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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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In Reply to: RE: Faith got's nothing to do with it! posted by Art Dudley on July 10, 2012 at 06:08:59:
Well, this is still very confusing. You clearly state in the article: "That evening was when I finally put my finger on the quality that separates me from the non-audiophile: faith. I believe. like Frankie Lane and the Buzzcoks and Saint Anthony, I believe. For no good reason, I believe." My problem is with your "for no good reason, I believe." Clearly, you have heard thousands of audio components over the years, and, clearly, your experience has led you to the KNOWLEDGE that some components sound better than others. And no, I do NOT believe that you actually became an audiophile because, at some point, you just decided that there "MUST be a better way to listen to records than on a Webcor record player--just as some people come away from their first trip to the theater or their first cigar or their first glass of wine and think: THAT WAS ALL RIGHT, BUT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING BETTER". IMO, this is simply nonsense. Of course, from a very early age, we ALL learn that we prefer some things to others. It would be an EXTREMELY nonsensical conclusion to make, after experiencing something for the first time, that that first experience, would be the "best ever" experience of that kind. That belief in "something better" is based on our experience from the time we were babies. No one ever, after tasting a great wine for the first time, kept tasting more wine based on faith that something better exists. First, our wine drinker might well decide that other wines might be interesting (not necessarily "better") in different ways than that first ever great wine. Second, wines (and cigars and audio equipment) are complex things, and different wines (or cigars or audio units) might be superior to that first experience in different aspects. A new wine might have a better finish than that first wine. Or a better aroma. Or be better balanced. Ditto for new cigars or audio equipment. All this is based on our experience. Nor do I believe that "the best any of us can do is to let the world see, at every opportunity, how recorded music has made us happy in an otherwise unhappy world." All my non-audiophile friends know that I love my audio system and that listening to it makes me happy. It's NOT that knowledge, but the direct experience of a great audio system that converted many of my non-audiophile friends. And, yes, in all this, a religious type faith contributes NOTHING. In fact, religious faith is the EXACT OPPOSITE of an audiophile or an enophile quest for the best or the better. Religious faith leads to the belief that one has found the ultimate truth, that God favors your religion to all others. Your church tells you to perform those rituals, that they are approved by God (or approved by God's chosen leaders, which is the same thing). A true audiophile or enophile does not blindly follow the pronouncements of an expert, but makes his own judgements, based on his experience. Those who blindly follow either an audio critic (say MF) or a wine reviewer (say Robert Parker), DO have a similar faith much like authoritarian religious faith: whatever the leader tells them, they believe.
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Follow Ups
- RE: Faith got's nothing to do with it! - the old school 11:17:18 07/19/12 (0)
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