Why?

[Berwhale]

Came for the reviews, stayed for the reviews, techincal discussions and nice people.

 

[Jinjuku]

Being a lurker. A member has been enormously educational. Thank you all.

I’d love to know what you “collectively” are after.

So much here is about consumption.

Buying more stuff.

Do you need it?

DACs (RME AFI-2 DAC for example) and amps (any Purifi based) are essentially perfect. Anything more is numbers. And extension.

Do you need it

Yes, we need to consume and fill up landfills with oodles of un-recyclable, toxic, waste. The more the better.

You feeling better via self-righteousness now?

 

[tomtoo]

Might be a better question for a forum where more expensive is always better.

Good point.

 

[DonH56]

Buying more stuff? More like using measurements to identify affordable products that improve our systems and pleasure in music (movies, whatever). There are plenty of other fora focused on buying more stuff, and for the most money possible.

 

[gsp1971]

Thank you tomtoo. I was trying to spark a deeper philosophical debate. Clearly I failed. Miserably.

Personally, I want to move away from my 5.1 system and put together a 2ch system. Researching reviews on the internet led me to ASR. And I got hooked. I am am trying to make a shortlist of well-engineered components (amps & speaker) without paying over the odds, which I will then audition.
Once there, that will be my end game.

 

[gsp1971]

Now regarding the philosophical aspect of things would be something like "why do you buy a $3,000 watch when a $300 one will give you the same result, which is show the time accurately"?
It could be any number of reasons:

• Greed?
• Peer acceptance?
• Self-vindication?
• Need for status?
• To impress a certain someone?

 

[voodooless]

Well, in a sense, we are worse than the "others": They spend loads of money on relatively the same environmental impact, imagine a € 1000 RCA cable for instance. We buy 5 for 50,- and don't care when one is lost.. another one is cheap to replace it. The € 1000 cable, on the other hand, is not thrown away. It's cherished and sold for again way too much to the next gullible soul who will also cherish it for a while.

... I guess that makes us more evil ...

 

[JayGilb]

For me personally - I haven't purchased any new home audio equipment in over 15 years and am happy with my current setup.
I stumbled onto this website after watching youtube videos where I found myself frustrated with people purchasing expensive gear based on "golden ear" reviewer's suggestions. Being an electrical engineer and spending a lifetime basing my decisions on real measurable data, I found this site and Amir's approach a breath of fresh air.

After spending a few weeks perusing this site, I find it is populated with audio enthusiasts ranging from numbers people to golden ears and I enjoy and respect all of their comments.

 

[Tom C]

There are lots of really smart people here, both among the experts and the casual enthusiasts. A love for music, a fascination with gear, truth seeking, a bias against exaggerated claims, and a distaste for manufacturers ripping off consumers I think are values shared by the members here.
And yes, thanks to Amir and this fine community, I finally have stuff I am very satisfied with. The only reasons to buy more are for using in needs for different applications.

 

[Jimbob54]

No harm done. My first (and second) read of your OP was that it was critical rather than philosophical in nature. Implying we are all horrid excessive consumers chasing the unattainable and enjoying the consuming/ purchasing more than the enjoyment of the music.

I'll take you at your word that wasnt the intention, but still question how you expect to summarise what surely must be a whole different bundle of reasons for being here by the responses of anyone that replies directly.

There are at least 5 broad types of people on here I have observed, excluding the lurkers who never post:

1. The people who have landed here seeking help with an existing set up/ purchase
2. Those seeking the answer to the elusive question of "What DAC/Amp will be best for my [popular headphone model]?" Or broader advice around potential purchases/ reviews.
3. People on here for something to do/ read/ discuss- same as on any hobby related forum.
4. Those with actual knowledge/ involvement in the industry who may be here to converse with others like them and/ or support the amateurs. Easy to confuse those with actual knowledge and insight with the know it alls (lets call them subset 4a)
5. Lets not forget the beloved trolls.

 

[Trell]

What are you after people?

Is it the unattainable?

Do you just want more stuff?

Can you be happy with what you’ve achieved/got?

Just why?

Hehe, you might like the following quote from https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2013/12/enough/

"I found this interesting story in John Bogle’s book, Don’t Count on It:​

​

At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, the late Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, author Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel, Catch-22, over its whole history. Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have – enough.” "​

 

[Martin]

I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. I have a good career and I earn decent money. I want the best I can afford. I buy used, refurbished, close outs and new (if the price is right). I’m here because ASR has saved me from buying expensive poor performing equipment and has allowed me to assemble good sounding, pleasing to me, audio systems. I occasionally get the upgrade bug but when I look and listen to what I have I am happy. I recently passed on an opportunity to purchase a $5000 pair of speakers because, after a long and thoughtful deliberation, I decided there were much better uses for that $5000 in my life. I am here because I love music and science. This seems like the best place on the internet for those with that combination of beliefs.

