Does you love of gear exceed your love of music?

[djb]

Serious question. I have had nice systems for years, but really got into the hobby and more expensive gear the past 2 years. It's been fun but the constant 'need' to upgrade or pick the right purchase is to the point of fatigue. I make a good living but I am kind of tired of chasing the next improvement. Seriously, wondering if I now just love the gear more than just enjoying the music it plays. It gets oddly anxiety inducing.

I have a new pair of Linton's that I do want to get a new preamp/amp for. After that I think I need to step away from the boards and/or youtube influencers for while. Anyone else feel the same, now or previously? If so, how do you just be satisfied?

 

[617]

I don't like the gear at all.

 

[Ron Texas]

Short answer, no. I see this problem with every hobby, sport or activity which requires gear. Photographers have it especially bad.

 

[Platypus20]

Isn’t it 50/50 you want/need good equipment to fully enjoy the music

 

[gsp1971]

No way.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

The solution is to understand yourself. If you're the type that fixates on equipment, ask yourself why.

I'm the opposite; I fixate on music, and the equipment is just a means to an end. Music (to me) is unlimited travel to all times and places and meeting all sorts of people. It's release from the daily humdrum, and it's access to whatever I need at the moment; spiritual, carnal or cerebral.

Music is travel all over the earth. Equipment is just the shoes you wear to get there.

Jim

 

[Snarfie]

The Bose Wave Music System is good for the love/relationship, we now try to guess who is singing during dinner, bonus point if you also guess the song title correctly. The Bose dab radio is the referee. Using the remote control you can, among other things, make the title visible in the title bar. Bought the Bose last week in a thrift store for 10,- euro. The mancave with serious gear an room acoustics is not take serious by the Wife. But we both love the Bose. .

 

[sleepy.sock]

No way. Gear is a largely about debugging problems and accepting compromises. Only reason for dipping into gear or upgrading gear is to take advantage of the genuine and exciting engineering advances in recent years. Listening to music, or making music, is the goal.

 

[pablolie]

Never has, even back in the days when I hungered for the latest and greatest gear, music was the absolute priority.

 

[SteveC]

Mostly the music, but some days I do enjoy playing with my system! That does still involve music, but sometimes there are also test tones and pink noise.

 

[pablolie]

Mostly the music, but some days I do enjoy playing with my system! That does still involve music, but sometimes there are also test tones and pink noise.

I do that when I set up the system, then never again. Last time was about 3 or 4 years ago. Then it's just about listening and chilling.

Sometimes I wonder if there's a business opportunity on a site like this for a 1-2 month subscription to optimally set up a new system... test tones and such, but also a temporary measurement and optimization setup, with even a premium tier that gives a few hours of access to expert advice (which this community provides for free :-D).

 

[gsp1971]

I do that when I set up the system. Then it's just about listening and chilling.

That's the spirit!

 

[kemmler3D]

Sounds like a classic case of chronic upgradeitis.

For my part, I love music more than gear by a long shot. I'd still probably listen to music just as much if I only had $20 headphones and a crappy BT speaker to listen to.

So why am I on this forum to talk about gear? (Why are any of us?)

Personally I also find AUDIO interesting in and of itself. I have always found it fascinating how whole worlds come out of those little lines you see on an oscilloscope. I find psychoacoustics, sources of, and cures for distortion interesting for their own sake. So the gear comes along naturally with that interest.

Being interested in audio and interested in music are two different things that happen to have a lot of overlap.

After that I think I need to step away from the boards and/or youtube influencers for while. Anyone else feel the same, now or previously? If so, how do you just be satisfied?

Reading about gear can definitely inflame the upgradeitis. I think that if you're not in the market for gear, don't read/watch reviews of gear. And you should only be in the market for gear if you have a specific reason to be. If you want to push your system without spending money, dialing in DSP can be a way to spend time and effort improving the system, but not very much money.

 

[Steve Dallas]

Not at all. Other than having to buy a new AVR because mine died prematurely, I have not purchased any gear in a few years. I do sit down and listen to music at least twice per week.

On the front of making music, unfortunately yes. I would rather tinker with guitars and amplifiers than actually improve my playing, which is a problem I am actively trying to rectify now. GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) is a real thing.

 

[Canuck57]

Guilty as charged..

 

[djb]

The solution is to understand yourself. If you're the type that fixates on equipment, ask yourself why.

I'm the opposite; I fixate on music, and the equipment is just a means to an end. Music (to me) is unlimited travel to all times and places and meeting all sorts of people. It's release from the daily humdrum, and it's access to whatever I need at the moment; spiritual, carnal or cerebral.

Music is travel all over the earth. Equipment is just the shoes you wear to get there.

Jim

I guess the fear of the music not being as good as possible is what i am getting at. Then you can get so focused on the rabbit hole that you forget the end goal.

 

[pablolie]

Guilty as charged..

I gave u a free "like" because you have the guts to say it!

I completely get the love of audio jewelry and/or the quest for ever better specs. I engaged myself in audio obsession at times, and still subscribe to some audiophile mags... Stereophile (which I shall always have!), German "Audio + Stereoplay" (which used to be separate but were consolidated into one last year) and I admit also "What HiFi"... hey it's got nice pics and is kinda the National Enquirer in the audio press. :-D

But I think over 5k albums and a library of over 55k songs show I am about music.

 

[restorer-john]

That age old question again.

There is no one answer- it is different for everyone. Without music, all you are listening to is test tones, voice recordings and radio announcers. Without good equipment, we'd all still be listening to telephone quality audio through an acoustic horn.

It doesn't matter whether one week you are using the music to listen to the equipment or the next week forgetting about the gear and listening to the sound.

For all those people chasing single numbers and buying silly little single function boxes based on incomplete internet reviews- you are likely to have your wallet gradually milked dry, and end up with a few cupboards full of obsolete pieces of gear that may have only been used for a short time. $5 for a box-full at a future yard sale... I'd get off that carousel really fast- it's just running in circles.

 

[restorer-john]

But I think over 5k albums and a library of over 55k songs show I am about music.

Maybe. But you could also just be a music "collector"

 

[Robin L]

The amount I've invested in music is much greater than invested in gear.