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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?

128x128snilf
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,190 posts
 

I am not a musician but i can wrote a book about the meaning of the Bruckner 5 th symphony as if it was a movie with a deep images content even if i dont read music. 😊

I am an audiophile because i am able to create my own dedicated acoustic room homemade with a complete transformative effect for any given system and i love music...

Then it is not so rare ...😊

my favorite violin pieces are Bach sonatas mono version with Szeryng and Miltstein as my second choice ...😊 ( the Szeryng version of the violin concertos of Bach as second choice)

"music lover" and "audiophile" are completely different classifications. I am a pro violinist and am both.....but that is rare

mahler123
3,378 posts
 

I’ve developed an increased appreciation for music, and the love of communicating it, since starting piano lessons over a year.  I still suck, but have at least a small little collection of of pieces that I can play with feeling and get a response from the few listeners that put up with me.  It’s not a feeling that I ever expect to be equaled by listening to recorded music.  The ability to move another…at least a little bit…is irreplaceable 

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,190 posts
 

We cannot moved others before being ourselves moved...

Then for sure playing an instrument is a + ...

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,969 posts
 

@tvad Im working on a writeup ….roughly on One Possible Path to Becoming a More Intentional Audiophile

whart's avatar
whart
3,052 posts
 

@tomic601- I don’t know if you are joking or serious, but I think a lot of audiophiles get caught in a vicious circle of trying to improve playback quality and then looking to yet more gear to improve it more, to the point where it is less about musical enjoyment than about gear. I may have said that ineptly, but once I decided to focus on the music, its history and where it fits into the continuum, the less audio "nervosa" I suffered. Granted, it took time and experience to get to this point-- I’m not sure there are any shortcuts- (or maybe I missed the boat a long time ago, being stuck in "audio" as a gear hobby). And sure, there are occasions when you need technical help, troubleshooting, etc. but that should not be a constant, but rather an exception.

There comes a point, to me, where the system(s) are good enough for one to enjoy on their merits without worry.

I cannot answer the OP’s question. I think that’s personal to each person. I still come here because I must get something out of it--though I don’t post constantly.

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