Stunning post, Clueless!!!
Wow, that is probably the most cogent thing I can say. Yes, the 80's were just as described. The hobby eventually turned its tastes to reflect that of the critic; someone who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.
I guess this is the compartment I put the likes of Jonathan Scull.
Music took a back seat to gear, when it is music we are(or should be) after. I never feel anything but turned off by those who always need to tell me about their 500 watt amplifiers, 10 driver speakers, or $2500 interconnects.
I much more admire the people such as you describe in Tokyo. Or, my uncle, who has his Williamson circuit amplifier he built so long ago. He sees no need to "upgrade", as he feels the sound is wonderful. That's a lot of years to feel that way, and speaks to me volumes.
I need to throw in that the while the 80's are the focus of what you present, things started down the road to ruin before that. I think that the thing I always come back to, is that so many people(my father included), came to the conclusion that solid state gear sounds better. Because it measured better, it was "proven". The three most important factors in the way a piece "sounded" were cosmetics, the spec sheet, and marketing. People began to listen with their eyes and minds, rather than their ears.
Good sound is good sound. I finally realized this when I read Laura Dearborn's "Good Sound", around 1990. That a 30 year old Marantz amp could sound better than a Carver megawatt amp. I began to listen, rather than approach the hobby with preconceived notions. To feel, to experience, not to be a prisoner of so - called truths.
Value is to me, a component that offers the possibility of a long term relationship. It may be a component that one has to stretch or save for. And, it is proven over time. If I cannot love a component, I cannot buy it.
Wow, that is probably the most cogent thing I can say. Yes, the 80's were just as described. The hobby eventually turned its tastes to reflect that of the critic; someone who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.
I guess this is the compartment I put the likes of Jonathan Scull.
Music took a back seat to gear, when it is music we are(or should be) after. I never feel anything but turned off by those who always need to tell me about their 500 watt amplifiers, 10 driver speakers, or $2500 interconnects.
I much more admire the people such as you describe in Tokyo. Or, my uncle, who has his Williamson circuit amplifier he built so long ago. He sees no need to "upgrade", as he feels the sound is wonderful. That's a lot of years to feel that way, and speaks to me volumes.
I need to throw in that the while the 80's are the focus of what you present, things started down the road to ruin before that. I think that the thing I always come back to, is that so many people(my father included), came to the conclusion that solid state gear sounds better. Because it measured better, it was "proven". The three most important factors in the way a piece "sounded" were cosmetics, the spec sheet, and marketing. People began to listen with their eyes and minds, rather than their ears.
Good sound is good sound. I finally realized this when I read Laura Dearborn's "Good Sound", around 1990. That a 30 year old Marantz amp could sound better than a Carver megawatt amp. I began to listen, rather than approach the hobby with preconceived notions. To feel, to experience, not to be a prisoner of so - called truths.
Value is to me, a component that offers the possibility of a long term relationship. It may be a component that one has to stretch or save for. And, it is proven over time. If I cannot love a component, I cannot buy it.