Audiophile Addiction

Speaking of good dealers, a dealer once wisely advised me that the hobby is full of men who after many turnovers, arrive at their retirement and sell everything off as a result of psychic burn-out or financial necessity. We saw some of this after the financial crisis of 2008-- and probably from many who were well short of their planned retirement age.

It has been helpful for me to redirect audio restlessness into a light study of electronics and piece-part substitutions and circuit mods. It's less complicated than one might think and the sonic & psychic rewards can be significant. This is a way to think about continuous improvement in a slow & deliberate way without becoming too obsessed. Moreover, as the roots of the high end are in DIY it's a small holding action against the luxury goods mentality that threatens to consume the entire hobby.

While meaningful internal modifications can be inexpensive and rewarding relative to endless component swaps, the grossest addictions may be the so-called affordable luxuries of over-priced external commercial tweaks and cable swaps. Though cheaper than electronics, over a lifetime of purchases these external tweaks can add up to some serious waste. On similar grounds I resist the temptation of a $5 cup of coffee.

It is an indulgence. It can be great fun, but, like any indulgence (wine, sports), you need to monitor it's effect on your life. People often drop the hobby entirely when they simply need to focus on other things (e.g. raising children). Also the audiophile "itch" seems to come and go.

I would much rather listen to a bad system than my wife and squaling children. The family is way over rated. Just keep switching out gear and you will be almost completely insulated from the vagaries of your sad suburban existance.

We need to strike a good balance between this hobby and other things such as family. Whatever you do that is excessive would not be good to you. Like yin/yan, one is more than the other would upset the balance.

I continue to upgrade the components and tweak the system to ensure high quality sound reproduction. I admit that I am more into the electronics than the software. Equipment is the priority in this hobby for me. To the contrary, my friend is more into softwares. He hasn't upgraded anything (except tweaking) for 20 years, but he has been buying so many LPs and CDs. A lot of the older LPs and CDs are just sitting in the shelves and collecting dust since he mostly listens to the new ones.

Regardless of your priority, make sure you enjoy this hobby and balance it properly with other things. Oh, make sure you don't go overboard and become bankrupt. Enjoy.

>>07-22-10: Loomisjohnson
why would anyone choose to spend more time with his family than with a high-end system?<<

Some times it's better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're a fool rather than open your mouth and prove it.

Everybody has a right to be stupid but you're abusing the privelege.