Are we music lovers or gear lovers?

I think that Pbb's credo is a good one and succinctly stated (and very similar to the way I try to operate). At Audiogon, I am always mindful that this is primarily a site devoted to the discussion and selling of audio gear. In discussions here of audio gear and even of music, some people seem to think that the purpose of recorded music is to explore and/or analyze (sometimes deconstuct) audio gear. Their main passion is their equipment. They are audio junkies.

I, and the majority of participants at audiogon, I suspect, are basically music lovers whose fascination with audio gear is driven by a desire to get closer to the music.

I also suspect that many audio junkies used to be music lovers before they got it all turned around.

Lgregoir your query reminds me of a letter sent into Stereophile years ago. The details are a bit sketchy but a purchaser looking to buy some specific used gear encounters an "audiophile" that has closets full of very expensive gear. Apparently he has a difficult time separating himself from gear once he owns it. When the visitor asks to hear some music, the audiophile pulls out a Monkee's album. It seems all he had were a few albums, mostly the Monkees.

This site is primarily dedicated towards gear and gear purchases and the exchange of ideas to put together a musically satisfying system as some of the answers above conclude. But the real answer to this question would have to be answered on an individual basis. How much music do you have relative to your total expenditure on gear? Do you buy music based on how it sounds (i.e. quality of the recording) or do you buy music for its own sake and try to get the best recording as a secondary consideration? I believe there was a thread on this a while back. Most folks on this site are both audiophiles and music lovers. My guess is that there is only a small group that are just gear heads with less interest in music than sound.

I mostly agree with Pbb on this one. Especially the new folks that are just bitten by the bug. Another thing a bit unrelated that I find irritating is the A "blows away" B mentality which feeds this continual gear changing with nary a thought to system synergy. It can be easy to lose sight of why most of us have gotten into this hobby in the first place. The gear should be nothing more a means to serve the music but in some instances it has become the focus for its own sake.

Does a racing driver love his car? Does a hunter love his gun? Is a tennis enthusiast interested in rackets? Does a guitar player love his guitars? They are the means to the desired end. If we didn't have audio gear, would we be questioning each others' love of various orchestras, or concert venues? Is there something anti-music about liking good gear that produces good music? If we didn't like music, we wouldn't turn the stuff on, would we? Would we buy it in the first place?

Thanks for the opinions... I will now be able to face my girlfriend...

I have to admint that I never wrote any posts regarding music...

Best Regards