Does you love of gear exceed your love of music?

[djb]

Thanks for all your responses, even the harsher ones. I will say that I don't care for the overplayed classic rock fm format and became an am talk radio junky… sports, politics, gardening…. I must be somewhat spoiled by my home systems as I do not care to listen to music as much on a poor car stereo or Bluetooth speaker. It’s like listening through a tv speaker. The great old bands of the 60-80’s aren’t making more music and when I hear those tracks I want to really savor them.

 

[Multicore]

I think it's unlikely you'd attract many who want to answer "Yeah, I like amplifiers more than music."

And what if someone's hobby is forever fussing with gear while playing the same old albums from his youth, and says he likes the music more than the gear, that may well be subjectively true.

 

[CapMan]

The equipment should always be in the service of the music and musicians IMHO.

 

[A Surfer]

For me, mostly music, but absolutely I enjoy gear simply for what it is. I can also appreciate the art of engineering and aesthetic design. To my eyes audio gear can be gorgeous and I have absolutely no issue stating that if I had to choose between two pieces of gear, identical performance, and one was very bland looking, and the other was gorgeous, I would likely be happy to pay a modest premium for the looks.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

If you're not obsessing over the gear
Then sorry you're not a true music lover

I can "Like" that post Pearl. As long as it is irony!

 

[GaryY]

The music from poor radio can sometimes make me cry...but any of audio gear can't do it.

Of course, my wife can make me cry everyday..

 

[JeremyFife]

Music first, always.
I think there's a threshold below which I'd think quite a lot about gear though: I happily listen to music on my Amazon Echo smart speaker, but if it was all I had then the shortcomings would be too much and I'd need to upgrade. I'd be driven to do that, perhaps to the point where it mattered more than the music, certainly to a point where I 'had' to fix my problem. Of course, that's only because I know what 'better' sounds like. Lots of people I know just don't care.
That threshold level is probably personal, highly subjective.

It's always nice to play with toys too though

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

Music first, always.
I think there's a threshold below which I'd think quite a lot about gear though: I happily listen to music on my Amazon Echo smart speaker, but if it was all I had then the shortcomings would be too much and I'd need to upgrade. I'd be driven to do that, perhaps to the point where it mattered more than the music, certainly to a point where I 'had' to fix my problem. Of course, that's only because I know what 'better' sounds like. Lots of people I know just don't care.
That threshold level is probably personal, highly subjective.

It's always nice to play with toys too though

I too, can be content with the Echo Dots, Echo and indeed the Ruark powered speakers I have Jeremy.
I always "know", that turning on the actual hi-fi will produce the "best", listening experience in our home.
I do hope that it is also music first for me, as well. I'm sure that you will recall John Miles first, and main big hit. That I hope sums it up.

 

[Vacceo]

I cannot afford the gear I love and I will not be able to quite probably ever. So I enjoy the music in what I have knowing that even with a couple Blades, it will not be 30K more love of what I listen to.

Yeaterday I got a couple Black Metal records straight from the creators. Nothing beats, not even the smell of brand new speakers, the feelings of listening to new music for the first time.

 

[Ze Frog]

I didn't realise until about a year ago that I was indeed more involved in the equipment side of things. However this really doesn't sit well and made me revaluate my position which has lead me to start offloading all my gear and go down powered monitor route in future with a one box solution for DAC,CD and Pre-amp, and maybe a turntable.

I'd much rather spend the money in future on actual physical media. Music is moving ever more into the digital domain, which while convenient really detracts from the magic of getting a physical CD or record and interacting with it and owning an actual tangible thing. I was too caught up in the next best thing, which is sad really as it literally becomes almost pointless when the whole idea of Hi-fi and music is the enjoyment it brings. There's not much enjoyment in forever chasing the latest and greatest, at least not beyond the initial first honeymoon period.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Music. I've been singing and playing music since I was a kid. When I discovered hi-fi, yup, the mono stuff, I liked it because the music sounded more natural. I go for the limits of my hearing on gear. As a result I don't spend large amounts on it. I do try to research it.

