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Stealing the thunder of the latest Stereophile "As we see it"
Where in the great Jason Victor Serinus bring us the though of thinking of our audio nervosa not as a mere 'hobby' but rather as a 'lifestyle'.
Hell yeah. That is way more to the point.
So I agree totally with calling my audio fixation a
LIFESTYLE.. and walk on happy with my new self admiration.
So now, when folks visit, and gape at the giant door size speakers dominating one end of my living room.. Along with a full wall of electronic dodads. Plus the walls everywhere covered with albums in both CD and LP.. even the bedroom..
This is not madness, nor some mere hobby. NOW I BOLDLY can proclaim this is a LIFESTYLE.
I feel better already.
Follow Ups:
Here are two definitions of "fetish": (1) an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit (2) an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion. (I won't even delve into the sex-related definition!)
For some audiophiles I think either or both of these meanings are more apt than either hobby or lifestyle. Just spend some time on the Vinyl Asylum to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
For me, at different times either hobby or fetish would have applied, but never lifestyle (a much misused and abused word in my opinion).
Here is an example of an audio fetish--ad copy for a $175 fuse encountered today on A'Gon. Name of advertiser altered slightly, but the rest is verbatim:
"The Beeswax version is identical to the Premiere version the only difference is Audioholic Magnificence uses Beeswax instead of the normal anti vibration fluid, this gives the fuse a very organic flavor but maintains the detail, dynamics and everything the Premier does. The production of this fuse is very difficult, very hard to get the Beeswax into the fuse but the organic sound is too good to ignore."
In the end, I suppose, if one hears a difference, there is a difference, although I must admit that I used to hear differences that I no longer do. Can't say if that's because I'm getting older with a natural decline in aural acuity or if I've just become jaded.
.
Semantics aside, when I strived to have the loudest and cleanest sounding stereo on the block, it was a lifestyle.
Later on. after reading audio magazines and challenging myself for better sound, it became a hobby.
Now, that days of the pure chase have seemingly subsided, it feels more lifestyle like.
Maybe I should start reading the hi-fi mags again. Who knows - they might have something new and useful to say.
:)
Could be a mental disorder-one where well meaning music lovers start buying and selling perfectly good equipment in order to feed the need for better sound which is often only an illusion. It's a slippery slope folks-quit reading (and believing) the audio rags and get back to enjoying music again and stop with the delusional thinking that your "hobby" will provide satisfaction and happiness or that different somehow means better.
Nt
The one sense I am hobbled by audio as a hobble is MOVING.
Moving is a total PITA.
Primarily due to moving the media.
Last time I threw away 7,000 LPs (of 13,000) to move.
And I was lucky I was able to use a storage locker at the new place to move my LPs and CDs in advance.
I am hoping to never have to move again... until that last big move...
I really can't say, though I tend toward hobby. But whenever I look at an elaborately styled house I look for some sign of a quality audio system. Most of the time, there isn't one.
Music is Part of your life, the stereo system is a means to an end!
====
"We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo
the music came first (ttens), then my 45s sounded SO much better on my friend's dad's radio shack component (mono) system that he built a cabinet for. i KNEW then i would have to get real equipment for listening.
flash to 30y.o. and more musical desire. flash to 72y.o., still improving.
...regards...tr
..."As We See It" in the latest Stereophile (August), it would appear that our hobby of striving to reproduce music more realistically as audiophiles has morphed into a lifestyle choice of having some decent music reproduction equipment in the home to listen to music with others.
Really? I have both.
Since the younger generation are listening to headphones these days, I'm not sure where they fall in this dichotomy.
Always worked in my hobby. Not sure what retirement looks like...
Best regards,
Jim Smith
I read an article once about some Japanese audiophile/music lovers that live in tiny apartments and drove crappy cars just so they can enjoy better tube electronics with large horn loaded high-efficiency loudspeakers. Now that is a lifestyle. When I looked at the pictures I wondered how the can get great sound from speakers that look WAY to large for their tiny living rooms. In some cases, it was one room that combined the living, bed, kitchen, and bathroom.....
Yes! Definitely.
others who understand. I can understand it being a hobby for some. But I began buying records when I was 8 yrs old. I'm 66 now. I had a good audio system from my late 20's. Before that I had adequate systems. But my 20's brought about a good system (HK 730, Large Advents) which stayed as my system for nearly 20 yrs, at least the HK 730 did. I never thought of myself as an audiophile. I don't care for jazz, dislike most female vocals and have no desire for the music mostly played in the shows and as demo disks in the, mostly now defunct, stereo stores.
Sorry for the long post.
=========================
You paid HOW MUCH for that electrical receptacle?!!! Are YOU nuts?
nt
all the best,
mrh
The entire Bose method of advertising the past 30 or so years has focused on LIFESTYLE
(a term I despise) to great effect.
REALLY despise the "lifestyle" music concept.
Hobby... yeah some of it is.
Passion? Certainly a lot of it is.
Obsession? Sure there have been years of that, some more obsessful than others.
Overall though, it's just a way of life, no big deal, no explanations necessary, no need to define it.
But glad you're digging your lifestyle.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I like music. I like equipment which makes the music I like sound
reasonably realistic. Once I have the equipment that does that,
I am happy and see no reason to change it. I do, however, enjoy reading
Stereophile and TAS. And I enjoy reading INTELLIGENT music reviews.
John Marks is by far my favorite equipment and music reviewer.
(nt)
Use to be a HOBBY for me as I fiddled a lot and collected a lot.
Turning into a lifestyle as I listen a lot now.
Both for me.
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