$$$ vs music enjoyment

Roxy54

What a stupid, blanket assessment. You just lost all credibility in this discussion.

Said a watch/jewelry salesman...Ok...

First of all, relax. I simply posed a question in my first post, but of course some have taken it in a completely different direction, as often happens here.

There are many people who would agree with me that expensive jewelry, watches and cars are predominantly status symbols and people who obtain them do not feel "passionate" about these items the same way audiophiles feel about their systems that they might have spent years to assemble with great care and effort, even if they are people of great means. Mike Lavigne converted a barn into a dream-come-true listening experience, but it took a lot of work and time. Fume all you want, but walking into a jeweler and buying a Rolex is not the same thing. The way luxury items are marketed only proves my point. In fact, many suggest that, if there is such a thing as decline or death of the high-end, it is partly due to the fact that audio industry has never marketed its products as status symbols like the high-end watch or jewelry makers have always done.

"In fact, many suggest that, if there is such a thing as decline or death of the high-end, it is partly due to the fact that audio industry has never marketed its products as status symbols like the high-end watch or jewelry makers have always done. "

When you make the "many suggest...." comment, where are you getting that info from? Can you show me where I can find an example of someone saying this?

Seems like there are two camps:

One buys music to listen to their equipment. and the other buys equipment to listen to music.

They both exist, always have, always will.

I'd think most musicians are really just paying attention to the music. I've have recording artist/friends that enjoy my system and in conversation say how good it sounds but they don't feel the need to have anything like it. Maybe others do. Neil Young has been vocal about vinyl sounding better than digital and now he is championing better hi-rez downloading so you can't lump everyone together.

For me: I love music and I've been fortunate in being able to afford some nice equipment but I only bought when it would cause me to enjoy the music even more.

Case in point, and the subject of this thread, is a recent finding that I have a soft spot, aka love, for vintage equipment. I have a dedicated vintage room that cost a fraction of what my other system(s) cost yet I find myself some months spending more time in there. I could analyze how much better the big system is but I'd rather just enjoy the music.

That's the story. I now return you to your regular scheduled argument, umm, discussion. :-)

Zd542
"In fact, many suggest that, if there is such a thing as decline or death of the high-end, it is partly due to the fact that audio industry has never marketed its products as status symbols like the high-end watch or jewelry makers have always done. "

When you make the "many suggest...." comment, where are you getting that info from? Can you show me where I can find an example of someone saying this?

http://www.stereophile.com/content/rip-high-end-audio
There are several pages of discussion after the article, but I'm not sure why you find this controversial. Open any fashion or any magazine targeting middle and upper class, and you'll see multitude of ads for luxury items such as watches or jewelry. The luxury goods industry routinely utilizes celebrities and tv commercials filled with grand life imagery slotted carefully to market its products to the able public. They are selling an image and status first and foremost, not the product. Is this really news?

In_shore
Actusreus you say Why does the audiophile community feature so few musicians in this hobby, put that question to them , I think a common answer would be they have better things to spend their money on.

And what would those things be? We all have "better" things to spend money on - family, health, necessities. The answer is probably that they listen to music for a living so it's possible that they might not want to spend hours upon hours listening to more music when they get home, just like chefs probably don't want to cook and eat fancy dinners when they get home from work, or carpenters do not necessarily have to surround themselves with exquisite woodwork. But I would very much like to hear from musicians (but how if they are not audiophiles?), or those who have musician friends and can shed some light on the issue.

It seems these types of discussions invariably drift toward the debate of money spent vs. enjoyment, which is not the question I posed. The issue of whether you need to spend a fortune to enjoy your favorite music has been beaten to death and obviously the answer is you don't. However, as much as music has always been a big part of my life, I never enjoyed it as much as I have since I've assembled my modest system with a turntable at its center. And the post quoted in my original post made me wonder whether we in fact do enjoy the music ever more and more as we move up the price/quality ladder. The person quoted didn't think so, but I'm not so sure based on my experience. I'd simply like to hear what others think based upon their experience as they upgraded their equipment over the years. I'm not looking for a debate.

Actusreus,
Whether the object is cars, speakers, jewelry or watches, I still strongly disagree. There are those who purchase purely for status, but there are also many well heeled and dedicated collectors of luxury items who respect and appreciate them for the works of art that they are. The same applies to audio. The love of music, and the appreciation of the performance, as well as the aesthetic beauty of the components are not mutually exclusive.