 

[A Surfer]

It isn't mutually exclusive, the next best thing, or the most convenient thing may also facilitate you enjoying music the most. It depends on the person. I grew up with vinyl and CDs. I couldn't give a rats behind about holding physical media, doesn't add anything to the experience for me, personally. I get that it can and does for others though, and I am super happy that all of us can enjoy music the way we want. Whatever floats your boat I say.

 

[Shadrach]

I think I detect an unhealthy degree of self deception in this thread.
My intitial thought is the gear is so unimportant what are these people doing on this site. The site is about the gear. Shouldn't music lovers be on sites about, well, music?
What exactly is wrong about being interested in the equipment. It doesn't mean the music is irrelevant.
Most of my best musical experiences have been on equipment that would recieve a headless panther if reviewed here on ASR.
When I want to listen to music I go to a concert. Mostly home listening is about me being impressed with the sytems capability to allow me to hear things in a mix I haven't noticed before.
Two channel stereo rarely sounds like music to me. Having seen what happens in a studio to the sacred signal there is no way I can convince myself I'm listening to anything except some very clever engineering which sometimes helps with the enjoyment of the music thats playing.
Look at all those alter like sytem pictures; you can't tell me they're about the music. All those graphs, they're about engineering, not music. I'm interested in audio reproduction and have been since my late teens and that means the equipment. Good music sounds good on whatever one plays it on in my experience.
I have over three thousand albums in flac on my hard drives. I listen to music on my equipment most days. I love the sound I get from my equipement, but it is the sound rather than the music more often than not.
I can't even listen to classical music on my system; it bears so little resemblance to the sound one gets at a concert.

 

[Liya]

I rarely read about music, I always read about gear. Before I started reading forums I always enjoyed music.
Now - 10 pair of speakes and tons of gear later - I'm rarely satisfied with the sound.
Forums - and as a result - gear, It's like an (alcohol) addiction. Now I would need to completely stop drinking.
But I will always remain an alcoholic.

In a way, I regret this hifi journey.

 

[melvinjames]

I’m a music lover, of course, but I’ve been fascinated with gear since I can remember. I was hooked the moment my 12 year old eyes and ears saw and heard my uncle Charlie’s gorgeous wall of stuff. I was just mesmerized and a lifelong curiosity was born. 54 years later I'm past the need to upgrade (or side-grade). Not sure my aging ears would be good enough anyway.

 

[MattHooper]

I love the sound I get from my equipement, but it is the sound rather than the music more often than not.
I can't even listen to classical music on my system; it bears so little resemblance to the sound one gets at a concert.

Out of curiosity, if you love the sound of music on your system, why can't you love the sound of classical music on your system, even if it doesn't happen to sound just like the real thing?

Personally I would be bummed to feel I couldn't listen to orchestral music on my system, which is one of my favourite types of music. Since total reaslism is unlikely it's always a case of to what degree the listener can meet the illusion 1/2 way. A couple nights ago I was listening to this recording of Rachmaninov's music, which featured duelling pianos:

Ashkenazy, Previn, Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 · Russian Rhapsody

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1979 Vinyl release of "Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 · Russian Rhapsody" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Leaning back on my listening sofa with eyes closed, I had the impression of listening through a deep hall space to pianos on the stage. It had enough features of the real thing that it was fairly easy to slip in to the illusion. Likewise, on good orchestral recordings, I often get the impression of Tympani way out to the corners of a big hall, or the brass section deep in a hall "lighting up" the acoustics when they play loudly, in a way very reminiscent of when I'm at the symphony.

 

[gnarly]

If you're not obsessing over the gear
Then sorry you're not a true music lover

Lordy, lordy, I hope that was a joke !!!

 

[pseudoid]

It isn't mutually exclusive,

One is the means and the other is the ends...
Then, there are personal priorities that become the proverbial bridge between the two.
My 'bridge' could never justify a "$25k - $50K turntable" in the mix.

 

[pseudoid]

It was also the late Jim "Bongo" Bongiorno's Great American Sound company.

@mhardy6647, was 'GAS' the same company as the GASWORKS?

Micheal Bettinger had mod'd my Mc275
I am in a lazy mood to do the research.

 

[Leporello]

I used to be more interested in gear (not more than music, though), but these days good enough is good enough. I do not think better gear would help me enjoy or understand music better.