This all becomes something of a return to original state for at least some of us. I came into the audio hobby as a skeptic who just wanted to re-capture the enjoyment of spinning records, something I grew up with. I scoffed, rightfully, at the expense and silliness. Still, I soon sound the forums and dove into the hobby head first. I became the consummate fart sniffer, posting frequently and using the audiophool-approved terms-of-art, which of course produce a lexicon that perfectly supports the magical thinking that has poisoned the hobby.
I have been cleansing in recent months, listening to digital, spending more time in these forums, and returning to a healthy skepticism about the entire hobby that has already saved me many hundreds of dollars on gear acquisition and cycling. A few snide remarks aside, ASR is a rare voice of reason in the audio world. How is it that so many of the other forums sing the same tune when it comes to subjectivist, gear-chasing aspects of the hobby? I've also noticed that mentioning ASR on the other forums draws attackers as if moths to a flame. I'm becoming more and more suspicious about the extent to which hobbyist forums are populated/influenced by those with financial interest in audio.
