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Can the need for novelty and change be mitigated by rotation?

There is a not too serious term audiophilia nervosa; it may be a joke, but it builds on a valid observation: there are people who are never content with their equipment in medium term.It is not the initial period, when one does know much about gear and learns; or the question of disposable income, when one gets the best they can afford, and upgrades untill he (or, probably less often, she) buys the dream system. Audiophilia nervosa is a state later on, a plateau, when a desired piece initially gives much satisfaction, yet it wears off, and the person gets uneasy and looks for smth. else.
To give a personal example, I was on a quest for my ultimate power amp. Had to be Pass Aleph; happened to find Aleph 4. Did not suit the speakers (Lowther Fidelio) too well; got other speakers (MBL 101b or c) ; still not there; got ML no. 23. Much better; but still uneasy about Aleph and speakers for it; got Gradient 1.5; fine with ML, Ok with Pass; exploring options, got Parasound 2200 mk2 (and a couple of PA amps). And I needed a preamp. Seller insisted on only trading ML no. 28 together with no. 27, — another power amp.
Now the ML 28 is there to stay; Gradient 1.5 are keepers too; but I’d keep old MBL101 even if they stopped working (I’d probably use them as garden sculptures), so they stay, too. But I have way too many power amps (the listed, and a few more), I would need to sell some.
The trouble is, I cannot decide. So, in order to decide, I rotate them. ML 23 is very good with MBLs, fine with the Gradients. ML 27 is very good with the Gradients. Parasound 2200 2 is very good with the Graients, - but in a different way. So I swap every few weeks, and I still cannot decide.
And after each break I [re-]discover things I like about the particular amp / amp-speaker combination.
Again and again...
Which made me think:
— What if this ‘rotation’ takes good care of my need for change and novelty?
After a while I will decide which one(s) to sell, and later on I will probably want smth. new. But for the time being, keeping and rotating them slows down my pace - and I see it as a good thing, as in the aftermath I do not think my decisions have been sufficiently well informed (for instance, I am getting used to the fact that I actually do not like sound of Pass Alephs as much as I thought I do, and my Aleph 4 may be the first to go).
inefficient
whart's avatar
whart
2,973 posts
 
@tomic601 - you are always kind. Thank you. 
@douglas_schroeder - I love words. Using them in the right place is the challenge. You and I differ in so many ways based on what I've read of yours, but at bottom, we share the same passion and that is something that endures (I find myself more emotional in some ways as I age, and less emotional about life itself). Music is such a wonderful avenue of experience, technique, art + soul. It is great to share this. 
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith
936 posts
 
I have a dedicated listening room with a lot of excellent room treatment. I have three Symposium equipment racks. And my main choice of loudspeakers are quite "full of character", Devore O/93's. My amp, an ARC 150 SE plays well with the Devores despite having 10x the power the O/93's need-no hiss or hum whatsoever with the volume turned up. But be that as it may, I get a big kick out of subbing a pair of Spendor D7.2's for the Devores. I rotate them every six months or so. The Spendors are great at imaging and detail, and don't have the slight flaw of a murky/woody upper midrange that I sometimes notice in the Devores. The Devores are kings of touch and timbre. The Spendors are vanilla in those two attributes but do just about all else very well. I am about to have a low powered SE zero negative feedback classic and overbuilt amp delivered, an Ampsandsound Nautilus. It has transformers rather than caps to input balanced signal from my true-balanced ARC Ref 6 preamp. I also have from time to time swapped in a McCormack DNA.5 and DNA 1 given the "Full Monty" upgrades by SMC Audio/Steve McCormack. I love being able to swap speakers and amps. 
I have four headphone amps (about to be five) and five sets of upper tier headphones for the same reason. 
Those who have weighed in that rotating equipment is silly and one "optimum" should be striven for confound me. Life is short. Changes are good. Would you want to live in a bubble where the sunrise, sunset, temps, and season remain static 365 days a year? It is bad enough that I am stuck with my wife of 33 years!
perkri
889 posts
 
I certainly don't like listening to the same piece of music over and over again. I don't eat the same kind of food every day, for do I use the same fork.

I like being able to swap out amps/speakers so that I can change up my enjoyment. SEL-57's don't do "loud/intense/agressive" music so well. Vocal Jazz, acoustic instruments and some electronic music, different story. The Cornwalls as much as they can do acoustic music well, they do the big stuff really well. 

Options are not bad things. I think that if you are in the mood for a particular sonic presentation of music you are wanting to listen to, then why not mix it up.

rosco88
24 posts
 
I so enjoyed the prose displayed in some of these posts. Wonderful lads.
As one that also has had a long journey with many cycles as funds became available I too like variety. Accumulation of ’nice’ components over the last couple of cycles has meant that I have the luxury of many systems and swapping components around. They have different uses though, the living area system whilst i am cooking or working around the house. With a large area the system projects and fills the house with music to work with and also in summer drinking with mates and family as it extends nicely with quad sliding doors onto the alfresco. The master bedroom system is just to lie in bed in the morning and enjoy smooth soothing music. Yes i could upgrade one or 2 of the systems but to what end, they all sound good to me. I do have 2 nice stereo systems in my theatre/sound room and every other week play my 2nd stereo system as I like the change.

I am the same with guitars and amps, I have 5 core guitars and 2 amps set up in the sound room as well and each has a different personality and each is more suited to different styles of music. Yet when i go out for jamm I will take another guitar which can play a wider range of music and is lighter !!! So different personalities for different styles of playing to an extent is reflected in my hifi systems, 2 of my systems are stronger for vocals and jazz, whilst 2 are brilliant for harder driving music, such as rock.
clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 
Just the once I agree with Miller.
Novelty and change are massively over-rated.
Too many people are inclined to fiddle for the sake of fiddling.


"When was the last time you moved or adjusted any component in your system or room?"

- Save for two major amplifier upgrades in the last three years, about 20 years ago.  I never fiddle with plugs and wires and don't do passive tweaks.
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