Yep, you’re absolutely where I was 25 years ago. I’ve only stopped swapping gear because of retirement, and having to be more frugal with my spending habits. At least I’m honest.
The Psychology of Constant (Equipment) Change
Anybody have an answer?
I have a decent selection of preamps, amps, integrateds and speakers to choose from and I find myself swapping out gear constantly. And it's not because anything sounds bad. Quite contrary, really.
After most swapping sessions, I'm generally really satisfied and quite enjoy the sound quality. But within a few weeks I'm swapping stuff out again.
What would be the diagnosis for my condition?
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In your post or book it lack a neutral spin not centered on gear acquisition variety seeking behaviour nor on the addictive increasing habit of buying gear... NEUTRAL SPIN : trying to look for the best balance ratio between all acoustics factors and parameters of the relation between psychoacoustics principle and any system at any cost in a specific room ... The neutral spin is grounded in acoustic not on piece of gear obsession.. So many audiophiles are rational in their behavior , i am one ... 😊 i apologize for my self promoting... 😁 There is an audiophile hobby centered on buying the most possible of gear pieces possible, a common traits of reviewers , sellers and gear obsessed people often correlated with acoustics ignorance which they confuse with few panels on a wall..... No acoustician suffer generally from these positive and negative spin habits, neither any rational audiophile... Music then stay for them first and last as giving dopamine not the gear possible and often frustrating race toward upgrades ... i am in ectasy right now without need of gear piece because my system is balanced acoustically... The possible gear upgrade exist but not so strongly attractive... Any obsession is born from or/and reflect an unbalanced mode of attention.
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@mahgister You continue to demonstrate that your knowledge is unlimited regarding audio (amongst other things). Each time I read your posts, I am so glad that you choose to share your wisdom with us. Thank you. |
i am very happy for your praise but,.... I must correct it for the sake of truth : Many here as atmasphere, erik_squires, rodman9999, GHprentice, mikelavigne and many others had more knowledge than me on many aspects of audio if not all... I know almost nothing but i learned the basic ... By experiments from complete ignorance... The little i know is well grounded in acoustics ... Thats all ... I only know basic... Not refined audio knowledge as the Atmasphere by his job as engineer and mike lavigne by his complete audiophile journey... Thank you for your gentle post for me... |
Thanks for the topic, audiodwebe... I have patiently read a lot of our responses while giving some thought to the question. On the surface, it would appear that some combinations of your gear do indeed satisfy up to a point, when there is restlessness. Thanks for your honesty. My journey has been long learning with a comparatively small budget inside rental apartments. The last 24 years have been much more focused upon improving a difficult, dedicated small studio. If interested, my posts can define much of the trip. The crux of my ambition is pretty much the same as TAS's Harry Pearson all those decades ago...the replication of the live event, preferably unamplified. He and J Gordon Holt broke the ground for subjective evaluation, a nomenclature for the images of sound which set the stage for more rapid progression of the hobby. Progress is the fluid end game for me. As things improve, the target gains distance...often, not realizing something was missing until it appears. The relationship of the loudspeakers to the room, tuning, physical, and yes, digital. Graphs and measurements of your sound are a valid starting point. Subsequently, working to within a 1/100th of a decibel is possible, allowing the fine tuning of your preferred flavors and the exciting discovery of much that has been either blurred, distorted or frequencies hidden entirely from the reality of the capture, till now. Is perfection possible? Let's hope not! I quite enjoy the chase. But that's me. For example, I've savored two years before pulling the trigger on an ethernet cable upgrade, focusing on room tuning as my budget allowed. I'm both excited and nervous since it is, for me, a substantial spend. Thanks LL Bean for yet another bonus year! :) I strongly suspect how we come to our hobby somewhat dictates our goals and pleasures. I have a close friend whose system is constantly in flux. His passion may surpass mine. When he lived close by, he had three system in the mix and enjoyed them all, seeking synergy and fun. Recently, here, there seems to be more lecturing and scolding around how one should approach our hobby...with the zeal of their definitions. Really? More Peace, Pin (bold print for old eyes)
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