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Do You Love Music or Do You Love Hi-Fi?

I know a lot of hi-fi enthusiasts who seem to have poor taste in music but can talk all day about their audio gear. I got into the high end audio hobby because of my love for music first and foremost, and this has done a pretty good job in guiding my decisions around what equipment to buy. Don't get me wrong, I Jones really hard on gear, but at the end of the day it's not about the gear but how great the music I love sounds on the gear I buy. I study music and learn all I can to discover new music to enjoy, regardless of the genre, but I am certain that I will not be investing in the latest Jennifer Warnes vinyl re-issues. I also wonder why Mo-Fi issued the first three Foreigner albums on vinyl. Are there really that many hard core audiophiles asking for this? There are so many great recordings that are begging for the high end vinyl treatment, it makes me wonder who these people are making decisions about what to release on these labels? I'm sure the entire Don Henley catalog is coming soon from one of these labels.
OK, I'm done ranting, but I really do want to hear what others think about this. Or is it just me? Is it about the gear or is it about the music for you?
128x128snackeyp
stltrains
845 posts
 
The better the hifi the better the music sounds. Better does not mean ultra high dollar gear. Better IMO means sound thats easy to listen to for hours on end. Sound that gets your feet taping sound that can give you the chills. Sound that puts a smile on my face. My quest for that has meant a lot of trial and error with gear.

My love for the sound of music has been a part of my life for decades. I dont skip many days in front of my system listening to lp after lp. Theres just about no better joy in life than to be able to sub live music with gear delivered music that satisfies the ears.

Vinyl my listening source of choice is elusive at times so i do enjoy the hands on part of vinyl playback which is another question that could be added.

Merry Christmas to you all.
sarcher30
596 posts
 
Tubegroove,

I agree that if you're into large scale music a large room is the way to go. I also agree that it is worth the investment. I'm just saying that if it's not in your budget or there is no possiblity for expansion it's not the end of the world.

As for knowing when to stop upgrading and just enjoy the music that will be different for everyone. I personally am quite happy with my system and have had my current speakers for almost 4 years. I have no desire to change anything downstream of my turntable. I also don't really need to change anything in my vinyl setup but I am not done exploring what is possible with analog.

Sean
hiho
451 posts
 
12-23-11: Kevvwill: "I once did a "random" play on my portable, and listed the first 30 songs that came up. People thought I was kidding! It was everything from Haydn's "Nelson" mass to Faiz Ali Faiz (amazing qawwal, next Nusrat Ali Khan), the Minutemen, Olivia Newton-John, Melt-Banana, Sinatra, Wu-Tang, Peter Brotzmann etc, etc."

I love your musical choices, particularly Melt Banana and Peter Brotzmann. Was it "Machine Gun"?

Yes, you can have both, music and hi-fi... and fun! :)

_______
mantisory
95 posts
 
I can completely enjoy good music when it plays on my a.m. radio in the car....it really doesn't matter to me because good music touches parts of my brain no matter how it is presented, including even some old classic journey tunes...
I also like hi-fi because it can really make things sound special, but it's really second place and only serves to deliver the musical message.
byron
kevvwill
70 posts
 
Hiho, actually it was the title track from "F*** de Boere," a long out-of-print disc that also contains an early version of the great "Machine Gun." I make a point of seeing Brotzmann every time he comes to Chicago which is, thankfully, very often thanks to his fondness for collaborating with the local players, such as Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, etc.
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