How do YOU justify this hobby?


This might seem like a stupid question, but I want to know how people can justify this Hobby.

Myself, the real answer is a bit complex and mystical, and maybe I will post it later on down the line.

The answer I give to the average person who askes: How do you justify your $30k sound system? or How can you justify spending $1k on 1M of wire????

My answer: Some people collect art. Do you consider music art? [This gets them thinking, and thy always reply 'yes'] Well I own over 700 pieces of art, these are called CDs. My music system is a Window to this art. It is the way the art is experienced. [Next I ask, if you had a nice piece of art would you not want it to be viewed the best way possible? Damn, I love this argument.] This is why I want the most transparent music system I can buy. I love music and it is art. I cannot own an original Picaso, but I CAN own a piece of music that was composed by Bach. And this piece of music is about the best a layman can own of Bach since he is deceased. The best thing would be actually able to play Bach pieces well yourself. This is a whol,e other discussion.

Anyway, tell us how you justify this hobby. Even if you do not go as overboard as I or others do (spending thousands on Ics... etc).

Peace.

KF
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It's hard to justify something you love without someone else feeling the same way you do. I just keep telling myself, and I really don't think you have to justify it to anyone else, that I could be spending money on many other wasteful things and not get the long term enjoyment that I get out of my system. I don't smoke(my choice, not preaching)so I figure I save about $3-4.00 @day there. I don't own a boat, but I used to and I watched it deteriorate over time and either didn't have time to use it or the weather was bad or the fish weren't biting, or, or, or! So now I'm boat free and loving it. Yes, we own a couple of pretty decent personal cars, but I work for an auto dealership and I get a company car too, so I don't have to invest tons every other year or so in new cars, insurance, etc.. I guess it really boils down to what you feel are the most important things...There are few things in life that give me as much pleasure as music and a system to reproduce it on. I'll own as good a system as I can afford until the day I die or go deaf, and hope to God that I die before I go deaf!!!
Justify? Think about this, people buy homes everyday for BIG money, after only visiting them for 5 minutes with a real estate agent. Now THAT is something difficult to justify.
I don't justify it,or maybee I do. People I work with generally spend more money on their hobbies than I do i.e. racng cars, racing motorcyles etc.etc. I simply love music. Both playing the piano and listening to my system give me great pleasure.
My experiences pretty much determined that if I have to "justify" my system, then nothing I say is going to change the other person's belief system that $50,000 is ridiculous for stereo equipment. However, there are those music aficionados who are amazed by the "lifelike" music emanating from my two speakers, and they need no justification.
Music is as old as mankind.The persuit of good music is equally as old.Perhaps those that do not understand are the troubled ones.Very few things are more basic to the wellbeing of humanity. Imagine a world with no music or a world with only noise.Fingers on a chalk board,jackhammers,screaching tires saws,ect... Music is needed ,Good music is only human.To be the best that you can be.That's what has brought us up from the level of other animals. When you don't appreciate music or you can't understand the need to improve it then I can't help to think that may have something to do with the the problems we humans have created.