because of big a head injury I got after a car accident I had 1997 but in may 2009 I began listen to music again.