Martin

 

[Marc v E]

On the philosophical part: most people ime are after gain, fame, pleasure and praise.
A bit boring and tiring considering it's all to do with competition amongst each other and how others perceive you.
I rather try to stay true to myself.

Considering the forum part: I think it's wonderful to be part of this forum. So much to learn, laugh and read.

 

[Lupin]

Be honest wouldn't it be nice to be able to be ignorant sometimes and just play and enjoy the music on the equipment you happen to have and be satisfied, happy and completely content with it?
The curse of the audiophile is that there is always that "itch" to upgrade as that new piece of gear might just make the music sound that tad better. In the end the audiophile spends most of his/her time worrying and knit picking about every micro detail while listing to music and stops doing how it got all started in the first place, simply enjoying music and listing to it.

 

[gsp1971]

Be honest wouldn't it be nice to be able to be ignorant sometimes and just play and enjoy the music on the equipment you happen to have and be satisfied, happy and completely content with it?
The curse of the audiophile is that there is always that "itch" to upgrade as that new piece of gear might just make the music sound that tad better. In the end the audiophile spends most of his/her time worrying and knit picking about every micro detail while listing to music and stops doing how it got all started in the first place, simply enjoying music and listing to it.

audiophiles vs. music lovers then.

 

[andyc56]

Why not?

 

[tmtomh]

Thank you tomtoo. I was trying to spark a deeper philosophical debate. Clearly I failed. Miserably.

You didn't fail miserably - but the reason you're not getting the replies you're looking for is that this is not the ideal forum to pose the philosophical question you're posing.

The reason this is not the ideal forum is because ASR is precisely not about just buying more and more stuff all the time. The idea that certain DACs and amps are "essentially perfect" is an idea that many ASR members agree with and often actively promote. The constant consumption, the constant purchasing of new equipment on an endless "upgrade" cycle, is something stoked by manufacturers and by trade publications and forums that embrace a more subjectivist approach. The idea that a $300 - or even $150 - DAC can sound just as good as a $15,000 DAC is an idea that people at ASR are very much open to, and again will often activity state themselves. This idea, however, is not an idea that's likley to be widely believed at more subjectivist forums or in the pages of The Absolute Sound or Stereophile.

Now of course since this is a place where lots of equipment is tested, it does get people thinking about buying gear. But that's true of any hobby - or business, or whatever - involving goods that are produced and sold in a capitalist economy. I certainly agree with the idea - which comes from Marx, really - that capitalism essentially takes some of what makes us human and then forces us to work for wages so we can buy back that thing that has been taken from us. In some of his earlier writings, Marx says in effect that an essential part of being human is objectifying oneself in the world, in other words making things. In his view capitalism turns that human making of things into an alienated process of for-profit production and wage labor. Is that deep enough philosophically for you?

But back to ASR: to put it more simply, there is a thread here asking people to list gear they've bought because of Amir's reviews - but there's also another thread here asking folks to list gear they haven't bought, based on Amir's reviews. Most other places don't have that second kind of thread.

 

[MRC01]

Yes, we need to consume and fill up landfills with oodles of un-recyclable, toxic, waste. The more the better. ...

Buying more stuff? More like using measurements to identify affordable products that improve our systems and pleasure in music (movies, whatever). ...

This relates to the topic of reliability and durability. This has been discussed here before. I believe am not alone among members here in being willing to pay considerably more for equipment that is well made that will last for years if not decades. Even if its peformance is no different from much cheaper gear that measures well. There are objective ways to measure reliability and longevity, but it's hard (impossible?) to do that in a short time. Sure you can open it up and look for obvious things. But there's much more to it than that.

 

[tomtoo]

"...You didn't fail miserably - but the reason you're not getting the replies you're looking for is that this is not the ideal forum to pose the philosophical question you're posing...."

I would be realy happy if someone could explain me the philosophical question behind? I just dont get it.

To be honest it feels strange. The OP has a topnotch system and asks isnt that enough? Thats like standing on mount everest and asking others why they climb mountans??? Iam sure it is not meant like this, but if someone asks about philosophy the person should first asks about own philosophy.

 

[Raindog123]

Funny part, since I discovered ASR I _sold_ more of my old equipment than I bought new (in terms of $$). So much for “more” stuff.