its all about the music,no way hose


is it really?

i posted a thread a few weeks ago asking why everybody got into high end gear & some of the responses got me thinking about this.

ok heres the deal,i constantly read the phrase"its all about the music" but is it really,i dont believe so,in a hobby where enthusiasts change gear as often as their socks i find that statement real hard to believe allmost like a herion addict claiming back pain is why he shoots up that crud.

ive seen guys spend upwards of $10,000 xtra for a special finish on their speakers,is that all about the music,how about paying high dollar for the same paint used to paint ferrari sports cars is that all about the music or how about the whole WAF deal where guys claim they are selling due to the wife not liking the way somthing looks no matter how good it sounds.

ive picked up alot of gear in person & ive seen where guys have $50,000 rigs but thier music collection is less than 50 discs or albums now that cant be all about the music.

just once i'd love to hear somthing honest like im in this hobby beacuse i love the gear,the way i see it is that this hobby is no different from say a guy collecting guns or sports cars or even motor cycles(my other hobby) or rare coins so why the big deal admitting it.

dont get me wrong i listen alot & since i dont watch television ever i listen more than most but its never been all about the music with me & it never will be,with me its about having fun with trying out different peices of gear & pride of ownership or even scoring on a very rare peice,sure, listening to music on a rig that produces music on a level that 99% of the population will never hear is a good thing but i find it very hard to believe thats the reason for most guys being in this hobby.

whats your thoughts?

mike.
128x128bigjoe
Onhwy61, your blacknoise generator sounds real fancy! I'd like to test it on Ellery's electronics-less radionics-based Rowland shell system. I bet it could reproduce even the sound of galactic black holes!
Fe--If you have 500 DVDs then it not All about the music, is it? Just kiddin' mon. Your post is spot on.

I often wonder why I bother with a 3-box front end, but the disc starts spinning and all else falls away. Yes, it takes up some real estate but it's all vertical, and well worth it, esp. when compared to some one-box players that have been through the rig.

What really blows my skirt up is mining a lot of gems at the local used CD store, seeing the discs of many artists I've never heard of or about. Some of these musicians make superb music that I would never discover without this wonderful source, and at prices that even this pauper can afford.

The dichotomy of this hobby is best summed up by a whole website "Enjoy the Music", where the hardware and the music are explored and enjoyed. Great thread.
I was so proud of myself. I am actually using my old Luxman R-1030 receiver for the sound of its headphone output rather than the just as old Optonica which looks a lot cooler just because it sounds better. It was a tough decision. So there is some truth in what he says. Dlr
I think the music is a given. Getting into high end audio is asking about just that. I'd assume that we were all into music to begin with. Some people get into gear, and I even have to catch myself from listening to gear too much. If you're not taking the time to enjoy the music, then it's defeating the purpose.

Good Post
You're probably right about a good number of audiophiles, even some here on Audiogon. They're equipment junkies masquerading as music lovers. It's shameful.
If it was all about music, this site wouldn't exist. We'd be off chatting on some other site about music, and only about music. The fact is that we all have a nutty level of attachment to our equipment. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here, arguing over cables, hawking our "best evers" in a classifieds section, or posting spring semester class pictures of our audio children. Sure, music is a part of it. But for anyone participating in this conversation, it's a little about the music, and a lot about the stroke. Nice system, by the way, Onhwy61. Pass it on.