I thought of this thread today when I was in my listening/hang-out room reading, and also peering appreciatively at my 2 channel speakers. I love the way they look!
So I was thinking about the issue of spending Big Bucks on audio. Some here I believe have a mostly utilitarian attitude towards audio gear: the cheaper the better, so long as it has the right specs, and looks aren't a big deal. Others do care about gear looks/quality, but still mostly I think like the idea of the gear just disappearing, in other words "I want a neutral system so I don't think about the gear when I use it."
I enjoy The Gear too, along with the music. I like also thinking about the gear sometimes in the sense of appreciating how it looks, and it's contribution to the sound I sought to achieve.
But another thing is: for me a bit of "unobtanium" factor is also kind of nice. And I mean "unobtanium" for me, my financial circumstances. For instance, I always liked MBL omni speakers, and since I enjoyed the design, and fit and finish, they were very luxurious in my mind, but were just way beyond my means. They were aspirational. When I actually had a chance to buy some MBL speakers it was sort of like catching my White Whale. I got a great price all things considered, but their new price was way beyond what I could have afforded. That factor always stuck with me. When I had them set up in my listening room I'd so often think "man, I can't believe I finally own these things!" Even when they were off-duty, stored against the wall in my work room I'd still look over at them, and think "holy cow! I own those friggin' things!" The effort and money...and the fact they looked like a million bucks...really did add satisfaction.
The same goes for my current 2 channel speakers, which I fell in love with at a store audition when I went in meaning to audition only a less expensive model. Once I heard them I had to have them, but it took me YEARS to afford them. They were my most expensive audio purchase ever by quite a bit. And that too plays in to some of the satisfaction. I keep pinching myself when I listen to them, or even just look at them sitting in my room, that I managed to get a pair, and, important to me, they don't look cheap, they look to me "worth the money" kind of thing. These speakers would be nothing to a rich person, but to me they were aspirational and mean quite a lot.
So, at least for me spending "big bucks" for something that feels worth the big bucks can be a satisfying factor. When you managed to get something that took time, effort, some level of a financial stretch, to obtain.
Does anyone else in this cold, dark forum vibe with this or am I on my own?
