The music’s the thing but....

I suppose it all started with the knowledge of good and evil and has been going at good speed ever since. I like what I hear on my system, know what it is supposed to sound like, and am generally satisfied. At the same time, I salivate over what I would acquire should I win a lottery which is not likely since I don't buy tickets. 

Every time I introduce a new tweak into the system, I listen for "sound." The sound I listen for initially is the sound of the instruments. Do they sound more real, or less real? Shortly thereafter, I listen to the "music."

There seem to be two different approaches to this crazy hobby.

One is the music lover who hears a high-end system for the first time and realizes that he/she can get closer to the music they love by spending the dollars ... and they act on it. They may already have a sizeable music collection of records and CD’s that they play regularly on a low-fi system. Usually, they’ve done that since junior high, or even before. Some end up here on the A’gon site seeking more information. We vets should help them out to the best of our ability.

Second, is the guy who loves bling. The fancier and more expensive the equipment is, the better he likes it. He’s the guy who has a total of 50 CD’s, all on audiophile labels. For him, it was the equipment before the music. If you were to ask him to play something by Clifford Brown, June Christy or Rachmaninoff, he’d most likely say ... who??

For most people, they couldn’t care less about this hobby. I’ve mentioned a few times in other threads that my career over the years took me into thousands of homes. It was always astounding to me how many of those homes, the vast majority of which, had no music and no books. And I mean none. Case in point ... my own family. Neither of my daughters and none of my adult grandchildren owns CD players. No audio system at all. Just I-phones and earbuds.

They think I’m bat-sh*t crazy. :-)

Frank

Been enjoying the music later today.
This morning I got infected with "adjusting SRA itis"
Eventually I swapped out the Lyra that I just could not get to sound how I liked for my Scheu Analog MC SL and within minutes all was well with the world again.

It really is hard to just listen to the music and not the system.

State of mind maybe but the mind is a very powerful and cruel mistress!

Yes I find that the case as well. I am starting to keep a notebook of all my vinyl albums. I jot down what is the best volume, EQ setting, speaker placement (forward, toe-in, toe-out), etc.. for me. It helps me enjoy the music a great deal more because I know that I am at optimum quality for myself and without spending  $$$$$$$$ it's not going to be better. Hope that helps a little.

Agree with miller carbon--the "easy" tweaks make the hobby fun. The challenge is to get the right components in place, those that match your budget, room and preferences (speaker type, tube vs SS, digital vs vinyl, etc.) Once you are happy with the main pieces, that is, you know they will add up to high resolution, then you can have fun with power cords, cables, fuses, vibration control, power supply, room treatments--whatever you believe in or ascribe to under "tweaks". As miller carbon said, the tweaks make your good system a lot better in terms of information retrieval--hearing new instruments pop out, etc. Then the music gets more exciting, as well, and you are amazed by the system and the music--a bit like getting out of your own way.