"Music-First Audiophile" Manifesto by John Darko

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Music first means that you want to hear the details in the music you'd hear from a good seat at a live performance.

 

[Anton D]

An academic in my old engineering department defined the term “per” as third person non gender specific and used it throughout their PhD thesis in place of he or she - this is in the mid 90s so they were well ahead of their time!!

As for Darko’s list - I just see little point or value in his rules. I would probably just say a music first audiophile always puts the end (the music) ahead of the means (the equipment)

I think this is not a hobby that requires manifestos, he's just trying to get attention and generate conversation.

If any audiophile were really music first, places like this would not exist.

 

[teched58]

Just to be contrarian: I listen to my system. (No; I mean I LISTEN to my SYSTEM.) Often. I know very well what the Beatles sound like. So if I try a different piece of equipment in my chain, I am essentially listening to the system.

I don't make any apologies for this. If I were a musician, I'd be listening for musician things (pentatonic scales, clams, whatever the heck musicians care about).

But I'm an engineer, so I am competent (in my own mind) "listening" to the equipment.

No, I'm not a cable flat earther and I don't believe competently designed DACs sound different. I just enjoy messing around with electronics.

OF COURSE, I love the music. (Did I mention Beatles?) But if I just wanted to listen to the music, I would have a small digital system (with big speakers) and a streaming service and that'd be the end of it. Like most people.

 

[Timcognito]

The music first audiophile would have at least 51% of their threads about music regardless of the playback gear.

 

[MCH]

Darko has a few good points.

Though ultimately I feel the manifesto is along the lines of typical audiophile Virtue Signalling. "It's All About The Music" and "I Care About The Music, Unlike Those OTHER Audiophiles..."

Audiophiles have been lobbing this at each other as long as I can remember.

Well, at least, in the bunch of his videos I have seen, there is often some commentary about the music and the bands he plays during the video. In most other audio/audiophiles videos I have seen this never or seldom happens.

 

[ahofer]

It's not "Music First" unless you are listening to Carmina Burana on endless loop. Otherwise it's just Sparkling Audiophilia.

 

[DJNX]

If any audiophile were really music first, places like this would not exist.

It should be music first, though, and I think plenty of us really are so.
Also, I don't think it clashes in anyway with the usefulness or purpose of this website.

My setup has barely changed in the last 5 years, but it has been guided by the measurements provided in this website, and I don't plan to change my setup in the mid-term, probably not even in the long-term, because I'm really happy with how I enjoy music with it. It doesn't affect my participation in this website or the need for the website to keep making reviews.

--

About Darko himself, although there is not a lack of things for me to disagree with him, I think, overall, he is putting a grain of salt for leading "audiophilia" to a better spot.
His digging into airplay, and streaming services, his shift into prioritizing room acoustics, and him always bringing up differences in mastering among different formats or releases, is a good thing.
This list I like too, even if I might disagree with a couple of points or so.

 

[Ghostofmerlin]

"Grime" is a form of music?

You learn something every day!

 

[Ron Texas]

Music should be first, but not with all the complications Darko attaches to it.

 

[Jimbob54]

Reference grade navel gazing.

 

[MattHooper]

Reference grade navel gazing.

Well..to be fair..look at any audiophile forum, including this one...

 

[BrooklynNick]

I think that debating the merits of each item misses the point of this list. Darko's site is about gear, not music (for the most part). Darko is saying that he and his readers care about music and that "objectivists" (ASR) only care about measurements. It is a way for him to justify his unscientific approach to choosing equipment and to "other" those who don't agree. Don't you know that he is the one true audiophile?

 

[Anton D]

Well..to be fair..look at any audiophile forum, including this one...

Yeah, but on this one, so many people who want to rant about other people's navels.

 

[egellings]

Darko has already stated in a video that he puts doorstops on DACs to prevent them from falling on the floor under the weight/pulling of connected cables, not to allegedly "improve" the sound.

Those super-duper cables sure do, though.

 

[Peterinvan]

Music first means that you want to hear the details in the music you'd hear from a good seat at a live performance.

Live performances can be awful! The deaf guy on the mixing board, the acoustics of the venue and your seat position play a large part in what you are experiencing. Apart from the communal shared energy, I prefer a well produced recording.

IMHO good engineers will produce a balanced stage with pin point accuracy on the instruments and performers. It's an illusion, but can be way more enjoyable and easy on the ears.

 

[MattHooper]

I think that debating the merits of each item misses the point of this list. Darko's site is about gear, not music (for the most part). Darko is saying that he and his readers care about music and that "objectivists" (ASR) only care about measurements. It is a way for him to justify his unscientific approach to choosing equipment and to "other" those who don't agree. Don't you know that he is the one true audiophile?

I don't see it that way. Darko has taken the occasional pot shot at the ASR crowd. But this particular screed seems more aimed at audiophiles generally - as much as the audiophiles emphasizing tweaks, cables and other gear over the music, as anyone else. As I indicated, it's an extension of the critiques audiophiles have been lobbing at other audiophile on the subjective-oriented forums, for years.

 

[Overseas]

Who is 'she' in this manifesto!?

 

[Overseas]

So Darko will resign from the super duper EISA committee to focus on music, hobby, being a music lover all the way!?

 

[kevinh]

So a lot of music I enjoy isn't available in ideal formats (youtube specifically). I hope my equipment can get the most from the recordings. A lot of live performances I love that were never released on record or cd. I don;t care about the shortcomings of the recording if the music is good. Lots of live bluegrass content available these days. Deadhead and lots of live performances from different era, old Jazz recordings ect.

 

[Tell]

Well yeah, music was of course first. I've been listening to music constantly since I was like two or three years old using the simplest tape deck there was enjoying the music I had back then. But ever since then I've been upgrading my system slowly but steady until were I am today because I want music to sound as good as it possibly can (well at first I guess louder was the main focus but have slightly shifted over the years).
But now I wouldn't say that music comes first really, I mean I wouldn't ever listen to music on my phone speaker if that was the only thing I had at hand. Nope not ever, I'd rather have silence than listening to music on a ****** sound system! But I won't use music to listen to my sound system either. It's all about balance. As with everything in life of course