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The 5 stages of making a bad audio purchase

This is tongue in cheek people, so let’s keep the replies light shall we?
The 5 Stages of Making a Bad Audio Purchase:

1. Denial: "My system, which before was of course totally awesome, is now totally awesomer! The sound stage isn’t just 3 dimensional any more, it is 4 dimensional. I can feel fingers sliding across guitar strings, drums are like my head is against the snare, and the bass goes 10hz lower ...."

2. Anger: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T BELIEVE MY SYSTEM WENT FROM AWESOME TO AWESOMER!!!. You obviously have a crap system, your ears are crap, you are just jealous."

3. Bargaining: "Hey, this gadget will make your already awesome system totally awesomer! 60% of MFR list is a great deal for it! That’s 40% off and you don’t even have to pay tax. I am only selling it because I am upgrading to the even awesomer version 2. My loss is your gain."

4. Depression: "I can’t believe I spent $5,000 on this thing ....."

5. Acceptance: "Sure, 75% off list is fair."
atdavid
atdavid OP
736 posts
 
+100,
Not to mention most of the music they listen to isn't even recorded in a fashion that a single listener would hear.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Smearing others aside, but I often, if not always, find music played at home (any home) way more "exciting-sounding" than the one played live. In some sense, the artificial one sounds "better".

I spent last two weekends checking out two audio shows. Say whatever you want about their hotel room acoustics, it is a world better than my room with no treatment. I managed to hear some piano and some guitar at those shows. Sounded great, but I was suspicious.

Later, I checked how piano and guitar truly sound. Nothing like those expensive systems at the shows. Yes, not the same piano, not the same guitar, but it was too much of a difference. Electronic one was more "real" than real one was. I do not really mind it, but let's not kid ourselves.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,207 posts
 
Live event and stereo system are sometimes nearer each other, but this is the exception in a very good audio room and with a very good audio grid...My criteria is not how much my audio system reproduce a live event "per se" tough, but more, is my audio system giving me a relatively realistic natural musical timbre for voices or instruments? If I feel yes, I sense more involvement of the heart and mind in the music sound...But now I appreciate live recorded files or cd, more than studio one, it was not the case some years ago...The reason is my audio grid can simulate more the living atmospheric presence of the concert participants....


And my system, remember, is relatively cheap cost, with good components link in the chain tough, the difference comes only from room treatment, and multiple others homemade low cost tweaks....
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
I spent last two weekends checking out two audio shows.
A fate worse than death. My condolences.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
ieales,

Thanks, but I made it. It was interesting. I have not done it in decades. Two hours a day for two afternoons at CAF and one hour total in New York. Not that bad. I would not do it for third weekend in a row.
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