My audio fascination started when I was around eight and my adult cousin put a pair of Olsen headphones on my head and I was hooked. I have since then bought and sold many components to get to the entry level system I'm now enjoying. I sometimes think I want these new speakers or that new amp, but I haven't pulled the trigger in years. The last audio purchase I made was buying a pair of 6 foot demo Kimber 4TC speaker cables for $40.
I find myself "tuning out" anymore.....is the magic fading?
I think I might have hit a plateau in my audiophile/hi-fi journey.
I'm not saying that I don't enjoy listening to my system and music, I certainly do.
However, (and not trying to turn this into a b*tch session), I am REALLY tired of a lot of things that go along with this hobby.
It dawned on me when I received (unsolicited, mind you) a copy of Stereophile and a MusicDirect catalog the other day in the mail.
I can't find a single thing in either magazine that I actually want. Nothing. Even the pretty ad pictures just don't do it for me.
I used to subscribe to several YouTube audio influencer channels. I can't hardly sit through any of them anymore without grimacing. Everything is the "latest/greatest/gotta have it" product. Not only do I just not really trust you any more, but I find myself simply not interested in what you are peddling.
How many different speakers are you going to audition? Jeez.....buy a set and enjoy them. They can't ALL be the speakers you've ever heard.
Even on here, I find discussions of whether or not some tweak works or doesn't work (cables/fuses/magic rocks, whatever....) to be boring and not worth the time to respond. They might work for you, might not work, I don't care.
Any discussions using the term "Snake Oil" will be summarily dismissed from any future consideration of thought.
Which DAC is the best? How come I still listen to CDs when you can rip all your music to a HD? You NEED a turntable! Your amp is old and sucks. Buy some new speaker cables. Double blind test your interconnects and you'll see.... The Pink Panther brigade says if I measure it, it must be true. (Your ears be d*mned!) You NEED to do this/that or the other thing....because I said so.
Maybe some day I'll get the "upgrade-itis" bug again, but at this point, I'm just not interested. Jaded might be a good word, I don't know....burnt out? Overload?
Anyway, rant over. Was just wondering if anyone else ever got to this point.
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I have been at it for a while, and go in and out of phases of engagement both with the gear end and the actual music end as well. At the end of the day I still love it and the discovery of new music takes me back to that wide eyed feeling of discovery that I experienced in 3rd grade when I got my first tapes. |
I'm in complete agreement with everything the OP brought up and have been for quite some time. From what I could glean from the many fine responses is that there's a lot more who feel the same way. That, and I learned a new word today, 'atelic'. Thanks @hilde45 for that one. All the best, |
- 41 posts total