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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
noble100's avatar
noble100
1,093 posts
 
For myself, it's more like: 'It's all about what sounds good", more than "It's all about the music". I think sounds soothe us in a basic, primal way. Cliche enough?
High-end equipment generally makes a given CD or LP sound much better than mass market gear. But this isn't always the case. For example, two of my favorites are Coldplay and Jack Johnson. Coldplay recordings don't sound near as good to me as Jack Johnson's and others on my system. So, I play Coldplay on my car CD, but not on my home system, because I enjoy the sounds more. There may be too many recordings geared toward car and portable systems.
I admit some 'pride of ownership' is in the mix, too, but that's secondary.
siliab
356 posts
 
I think the equipment is a fun by itself, just not as fun as what it does. I have had a good time collecting, building, modifying and fixing equipment over the years. But, I've never gotten a rush from any of that. I get a rush every time I listen to great music through a great system. I think that recorded music is an artform unto itself, and the more communicative the system the more complete the experience. Anyone that thinks differently either hasn't experienced this, or is prejudiced against it.
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe OP
680 posts
 
marco,i dont think there's a hose b but i'll keep my eye out for ya.

Ellery911,with joking aside how can you or any other high end owner look at the rowland system you mentioned even if it is imaginary & not say damm thats beautifil looking gear.

my music collection far outshines my rig with well over 1,000 titles in my every day listening collection plus around another 1,200 or so that get rotated in & out,who ever said that music wasnt a hobby & that it was a necessity of life was spot on & i just take that as a given for anybody in this hobby .

Onhwy61,im at a loss as to how you can describe a guy appreciating the sheer elegance of alot of the gear out there as "shamefull" hell,ive seen gear that looks more like artwork then it does gear,for me its not just about the gear or the music its an equal share of both.

sometimes i'll just look at pics of gear & marvel at how somebody can create somthing so beautiful from just having an idea let alone the fact that it plays music in a way that not many people will be fortunate enough to experience,there isnt a single person here who cant appreciate somthing beautiful,how can that be a bad thing.

mike.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
Bigjoe, next thing you're going to start comparing stereo equipment to a beautiful woman. Equipment can look good and it can be elegant, but to describe it as beautiful is announce to the world that you have a fetish. It may or may not be a bad thing, but it is a perversion. But hey, you're not alone, most of my friends live behind closed doors. Enjoy, after all "it's yo' thang...".

Is my command of the English language so poor that I have to hit people with a brick over their heads?
guidocorona
4,114 posts
 
Onhwy61: AudioFetish? What's wrong with that? From Audiophile to audioperv? Sounds good to me, I rather like it!
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