Jay's "Ugly Truth" video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkveZGS2dSI

Why does this get mentioned so rarely? 

I've experienced the "dark side" and have never had the means to afford gear that's remotely close to the level that Jay focuses on. 

What about you -- can you relate or have you always been able to maintain a healthy balance and avoid being overtaken by obsession? 

stuartk

The obsessional side has got nothing to do with cost, or ones aspiration to own much more costlier Audio Devices, the Commercial Sector Marketing Strategy has a great influence and is quite capable of a generating a Undertow of an individuals emotions.

Each individual has a threshold as a cap on their spending, each individual is met with a line in their spending they can’t really step over.

When the idea of owning something threatens ones security, especially impacting substantially on other areas of necessary funding to take part in general daily living, there is quite obviously something amiss. Again each individual will have to be honest with themselves on the harm a obsessional and uncontrolled spending regime is having on their security, their families security and the mental health of all being impacted on.

Obviously there are fewer individuals who have the disposable income or savings to consider being serious customers for mega buck purchases, which is the type of clientele Jay entertains.

What really matters is that the idea of owning Audio is not able to be an influence where it becomes an all consuming force on ones mindset and the indulgence in having Audio at hand is not responsible for causing serious financial impact in other areas of ones life.

I to date as a result of a overhaul to my way of thinking about Audio Equipment, have as an end product been able to remain loyal to most purchases and certainly have not felt they are failing in any way.

My Audio Equipment and Collection of Music have cost approx’ £70 - 80K over 40 Years. Again Approx’ £2K a year on average, on a Hobby that has been very enjoyable and rewarding.

I found my own way out of being obsessional about Audio Equipment. More than 15 years past, I enforced myself to cut my ties with using audio equipment personally.

During the Hiatus, I took on a different approach to Audio and become more social around the hobby.

Having developed a new outlook on Audio, which has become based on being a participant in social get togethers, I took the decision and returned to using the home audio system.

It was not long before I become convinced my earlier attitudes that had developed were quite shallow. All the energy being wasted on fantastical BS about equipment, was no longer a desirable attraction.

The change made was the best experience ever.

I may have seen the content within a commercial magazine about 5 times in the past 15+ years.

The resulting change off mindset, really did prove to be the Corner stone that enabled the Joys of experiencing Replaying Music Recordings with the Tools required to achieve this to be be totally fulfilling as a form of entertainment.

It is Interesting how the idea of exchanging the Tools to replay recordings become of very little importance over a short period of time.

Having had nearly 20 Years of a different mindset, I only see the use of Audio Equipment as a means to create a social gathering and share in the Joys of listening to recordings as group activity.

Each has their own experiences, desires to have a different experience and ultimately a story to tell.

 

@hilde45 

Excellent point.

Ironically, this is often used as a warning, as in "don't buy X -- it'll just sound different, not better". 

 

@pindac

Again each individual will have to be honest with themselves on the harm a obsessional and uncontrolled spending regime is having on their security and mental health.

Exactly. You hit the nail on the head in a few well chosen words. I salute your honesty and self-awareness.

And as I see it, this is exactly what Jay is underscoring.

 

I was in heaven with my AKG K340 and my Sansui alpha...

But being an audiophile i decided even if i was completely happy to order an amplifier i dreamed about for years... nevermind his brand name, it is not the subject here...

It takes 20 minutes to decide to return it... One of the most well reviewed tube amplifier for headphone in the world....Versus a 35 years headphone out of a S.S. amplifier...

I was satisfied with my system Sansui anyway because on all acoustic counts all was perfect for me...

I lost 400 US dollars in postal fees, insurance, customs fees... I am let with nothing because i did not listen to my acoustic knowledge but to my curiosity of audiophile ...😊

Upgrading is stupid half the time... Especially when you understand what are the acoustic meanings behind audio experience by learning experiments as i did...

Call this an "error" caused by a slight OCD in audio.... The same obsession that guided me through one year full time acoustic experiments ... But doing this i learned something in acoustic... What did i learn with my "upgrade" ?

I learn that it is acoustic experience and synergy that define what is a good sound first, not marketing or price tag...

I will never upgrade my amp. nor my headphone...

Not even my small optimized active speakers box, because for the price after modifications i hit the jackpot, with my modifications they sound at their optimal level...They did not compare with their sound right out of the box...

Now how it will cost for me for a real upgrade of all my system ?

10,000 bucks minimum ...For a 700 bucks system....

I will listen music and i will forgot upgrading...

😁

And i dont say it because my sound is average... It is not.... It is more than good in the ratio S.Q. /price...

Music is the only cure for sound obsession... Buy music...Or buy books... I never regret the cost of all my books reading and music listenings ...And it is way over my audio cost... it was the cost of a house... 😊

OCD in science, philosophy, meditation, martial arts, books, gardening, art etc can be enlightening and helping in a way ... But buying gear by obsession is preposterous if you dont have the money to begin with... Most people dont... And those who have the money anyway dont even bother to study and experiment with acoustic, they really think that they dont need to... I remember the sound of Jay room few years ago.... It was bad ... With gear of price tag near my first house price...Very bad... Musical has nothing to do with "details"....I had more details with the tube amp. i returned on the spot than with my Sansui by the way ... Lesson learned...

I thought the video was pretty good, although I did skim through some of it. I’ve never watched any of his other ones. Being of an addictive nature anyway, I do have to remind myself on and off that it’s about the music for one and two, it’s supposed to be a hobby to play with and tweak my system (as I have an electronics background, in high end audio). I can relate to laying down to go to sleep at night sometimes, and still reading on my phone about the next good parts I need to buy, or interconnect cable, etc., etc. Fortunately, I’m retired now and don’t have kids in the house. My wife works a few nights a week so I get to have time in front of the stereo without any problems and fortunately she understands my love for it. I remember as my kids were growing up I pretty much set all of my audio needs to the side and rarely listened to the system.
At times in my marriage we’ve had those “conversations” about the money I’ve spent on my equipment or music, or the time I’m spending working on it compulsively. So I do understand that compulsive area very well. There’s always some better equipment, better capacitors, better, interconnects, better isolation feet/base, better AC filtering, needing new tubes, always looking for a better sounding tube, etc. So yes, it is a real problem for somebody with an addictive nature anyway. A hobby where you have to constantly tell yourself to stop, it’s enough for now, just listen to the music!