To what extent is this a ‘hobby’?

[Digby]

Like, I don't think merely watching movies is a hobby. Being a cinephile can be a hobby if you spend a significant amount of time reading about, seeking out, and evaluating movies, maybe. It's a blurry line.

I agree. I think someone said earlier that a person who buys a walkman because 'it has the highest performance in their price range' (paraphrasing somewhat) is an audiophile. I'm not sure I agree, the audiophile is someone who spends 15 to 20 hours (numbers pulled from thin air, but rather more than an hour I think) researching and comparing walkmans to find out which one is best suited for their needs. It is the engagement with the topic itself, rather than just picking a high performance item, that makes someone an audiophile.

Exactly where the engagement begins and ends is, as you say, rather blurry.

Your spouse, accountant, or psychiatrist.

Judge, jury and executioner - probably in reverse order to how you wrote it.

 

[DVDdoug]

I'd only consider building equipment to be a hobby... Not playing & enjoying good-sounding audio. And, maybe hanging-around here is a "hobby". I mostly consider audio to be an "interest".

I occasionally build speakers and I used to build electronics. But electronics is usually now cheaper to buy than to build, and it's way more complicated now so I may not build any more audio electronics. Unless something has changed, you can't even buy the chips for Dolby decoding. And I would never have attempted to build a receiver or tuner. (I don't have any RF test equipment and that kind of thing gets finicky).

...I am currently thinking building something wimple that's "audio related".

 

[Digby]

And, maybe hanging-around here is a "hobby". I mostly consider audio to be an "interest".

Perhaps hobbies should be uninteresting, then they won't be mistaken for an interest - like, fly fishing for example, but no doubt someone will say the zen like quality they achieve while waiting for a bite is interesting, so perhaps you just can't win...?

 

[Berwhale]

Wang Chung (Mosaic, 1986) said it better in their song, 'the world in which we live':

The world is a mosaic, upon a golden floor,
Moving silently, darkly through space.
And our lives are the fragments, and all that's gone before,
Broken jewels in excrement base.

Underworld said it better...

I scream I scream I scream so much
You know what I mean
This electric stream
And my tears and leave with wires and energy
its my machine this is my beautiful dream
I'm a hurtin' no one

 

[Focus SE]

It could be the buying (and possibly selling).

It could be the auditioning.

To me that’s like a painter buying the canvas and paint.you can dream about the finished painting making the prepping fun. But It’s the painting that is the hobby like listening is for me.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

I buy stuff and keep it for years. Before I was married, I swapped stuff more often, usually as I earned sufficient money to buy a better or bigger item. But more than 50% of my kit is decades old.

I research any change for months before committing my hard-earned cash. My assumption is that I won't spend any more money on that function (power amp, streamer etc.) for at least a decade after I've bought it. This is hard to maintain in the video and IP-based worlds!

My hobby is collecting and listening to music at home in the highest quality I can afford that's domestically acceptable.

I also have another hobby, which is studying technology and understanding the engineering behind solutions (including audio). Just because I can understand that a new DAC does "x", doesn't mean I have to buy it!

 

[anmpr1]

Your spouse, accountant, or psychiatrist.

Your wife probably won't care about your hobby, unless your hobby is other women.

Your accountant can over look it, too, as long as you aren't overextended, or asking him to hide tax cheating in order for you to obtain the latest Stereophile recommended kit.

And your shrink likely has something he can give you, to take the edge off of your compulsion.

 

[ErVikingo]

I like the phrase “end game” espoused all the time on the internet.

I got my end game speakers in the 90’s (IRS Beta), along with my Threshold amps. I had to replace my VTL Manleys (with Manleys) due to a fortuitous weather event. I replaced my PreAmp when the prior one failed.

For me, part from adding a streamer and a new dac to go with it, I’m at my end game.

Same with cars. Got my end game car in 2017.

My hobby is listening and (badly) playing the guitar. My system is the vehicle

 

[fpitas]

I doubt the audio hobby is inherently different than other potentially costly hobbies.

 

[Ron Texas]

But I’m flummoxed by people who research, test, audition, discuss, save up for, and eventually buy a hi-fi, then immediately want something else. I saw a video on YouTube yesterday, there’s some bloke and he found and bought his ‘end game’ amp and speakers, and he’s sold them; not through dissatisfaction, but pretty much because his hobby entails constantly wanting to try out new gear, and that trying out means living with it for a couple of years.

