wave a magic wand and poof...the stereo disappears

I've gone in and out of this hobby since the early 70's as the spirit, my available time, money and interest have moved me.
I just returned to it a few months ago after a 10 year hiatus, and frankly, I didn't really 'miss' it during that time, since I was preoccupied with other interests, and had burned-out on the almost myopic focus on the equipment, rather than the music. (I found myself playing the same records again, and again- truly a disturbing sign.:))

I can enjoy a piece of music even over a portable, or a standard car audio system- for the sake of the music. Listening to a 'perfectionist' system brings other baggage, since it almost requires a singular focus on the event, which then tends to trigger those audiophile tendancies of listening to the equipment.
One thing I have found since my return- listening over the horn-type speaker- is that I am more willing to listen to entire albums, not just 'tracks' and more receptive to listening to less than stellar recordings, for the sake of hearing a great performance. (Lately, I've been very taken with those 80's era live Etta James/Eddie Vinson records).

I agree that Mr. T's thread topics tend to be provocative.

Mrtennis,

I think your logic is somewhat askew. Just because you've heard expensive systems and they have not impressed you does not mean that there aren't thousands of systems out there that cost a lot less that would sound night and day better than your mini-system.

Probably, your mini has a nice basic midrange, with a hint of bass, and is not too offensive in other areas and to you, that's great. Many of us on this site wish we could be content with such a modest system, but the fact is, that I, and many others here cannot. And if I were a betting man, I'd bet that once you heard a system that walked all over what your mini is capable of (and there are many out there) you'd suddenly get that upgrade fever...

Heck, in fact, I have an old vintage retro system with Altec speakers, an Onkyo receiver and a Sony turntable with a Grado cartridge that I paid less than $200 for and I bet it will outperform your mini. It sounds really "good," to me, but as "good" as it sounds, my other more upscale systems sound appreciably better.

hi plato. i have heard thousands of stereo systems at ces, other audio shows, audio club meetings, aand friends houses.

yes i will admit that many systems sound "better" (whatever) that means than my $350 personal stereo, which is not my main system.

my point is that as long as i can enjoy the music, sound quality is not that important.

as long as a stereo system does no harm, it is listenable and i'll listen to music on it. yet i will acknowledge that sonically there are better systems.

the experience of listening to music in the home is a duality--the content and the sound. i can enjoy the music without enjoying the sound.

if there are 2 stereo systems, i may not necessarily enjoy the music more when i listen to the stereo system which i think sounds better.

it has nothing to do with logic. read two articles in stereophile several years ago , i believe by Hans Sauer about the relationship between sound and satsifaction if you are still unsure of my gist.

Then perhaps our subjectively based attempts to objectively assess and compare audio systems just aren't good enough to tell us much about which will produce better MUSIC. In the end enjoying the music has to be the only relevant outcome we are trying to optimise.

I would have thought most experienced audiophiles would judge gear by whether they are enjoying music better or not, and that most of the problem is the inadequate attempts we make to describe the differences to others.

I am not saying its easy to select gear that will give you good/better/best musical enjoyment, given all the variables. But if you enjoy nusic more on a system you think is inferior then maybe you think wrong - at least at that moment, for you, with that music.

Okay, Mrtennis,

Now I understand you better. I think we are getting to the heart of the matter.

I also have two competent systems. One is solid-state based and uses large floor-standing speakers. The other uses a combination of tube and solid-state gear and nice-sounding monitors on stands.

I know that the larger system beats the smaller system all day long if you take measurements or use a checklist to tell you which system performs better in particular areas.

But although the smaller system with the tubes is technically and audibly inferior to the larger system in many ways, I still get just as much enjoyment out of listening to music on it.

So I have two distinctly different types of sound in the house, and enjoy them both for their own unique set of qualities. And I also realize that one system is more of a euphonic musical instrument while the other is more accurate. If I really want to hear the specific character of a particular recording, I know which system to play it on.

So what is your main system -- now that you've let the cat out of the bag?