Should there only be one company making gear?

Beautifully put, KP.
When some people start to take their hobbies too seriously they exhibit a primitive tribalism.
Whether the hobby be hifi, attending football matches, golf etc etc. I think that some of it comes from insecurity, which itself is fed by modern society's consumerist rat-race.

No two pieces of my system are made by the same manufacturer, so I'd be a bit stuck if there were only a single manufacturer !

How these tensions manifest themselves reflects the values of the society.

We express it in merchandise or sports loyalties (the bread and circuses) because that's what occupies much of our lives. This is far better than the ethnic and religious expressions that these fears forms in most places. If you are looking forward to your favorite team's next match, you are not very likely to want to strap a box of TNT to your behind. Seen in that light 'bread and circuses" are not the luxuries as they may appear but vital ingredients to the peaceful functioning of a complex society.

We deal with threats in two forms: fight or flight. You either kill it, or run away from it. Well, that doesn't work all that often anymore; we are dealing with more than gazelles and leopards. So we internalize it (anger, depression) or lash out in acceptable equivalents. Angry phone calls, letters, posts.

It's another survival trait we have to learn to control. It leaves very little middle ground. We will treat a small problem, say, a key sticking on your keyboard) with the same intensity that we would deal with something like a lion stalking us. It can be a great ability. We tackle all problems with intensity. So we can put a man on the moon or make music from a hole in the ground, a stick, and some banana leaves. It can also cause suicide over a change of some numbers on a balance sheet, or murder over a parking space.

Btw, yes, my keyboard is sticking. And it's one of the good "switched" keyboard that are so hard to find now. Roarr...err.. I mean... oink! oink!

KP

Seandtaylor....
So...
Yer left speaker might be a vandersteen while yer right speaker might be a proac?

hahahaha

I think Nrchy put up a great post and i think alot of people should take the time to think about what he is saying.

You guy gotta admit designers and maunfacturers of high end gear sure have a large emotional and financial investment in their stuff. Fortunately, we've all got a lot of choice for everything. I've never heard a tube based CD front end that sounds as good as the SS ones I own. Also never heard a SS amp sound (to me) as good as my Air Tight SET. I also like Turi vodka, so go figure.

KP

So yer saying all those tube guys who jumped me a while back in the forums cause i said i preffer solid state, are actually just afraid of it?

I will never understant the sheer anger some people exibit to people who do not agree with thier preferences
.

its just a hobby

and a rediculous one at that