How have your tastes changed?

Grown - I don't have 6,000 albums, but I think Albert has a few years on me so I have time to catch up. His last sentence sums it up perfectly - so much great music, so little time. -Kirk

I would say drastically. I used to listen to only country. Once my system started to sound better I realized every country recording I had sounded like trash. So I started to listen to other stuff. Now I'm into a bunch of bluegrass that I would normally ever listen to. Plus, some contemporary blues and even some instrumental stuff that I would not have touched before. I would say this hobby has opened me to a whole different world of music.

I've only been into the high-end audio for about 2 years now and I know that my taste in music has changes drastically. I went from Motley Crue to Mozart. I now find myself looking for cd's that 4 years ago I would never considered buying. I don't know if I should say that my taste in music has really changed, I guess I would call it broadening my horizons. I still like my dose of heavy metal music every now and then, but not like I used to. I find myself now sitting here listening to Diana Krall, Jennifer Warnes, or Patricia Barber. I really depends on whether I'm tweaking my system or relaxing. It's kind of a surprise to my wife that now we sit and listen to more of her type of music. She doesn't complain about that but she does the INSANE amounts of money I've spent.

My tastes have grown, but I would not say they changed. I listen to more then I had when I got into this hobby and I still listen to what I did before I got into this hobby- software is the key to an enjoyable system. btw Albert your son has some great taste in music, you should be proud. I agree rap is a stretch but I heard some Outkast(I think that is the name of the band/group- and they are damn good!), but all the rest your son likes is great music(IMO) I ain't much older-21- he is off to a wonderful start. I don't have an audiophiles in my family I am curious what it would have done if I had. ~Tim

From my own experience, I would say this eclecticism is pretty typical of audiophiles in general, but I don't think in my case that much of it was due to my system per se. I just think that folks who really know music, are curious about it, and won't simply lap up what they are fed by the recording and radio industries, are more likely to become audiophiles and recording collectors in the first place. The fact that a broadening of a lot of our tastes and the entry into full-blown audiophilia seem to coincide at a certain age in our lives is probably just due to a confluence of maturity and money available. It takes time both to be exposed to and appreciate the wide world of musical styles, as well as to accumulate the disposable income, the appropriate listening space, and the listening experience that causes critical dissatisfaction with one's erstwhile system and collection - and provides the means to do something about it.