How do you negotiate a cure for wrong audio view


It is a shame when our art degenerates into 'hobby'. To let the mind stray from the wonderous pregnancies of the composer or performer's works into mere material quest for sonic reproduction is sad indeed. Now mind you, I love the pursuit of sonic excellence same as the next audiophile, but when my mind looses the 'big picture' of the art I become reduced to a mere 'hobbyist', which for me is a sad feeling indeed. My remedy is a total shift in view: from the deaf equipment to the animate speaking beauty conveyed by the mere devices. When I recognize that I am spending my time thinking about the 'machines' I hopefully remember to LISTEN, THINK, APPRECIATE, and disappear into the magic of sound. What do you do with this inevitable problem?
chashmal
It seems like that Greek guy's gear was probably WAY more expensive than he told his wife!!!!
There are some very exotic looking equipment in this YouTube video. Turntable with 5 belts? and then another two belt drive? Can't recognize any of those big speakers and then there is a rack that is 6 ft high on wires! I did recognize Clearaudio tone arm and cartridge though.
I don't understand why audiophiles constantly write themselves off as suffering some kind of disease. Other enthusiasts do not have these kinds of issues, it seems.

Frankly, I think what some audiophiles lack is perspective. The best way to enjoy the audio hobby is to find a range of things that you enjoy doing.

Also, You can't evaluate equipment properly when you are basically forcing yourself to listen to it. Don't turn on the stereo just to listen to it. Only go to it when you are craving a certain piece of music, or craving music in general. You don't have to really analyze it all that much--if the system is lacking in any particular area you will just know.

If you listen to the system only when you are truly craving music then you can at least satisfy yourself that the flaws you are hearing are not your imagination and are actually interfering with the enjoyment of the music.

Also, make researching and collecting high quality recordings of music your other hobby.

Also, if you use digital, try feeding your DAC with a music server device like a Squeezebox and archive your CD collection in an uncompressed format on a hard drive. YOu can get a 750GB hard drive for under $150 these days. These types of server devices allow you to quickly access your entire collection and browse sample your collection quickly. You will find yourself listening to things you wouldn't get up off the couch to que up on your CD player or turntable.

Take advantage of internet forums and groups to find new music and recordings, ect.

If all else fails, just take a break. You'll never regret having good gear.
Blackstonejd, I think calling it a disease is an expression of guilt. Audiophile guilt comes from (among other things perhaps) doubts over neglecting work and family, overspending or the feeling that preoccupation with the hobby may be covering up some deeper malaise.