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HiFi for musicians

Hi, i'm curious if there are any musicians out there who are into HiFi and want to know if their musical training or habits have any influence over their purchasing decisions.  I'm a guitarist and do think i buy tube amps because i'm used to listening to them.  Not because they are magical, just because i'm used to them.  I often practice in the evenings and then listen to my stereo afterward because i want to hear a recording of someone playing something different than what  i was playing.  Do piano players buy piano black finishes?  Do horn players use horn speakers?  Just curious.
commish1965
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
My old high school friend (a very talented prog-rock musician) had a rather cr*ppy MCS system from JC Penney! I had to goad him into spending a few bucks for something much better: an AR TT/Grado, Kenwood integrated amp and KLH Sixes! All bought used and cheap, of course! This way I had something reasonably good to listen to when I visited him!
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
The reality is that most professional musicians cannot afford expensive hifi gear so that isn't even on their radar.  My brother falls into this category....he appreciates it but it isn't in the cards financially.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,511 posts
 
When I was in graduate (music) school, my professors had absolutely awful  (99 dollar) stereo systems. I was (even then) interested in high end stereo...they told me they knew how the pieces went and were able to "fill in" the unheard parts.
toneranger58
151 posts
 
Yes, I have played guitar for 45 years, still play out, and love the fact that my system reproduces guitar tones spot on. I had collected many guitars and amps for a very long time before getting into hifi Audio. Always had a decent system until about 4 years ago, now have a very good system that is very musical. It really impresses with live recordings, which are my favorite type of recordings, especially acoustic, purest of tones.

Life is good!
wolf_garcia
6,759 posts
 
I was hooked on high end audio (at least reading about it) from the mid 60’s or so, but becoming a professional musician back then required my using any disposable income (ha) on keeping guitars, guitar amps, and PA systems functioning. I had a decent home hifi rig through the 70s but pro music gear still had priority until I bailed from the constant club band scene in the mid 80s...then the audio bug bit hard and I could afford to indulge in nice hifi gear, and still enjoy the crap out of that...I also can now afford better guitars and amps, so win win. I think the percentage of hifi audio geek musicians is about the same as the general population really...I mixed a show a few years ago for the Bill Charlap trio and discovered that both Peter Washington (brilliant bass player) and Kenny Washington (no relation, great drummer) are both hifi gearheads...surprising...rare...
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