Some people are nuts. Their enjoyment is in buying and selling stuff, not music. In photo forums I have seen posts by members who say their interest is in buying lenses to evaluate, not to produce interesting photographs. I guess it's OK for those of us with enough disposable income. That gear isn't getting thrown out, so someone gets a discount by buying it used.

 

[Zensō]

After being a professional musician for many years and only looking at audio gear as a means to an end, I got sucked into the audiophile "hobby" after hearing what seemed like fantastical claims by some audiophiles. It took me a bit, but I eventually figured out that a lot of what I was reading was pure BS, which put an end to that pursuit. Now, I'm basically back where I started---using primarily pro gear---though I have learned a ton from the fine and knowledgeable folks on this forum, so it was not all in vain.

 

[fpitas]

After being a professional musician for many years and only looking at audio gear as a means to an end, I got sucked into the audiophile "hobby" after hearing what seemed like fantastical claims by some audiophiles. It took me a bit, but I eventually figured out that a lot of what I was reading was pure BS, which put an end to that pursuit. Now, I'm basically back where I started---using primarily pro gear---though I have learned a ton from the fine and knowledgeable folks on this forum, so it was not all in vain.

Nothing at all wrong with the better pro gear. I use some, too.

 

[gsp1971]

If you spend more time listening to music than tinkering with / buying / selling / upgrading equipment, then it's a hobby.

If it's the other way around, then the "Enjoy responsibly - Frequent buying / selling / upgrading could lead to addiction and loss of assets" banner applies.

 

[Sokel]

As long as you're interest in how it works and spend time to it ,it's a hobby,you're an audiophile.
Maybe not a "hi end" one as this is about either over the top performance.status,extremity,etc (along with what it comes with all hi end items) but an audiophile for sure.

I like the raw truth to myself,for example I don't care how my network or PC works,I literally escaped my house when the people to configure it appeared
But I sure was as close as possible when my audio installers was here,to the point they through stuff to get rid of me

To deny that I'm an audiophile would be hypocrisy,to me mainly.
So...

 

[Somafunk]

To what extent is this a ‘hobby’?​

If it "is" a hobby then I'm utterly shit at it.

Bought my first proper system at the age of 20 back in 92 - mostly technics separates and Tannoy 605 speakers, never gave it a second thought till 2010 and moved to KRK Rokit 5/KRK 10s sub and my Native Instruments Audio Kontrol interface to Mac which lasted to 2019 and now have what's in my signature below. This'll do me till my SPMS does me in.

 

[Galliardist]

To what extent is this a ‘hobby’?​

If it "is" a hobby then I'm utterly shit at it.

Bought my first proper system at the age of 20 back in 92 - mostly technics separates and Tannoy 605 speakers, never gave it a second thought till 2010 and moved to KRK Rokit 5/KRK 10s sub and my Native Instruments Audio Kontrol interface to Mac which lasted to 2019 and now have what's in my signature below. This'll do me till my SPMS does me in.

Doubt it. I know SPMS is a lousy thing to have, but you'll easily outlast some of that equipment, I'm sure!

 

[Mart68]

To what extent is this a ‘hobby’?​

If it "is" a hobby then I'm utterly shit at it.

Bought my first proper system at the age of 20 back in 92 - mostly technics separates and Tannoy 605 speakers, never gave it a second thought till 2010 and moved to KRK Rokit 5/KRK 10s sub and my Native Instruments Audio Kontrol interface to Mac which lasted to 2019 and now have what's in my signature below. This'll do me till my SPMS does me in.

I think you are one of the few people doing it right.

Looking back, for me, some of it has been fun but a lot of it has been frustrating and a monumental waste of time and money.

 

[Zensō]

"Enjoy responsibly - Frequent buying / selling / upgrading could lead to addiction and loss of assets".

 

[gsp1971]

View attachment 328029

Nice one, made me LOL!

 

[Somafunk]

Doubt it. I know SPMS is a lousy thing to have, but you'll easily outlast some of that equipment, I'm sure!

I’d like to think so as well but with the rate of progression that’s an unrealistic outcome as it was only correctly diagnosed 5 yrs ago as spms after 25+ years of issues, I have my exit planned for as soon as I cannot shower myself that my mum/brother and close friend are aware of. Until then I’m continuing to stumble/crawl around my bungalow. A little over 20yrs ago I was Scottish mtb champ and raced all round Europe whilst working as a mtb guide/skills coach, nowadays I rely on my mum for washing/cleaning/shopping/make dinner/light fire, etc…etc.