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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: 15 years as an audiophile, calling it quits. posted by T&T on December 20, 2006 at 06:14:06:
It resonates with some of my opinions about the audiophile hobby. I would consider myself an ambivalent audiophile. I have the addiction, but I have some awareness of its absurdity. A couple of things have always struck me about the audiophile phenomenon. One is the moral zeal that audiophiles often have. They scoff at others who do not share their values, as though they were philistines with no taste--nit wits like Paul Harvey and others who think a Bose Wave radio is as good as it gets. They can get away with this because of the association of audio reproduction with a great and profound art form--music. It's all about the music, don't you know? Of course, it is not ALL about the music. It was back in the 50's and 60's when each new technological development made a significant stride toward meaningful increases in sonic realism. But for at least 20 years it has been possible to put together for a modest cost an audio system with enough realism to make possible the enjoyment of recorded music in the home without grimacing about obvious distortions of musical content. The audiophile addiction is all about chasing the elusive goal of last iota of sonic realism. Don't get me wrong, it is a fun hobby. But it is just that--a hobby. How many times have you read the comment on these pages, "I love this hobby"? Reminds me of the NBA slogan, "I love this game". But the hobby mindset is not at all the artist's mindset. I know many professional musicians--jazz, rock, and classical. Most of them have "decent" stereos and enjoy listening to music accurately reproduced. But none of them care at all about pursing relatively small improvements in stereo imaging, sounstage, hall ambience, etc. The values of the audiophile are akin to those of the model railroader, the antique car collector/restorer, the model airplane builder. Again, I am not putting this down. I have the hobbyist gene in me. I also love the audio hobby. But I also know that it is a different animal that the love of music. I know, I know, audiophiles will all tell you that it is all about the music. It IS partly about the music, and you can enjoy the music more when it is reproduced on a really really good system. But I also know that obsessing endlessly over minute imperfections and hystrionic efforts to correct them is more of an obstacle to listening intensely, intelligently, and critically to MUSIC than are the minor technical imperfections of the typical $1k midfi system. I also know that you can train yourself to hear small imperfections so well that they seem really really major. I was content with speakers for 15 years that I now can barely listen to. But I could listen to music as intelligently back then as I can now. MY wife, a professional pianist, has infinitely more educated musical intelligence than I, but she is oblivious to the sensitivity to technicalities of audio reproduction that years of obsessing have produced in me. But who hears more in a recorded performance of a Beethoven sonata? No contest. This is why most musicians scorn the audiophile as much as the audiophile scorns the Bose Wave radio.I only have one audiophile friend. He spent more on his stereo than I spent on my son's cello. He came over one day while a chamber goup was performing in the living room. He showed zero interest in hearing live music; he couldn't wait to get to the basement to hear my new speaker. To me, that said it all.
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Follow Ups
- Very thought provoking post - Tadlo 08:19:32 12/20/06 (2)
- Thank you - T&T 08:53:48 12/20/06 (1)
- Being touched moved and inspired - Ralph 11:00:23 12/20/06 (0)
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