Do You Love Music or Do You Love Hi-Fi?


I know a lot of hi-fi enthusiasts who seem to have poor taste in music but can talk all day about their audio gear. I got into the high end audio hobby because of my love for music first and foremost, and this has done a pretty good job in guiding my decisions around what equipment to buy. Don't get me wrong, I Jones really hard on gear, but at the end of the day it's not about the gear but how great the music I love sounds on the gear I buy. I study music and learn all I can to discover new music to enjoy, regardless of the genre, but I am certain that I will not be investing in the latest Jennifer Warnes vinyl re-issues. I also wonder why Mo-Fi issued the first three Foreigner albums on vinyl. Are there really that many hard core audiophiles asking for this? There are so many great recordings that are begging for the high end vinyl treatment, it makes me wonder who these people are making decisions about what to release on these labels? I'm sure the entire Don Henley catalog is coming soon from one of these labels.
OK, I'm done ranting, but I really do want to hear what others think about this. Or is it just me? Is it about the gear or is it about the music for you?
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When you take an already small market (esoteric music buyers) and multiply that small number by the percentage of those esoteric music buyers that are audiophiles, you're left with what, 50 units that will get sold? That's not marketable, even in today's digital-marketing world.
It seems as if most Classical SACD are from smaller labels and lesser known orchestras. Don't know if that is 100% true, but it seems that way. There are a few exceptions.
It's you. My midfi system turned me onto a lot of music I didn't really notice.
I think that most of us, prior to getting into hi-fi, are obviously mostly concerned only with music, because we haven't experienced hi-fi. Love of music is the prerequisite for entering the world of hi-fi, but I think for many of us, the hi-fi aspect eventually takes hold too firmly, and we quickly forget why we got into the hobby in the first place.