Do you believe in Magic?

04-19-12: Sonicbeauty
Now someone, tell me again this hobby is about music enyoyment, musical artists and artisans, and not about gear, tweaking and ''sound''.

Haven't we been through this Sonicbeauty? And on this very thread. Since you are repeating yourself, so will I...

01-26-12: Bryoncunningham
Sonicbeauty... Criticizing hobbyists for how they conduct themselves is odd. If a person flies kites as a hobby, is he subject to criticism? That seems to defeat one of the most significant joys of having a hobby, namely that it provides a place where you are FREE FROM criticism.

I will also dispute the validity of your assumption that audiophiles who are avidly interested in equipment cannot also be avidly interested in music. That is false. I am interested in music and I am interested in equipment, both audio equipment and technology more generally. I suspect there are a great number of people on this site for whom that is true. Interest in music and interest in technology are not mutually exclusive. They are different activities. They are different experiences. They employ different regions of the brain. The enjoyment of one says nothing about the enjoyment of the other.

It’s also worth pointing out that our fascination with BOTH music and technology is ancient and transcultural. They both have their origins in human prehistory. They both exist in some form in every culture on earth. By the prevailing standards of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary anthropology, music and technology are both elements of WHAT IT MEANS to be human.

I would guess that at some level you already know all this, in light of the fact that you are a self-described music lover, yet you yourself have initiated a large number of threads here on A’gon relating to sound quality and equipment design...

The absolute best and worst-sounding CD you own?

Will a transformer, 220 to 100v, ruin the sound?

Are tone controls worth a second look ?

Preamps/amps that look great and''feel' great?

Single speaker wire on bi-posts with jumpers...?

Your ''best kept secret'' speaker choice ?

Most improved last 10yrs: Speaker, amp, or pre?

Anyone went back to using bare wires on speakers?

Amazing ''Overachieving'' products...your pick?

Record weights 'n clamps: Audible improvements?

Your best ''outstanding'' products in last 5 yrs?

Amplifiers: A Keeper for Life. Do you know of one?

Evidently, you have an interest in equipment. If you also have an interest in music, then you are your own “existence proof” that the two can peacefully coexist.

The criticism that "it's about the music, not the gear" contributes nothing substantive to the discussion. And it rings false when it's in the mouth of a person who has routinely initiated topics of discussion that are about gear and not music.

Oh, and I can't help but notice that your name is Sonicbeauty, not Musicbeauty. Think about it...

Bryon

Wow, what a contribution! Typical.

Well said Bryon.

Congrats.

Most eloquently put Byron.

But one has to understand & keep in mind the obsessive illness that does dominate this hobby. For some its a frustrating experience as they chase an unknown state. Slightly better is just around the corner.

It is easy to let the gear get in the way of the music. Hense at times it's about the music & at others it is about the gear. It's just about where you are on the audiophile journey. Maybe "humanbeauty" would be a better name?

04-20-12: Chadeffect
...one has to understand & keep in mind the obsessive illness that does dominate this hobby...

It is easy to let the gear get in the way of the music.

I agree with this, Chad. I suspect every audiophile has had the experience of having his thoughts about equipment interfere with his enjoyment of the music. When that is presented as a mere statement of fact, I have absolutely no objection.

But IMO, Sonicbeauty isn't merely expressing a statement of fact. He is passing judgment on the content of this thread and its participants. That is what I object to. If his judgment wasn't obvious from his last post, it should be obvious from his FIRST post...

01-26-12: Sonicbeauty
This whole discussion exemplifies everything I have come to understand about the truth AND destiny of this hobby: The MUSIC taking a backseat to the never-ending analysis of SOUND, and the countless hours wasting on getting that little one last drop of improvement. Louis Armstrong, John Lennon, and Mozart must be laughing from Up There. And please, dont serve me the argument that in the long run, this will make us enjoy the artist more. It may, of course, but by the time this happens, another upgrade-tweak-inducing insatisfaction will surface and start this whole quest for ''finding the air around the instruments''(that's what it's all about right?) process again. This hobby is about GEAR and SOUND, not music, and this topic is proof of it!

That should make it abundantly clear that SB's comments are not mere statements of fact but rather judgements, in spite of his subsequent disavowal.

Anyone who spends time around here will recognize that judgments of this kind are a commonplace with some posters. Some people would rather denigrate a conversation than participate in it. I sometimes get the impression that these people believe that denigrating a conversation IS participating in it. That is sad. It derails what might otherwise be constructive conversation, and it isolates us from one another, which is contrary to the whole raison d'être of sites like these.

Bryon