Does you love of gear exceed your love of music?

[Mikig]

I'll ask you a question!
why are so many obsessed with continuous changes and looking for the famous "analogue" performances in the world of 24 or 32 bit digital devices which, as I note from this Meridian manual, these performances are in the world of 11 and 13 bits??

is this a contradiction??

PS the manual is Italian version

 

[pablolie]

I share his passion for FM. Always been one of my favourite mediums.

i used to love FM but all my stations died.

 

[kemmler3D]

why are so many obsessed with continuous changes and looking for the famous "analogue" performances in the world of 24 or 32 bit digital devices which, as I note from this Meridian manual, these performances are in the world of 11 and 13 bits??

is this a contradiction??

This apparent contradiction is because some people do not believe, or do not understand, that a digital signal can reproduce the original analog signal (audibly) perfectly. Some will say that digital has limited resolution and analog has unlimited resolution. Some are just hazy on how digital audio actually works. Or they simply find the idea of analog reproduction appealing for pure emotional reasons.

 

[Mikig]

This apparent contradiction is because some people do not believe, or do not understand, that a digital signal can reproduce the original analog signal (audibly) perfectly. Some will say that digital has limited resolution and analog has unlimited resolution. Some are just hazy on how digital audio actually works. Or they simply find the idea of analog reproduction appealing for pure emotional reasons.

yes
but if the analogue sound is pure emotion, 11-13 bit, why look for it in a 32 bit digital device.
It's like looking for the thrill of driving a Jaguar Mk2 using a Tesla....

 

[DonR]

i used to love FM but all my stations died.

I still have at least a dozen good stations worth listening to and several HD versions as well. Unfortunately, I think the end is coming in another decade or so.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

In response to the titular question*: I don't think so.

____________
* maybe this thread should've included a poll?


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

No. Definitely not you. Don’t worry.

 

[mhardy6647]

i used to love FM but all my stations died.

That's too bad -- there used to be some pretty good ones in the Bay Area.

 

[mhardy6647]

No. Definitely not you. Don’t worry.

heh-heh-heh.
It's all relative.
I really do love music of many different kinds.

 

[Mnyb]

A bit of both I’m interested and fascinated by hifi equipment and it’s design. Historically it was more fun as many problems are solved today and some conformity is reached and in it’s later stages the hifi interest spiralled into snake oil territory with more faux progress than real progress .

But my gear interest is rekindled as I think speakers got a lot better in the last two decades and powerful DSP more common and the options for active speakers outside of a studio is ever increasing.

 

[pseudoid]

Getting nostalgic about FM: I could sympathize with the dearly-departed or duly-parted!
FM music radio became its own enemy, neglect and greed brought it to its own knees and then the DJs assured us it was about them and not the music.
Bye-bye.

 

[prasanth.nath]

Yes.
I have learned to live with this fact, much as I don't want to accept it.
Of course, one can pretend otherwise and be in self denial.

 

[Anton D]

That's too bad -- there used to be some pretty good ones in the Bay Area.

There was a time!

I certainly miss those days.

I was the king of ‘My Three Songs,’ too.

 

[Chrispy]

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?

Been a long time since I thought the gear was limiting the actual music.....I just like the gear to be able to play the content I have well. The constant upgrade thing starts with poor decisions and possibly listening from there with poor subjective reviews (largely worthless IMO). It's easy to be satisfied unless you're committed to the concept of consumerism/price points/ignoring technology....

 

[kemmler3D]

FM music radio became its own enemy, neglect and greed brought it to its own knees and then the DJs assured us it was about them and not the music.
Bye-bye.

At least as far as the US goes:

Neglect: Clinton's telecommunications act of 1996 allowing increased consolidation of media outlets.

Greed: Clear channel (iHeart Media) buying up every station they could in the years after and turning them into a series of carbon copies.

They've even extended their tendrils overseas!

 

[jsrtheta]

There was the old question to see where your priorities were: have you spent more on music or your gear? This was generally the "purity test" where, if you've done it "right," you have spent more on music because it's always supposed to "be about the music."

It's interesting how this plays out for new-gen audiophiles in the age of streaming. If someone purchases, say, a pair of Revel Salon 2, or any of the expensive powered speakers some here lust over, and yet their source is a streaming service, it will be quite hard to get to the "invested more in music than my gear" stage. That monetary comparison would no longer be a measure of anything relevant.

Well damn!

I coulda saved a fortune...

 

[Robin L]

There was the old question to see where your priorities were: have you spent more on music or your gear? This was generally the "purity test" where, if you've done it "right," you have spent more on music because it's always supposed to "be about the music."

It's interesting how this plays out for new-gen audiophiles in the age of streaming. If someone purchases, say, a pair of Revel Salon 2, or any of the expensive powered speakers some here lust over, and yet their source is a streaming service, it will be quite hard to get to the "invested more in music than my gear" stage. That monetary comparison would no longer be a measure of anything relevant.

A: Well, you got to take into consideration that I'm a certified senior citizen, so I have to start counting my music purchases around 1970 and . . .

B: As the bulk of my gear was bought real cheap at thrift stores and the like, I now have more sunk into headphones than anything else. Total cost of my gear (other than the headphones) is in the neighborhood of $500 and while it isn't as high end as what your using, it's not too shabby either. That $30 pair of Infinity Primus towers is one hell of a deal.

I doubt I'll stream, for various reasons including my experiences of the signal having dropouts. I've already got lots of CDs and intend to have more. Different priorities, just like anyone else involved with this hobby.

Finally, my playback gear or recordings do not have to be "perfect" in order for me to enjoy music. Some of my favorite classical music recordings are Willem Mengelberg's 1920s recordings of the Concertgebouw.

 

[MattHooper]

A: Well, you got to take into consideration that I'm a certified senior citizen, so I have to start counting my music purchases around 1970 and . . .

B: As the bulk of my gear was bought real cheap at thrift stores and the like, I now have more sunk into headphones than anything else. Total cost of my gear (other than the headphones) is in the neighborhood of $500 and while it isn't as high end as what your using, it's not too shabby either. That $30 pair of Infinity Primus towers is one hell of a deal.

I doubt I'll stream, for various reasons including my experiences of the signal having dropouts. I've already got lots of CDs and intend to have more. Different priorities, just like anyone else involved with this hobby.

Finally, my playback gear or recordings do not have to be "perfect" in order for me to enjoy music. Some of my favorite classical music recordings are Willem Mengelberg's 1920s recordings of the Concertgebouw.

Yes, I certainly understood where you’re coming from. I believe majority a here, including myself, our old fogeys.

Even back in the CD days, we could talk about how much we spent on music. But now for 10 bucks a month having much of the world at your fingertips? Wild.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

No.

This forum definitely has a kind of 'alcoholic anonymous' vibe from some of the members though.

 

[Snarfie]

I share his passion for FM. Always been one of my favourite mediums.

Just rediscoverd radio (dab) when i came a cross in a thrift store a good working Bose Wave Music System. Not FM but close enough

 

[Waxx]

I don't replace gear except when it's broken beyond repair or not fit for the function. Some of my gear is decades old, some less than a year. I spend way more on music than on gear i think, especially that i'm a vinyl fan that still buy a lot of vynil records...