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Perfectionist Audio

Approximately when did listening to music at home in high fidelity become the "pursuit of perfectionist audio"? I recently saw that phrase in an issue of TAS and it encapsulated what many audiophiles are doing. I just remember that at one point people just wanted good/better/best sound and I don't think the pursuit of perfection entered into the thinking. My memory could be faulty, but that's how I remember it.
onhwy61
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Perfect is when I get what I have to sound it's best. Mind you I have upwards of 20+ amps, 3 pre-amps, 3 pairs of speakers and I'm in the midst of my first speaker building project. I've never owned or read a stereo mag however I have read the odd review here and there since I've been involved with Audiogon. My first and long term system I listened to for 20+ years and then the internet came around. All the stuff I have is through user feedback via google. I love comparing attributes of different gear. This is after all a hobby. So for me it's not a matter of settling down, it's ongoing. But I'm with the OP in that I don't expect perfection. God forbid! That would put the kaibosh on it pretty quick wouldn't it. I remember the past always bringing consensus with lots of absolutes though.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
Ivan, you my friend are sensible. Perfectionism is ridiculous in most things including audio. My theory is that the concept may have had its genesis in the original description of the compact disc, "perfect sound forever."
newbee
4,810 posts
 
AFAIK, the 'perfectionism' you refer to really occurred with the advent of TAS's and Stereophile's promotion of the 'subjective' review in which they attached personal opinions to everything, in the guise of being objective, professional, and accurate.

IMHO, what they were really saying by calling it subjective was not so much that they were describing what they heard as a judgment made by using a different sense, that of hearing, not so much measuring. They probably thought that their conclusions were based on other 'objective data', their hearing was that accurate. :-)

Until that time we only had objective reiews rendered by engineers who were humble enought to keep their personal opinions of the sound to themselves and, consequently, their advertisers happy and their reviewers 'informed' but left to listen and form their own opinion about the sound. For example, as I recall Julian and Leonard thought, or at least published, that identically spec'd stuff sounded the same.

How lucky we have become. We now have audio review experts who can tell us everything we need to know. We don't even have to think. Just buy..........By the way I think this was also the birth of audiophile arrogance.

Times have changed. Or have they, really? :-) I think it really has its roots in our own genes. This perfectionism.

FWIW I just decided to brew the 'perfect cup' of coffee. I bought a bean roaster, a high end coffee maker that only heats water, a scale to measure, a couple of different types of bean grinders, and many different types of beans from around the world. What a blast! Talk about a steep learning curve. All for a cup of coffee. Starbucks will never pass my lips again. LOL!
trelja
3,226 posts
 
Onhwy61, "I just remember that at one point people just wanted good/better/best sound and I don't think the pursuit of perfection entered into the thinking. My memory could be faulty, but that's how I remember it."

That's how I remember it as well...

From what I see, this level of ridiculousness rose up when we audiophiles took to the internet, and met up in discussion forums such as this. At the same time, the B&M dealer model collapsed, and where we used to get advice on a simpler level, we shifted into chasing the craziest of things. Along the way, we sure spent a lot of money, and put extreme distances between ourselves and everyone else.
sabai
2,027 posts
 
There is no such thing as perfect or absolute in audio, of course -- except when one says things like "I am perfectly happy with this sound" or "this is absolutely beautiful sound". Perfect and absolute, the adjectives, are merely concepts used for marketing purposes. If TAS is tired of being absolute then they may change to being perfect. It makes no difference.

Nonoise,
You stated, "There will always be another, we can only have one, at a time. We must be faithful to our choices lest we get distracted and loose site of the music." You hit the nail squarely on the head. Unless your personality is such that you are never satisfied and your wallet enables you to indulge your whims, there must come a point where only minor adjustments are left to be made -- unless you are like Csontos who has the time, money and desire to have multiple options in the picture on an ongoing basis.
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