Am I right for this forum?
I’ve been an Audiogon member for some years now; I remember (fondly) "millercarbon," for example, which will mean something to some of you. And I’ve been a lover of audio equipment since high school—so, for over 50 years (I graduated in 1973). And yet...more and more, I find myself alienated from this forum, even though I do still read it regularly.
I do have what I consider a very "high-fidelity" system. I’ve written a very long account of my "audio journey," complete with many photos, but not "published" it on this site. I’m also a member of our local audio club, which includes several very well-heeled members who have systems costing more than most homes (one of them owns equipment valued at nearly a million dollars, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg: his system is housed in a separate structure purpose-built for it that cost well over a million). I play cello and guitar; my wife plays piano, my daughter piano and violin. We play those instruments in the same room occupied by my main audio system, and so I can attest to the "fidelity" of that system’s reproduction.
And yet...my system cost me less than $3,000 in total. I don’t lust after any particular "upgrade," even though I read reviews and all the many accounts of improvements in "SQ" documented in this forum.
So...am I an "audiophile," or not? Do I belong here, or not?
I’m listening right now to a wonderful bit of Mozart. I also love Tool. And Christy Moore. And Eva Cassidy. And so many others. I agree with Nietzsche: without music, life would be a mistake. But am I an audiophile? Do I belong on this forum?
Any sympathy here? Anyone else feel alienated from the "audiophile community" despite loving the miracle of audio technology?
@snilf, to me, being an audiophile is your state of mind. It isn’t a currency threshold of your system. Interest in audio gear and seeking of related information is what drew everybody to this site so if you’re here then you belong. Of course there are a lot of different forums to get information. When I resurrected my system in 2019 after a 15 year hiatus, I started a Facebook private hifi group to get information about gear and music. It has slowly grown to over 800 members. One of the unforeseen benefits to me has been the friendships I’ve developed with some of the people that have joined the group and YouTubers that I’ve shared their content on the group, also manufacturers and distributors. You also have another positive thing going for you which is being a musician. Isn’t it great to not only appreciate the music and the gear but also be able to create music?! Once again, resurrecting my rig lead me to resurrecting my long lost love of playing the drums! I hadn’t played for 40 years! Another long story I won’t get into here. The bottom line for me is: life is short, stretch to do everything your mind endeavors and enjoy the journey! This philosophy has yielded enjoyable results for me. My main system is at a level that’s definitely high end. The 2nd system is vintage, except when I use my DAC/streamer in it. The vintage rig may be worth 1k or so. However, I enjoy and look forward to listening to it as much as the main rig. I’m also making music again. I discovered that making music with other musicians is a passion that slightly exceeds my love of listening to my systems. The Facebook group I created is named: HiFi and music media releases. Everyone is welcome to join, post and contribute information.
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I'll do my best to save you the labor pains, and just give you the baby. "Yes!" Just because you don't own a turntable that appears to be robust enough to have machined WW2 bomber parts doesn't mean you can be a contributor. My daily search for intelligent life on this planet often begins (and, ends) on this forum. I am rarely disappointed. I'm honored, and humbled when I am allowed to post something here and not have it taken down due to its absolute obscurity and lack of relevance to anything. Now...about that dedicated/attached power cord on the NAD 7600 .... |
We were at a party last week and I was talking to my girlfriend’s uncle from FL who I just met. We were talking about music and my lady said " Steve’s an audiophile" I kind of just cringed... I thought , oh I hope this guy doesn’t think I’m a douche I really didn’t want to talk about gear, just music.
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I too miss @millercarbon. And agree with @snilf that he was what I call a character. A great balance of bluster, knowledge and even humility when it came to admitting that he only knew what he liked. He also helped me in my audio journey. I will add that I read this forum much quicker than I used to. Yes very good info still here, but not as fertile as it once was. Thank you @erik_squires @mahgister and many others that escape me pre-coffee for your knowledge. |
