A cheaper way to get at what an expensive high end audio system does

[caesar]

Seems like every month or so there is a thread on how audio gear has gotten expensive. It attracts flies like a big, steamy pile of isht on a hot summer day. The reasons for gear being expensive have been argued ad nauseum, but few solutions have been offered.

Here's one solution for those who would rather save the money: Sit back and relax! In the scheme of things, the best systems let you do just that. Hearing them, you don't focus on the quality of sound, you just let go and enjoy. We all live busy, stressful lives. So go to the park or go to the beach, sit back, lean your head back, and relax! Lower your guard and float away!

You certainly don't need a whole lot of money to do that.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Youre absolutely right , if only we had more sun on the beach i wouldnt be spending so much time indoors .

Now we got (had) this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsOoyZHSsuM

 

[mep]

Seems like every month or so there is a thread on how audio gear has gotten expensive. It attracts flies like a big, steamy pile of isht on a hot summer day. The reasons for gear being expensive have been argued ad nauseum, but few solutions have been offered.

Here's one solution for those who would rather save the money: Sit back and relax! In the scheme of things, the best systems let you do just that. Hearing them, you don't focus on the quality of sound, you just let go and enjoy. We all live busy, stressful lives. So go to the park or go to the beach, sit back, lean your head back, and relax! Lower your guard and float away!

You certainly don't need a whole lot of money to do that.

Since I just had a spot of skin cancer carved off my face (I thought it was a pimple at first and I was going through puberty again), if I went to the beach and leaned my head back, I would be stressing out.

 

[caesar]

Since I just had a spot of skin cancer carved off my face (I thought it was a pimple at first and I was going through puberty again), if I went to the beach and leaned my head back, I would be stressing out.

I am very sorry about that! I hope it goes away FOREVER!!!

How about a nice fire instead?

 

[JackD201]

Dude, bummer Mark! Yeah, I hope that does go away forever.

There's no point in being in a hobby when you can't sit back and enjoy what you've accomplished. It's not some contest. Anyone that approaches a hobby that way is bound to lose eventually.

As for me I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the results. A perk of being in the industry is that I get to play with a lot of toys, mine and others.

Just last week I helped a friend tune his DIY active quad amped ribbon/horn/cone/subwoofer system. His active XO was set on a stand on the floor and I did it while alternating being on my belly and in the sweet spot with a hand held RTA. It was a lot of fun. He's a Urologist and I even came a way with some samples of ....... LOL.

 

[microstrip]

Seems like every month or so there is a thread on how audio gear has gotten expensive. It attracts ....

I really dislike when a new thread starts with an insulting gross metaphor. Just MHO.

 

[cpp]

iPhone and decent headphones and your in your own little world... Not expensive at all.

 

[mep]

Dude, bummer Mark! Yeah, I hope that does go away forever.

If your going to get skin cancer, this is the one to have. It was no big deal. The dermatologist just burns down through three layers of your skin. You get to walk around and look like a dork for awhile (or more dorky depending on your existing dork level) until the burn heals up. Mine will be two weeks tomorrow so I'm still pretty high on the dorkometer scale.

 

[JackD201]

Dumb hats distract from zit looking things. A secret every top level Dork knows.

 

[cjfrbw]

Is this thread some insidious trick to make audiophiles mentally healthy?

Well, it won't work!

 

[NorthStar]

-- Good music is like a vacation; it transports you to exotic places around the world...
...And the price for that? ...Some time off, a plane ticket, and some cash (credit card) for a place to eat and sleep. :b

- The plane ticket: You can shop around for the best deals.
- A place to eat (food): You don't need caviar and champagne; go to local places where the 'normal' people of the place go to eat, and drink good local wine.
- A place to sleep: No need to go in fancy hotels; rent a van/camper, or a Westfalia, or go to affordable motels.

With audio/music, it is similar; you can enjoy life with very little money. :b

 

[mep]

Dumb hats distract from zit looking things. A secret every top level Dork knows.

Yeah, but I have never been a hat person. You know how some people look cool when they wear some stylish lids? Subtract me from that crowd because I look even worse in a hat. I have always hated wearing hats and it's one of the reasons why me and the military weren't compatible (I have a thousand more reasons though). If you are in uniform and you are outside, thou shalt have a hat on. I was always losing my hats and getting yelled at. "The wind just blew it off sir" only worked the first time the a-hole caught you without your hat.

 

[JackD201]

You have mellon head like I do Mark? I look lousy in hats too. You should see me with those winter beanie things. My kid said he was tempted to put his fingers in my nose and mouth and go bowling. He got a lump of coal from Santa.

 

[Mosin]

If I weren't afraid of being mugged, or getting sand kicked in my face, I'd try that park and beach idea.

I guess I'll just have to keep worrying whether my tubes are biased right 'cause it's a whole lot less stressful.

 

[caesar]

I really dislike when a new thread starts with an insulting gross metaphor. Just MHO.

No offense meant, Microstrip. But these same arguments come up all the time, the points get explained and argued out, yet people still don't get it. This site brings together a lot of different people. I know some people here have a demonic obsession with finding and sharing experience about the most real sounding gear, yet others just like to argue. I believe in free speech, and I don't have problem with the latter, but when the same drek starts repeating over and over and over....

Psychological angle: Our brains are wired for novelty. Our brains respond to new events and experiences. But the neurons in our brains don't fire if events do not provide new information. We quickly adapt to what we have. And we strive for new and different things. Manufacturers are aware of this, and they oblige. If they make gear that gets our neurons firing, they can ask a lot of money for it...

Economic perspective: This is really basic stuff. The value proposition of high end audio is to make sure the customer understands the intrinsic quality, the level of workmanship, and the cost to make the products. If this does not come across and there is no compelling reason to buy the high end gear, people will not buy it. Some claim that audiophiles are dumb schmucks, easy marks. But how many schmucks are there that are buying stuff just because it's expensive? Just like you can't say that every actress in Hollywood is a strung-out slut like Lindsay Logan or everyone in New Jersey is like the individuals on MTV's Jersey Shore, not everyone buying the dCS Vivaldi or an expensive speaker is an idiot. But if there is one guy out of 30 or 40 Vivaldis dCS will sell this year who is that schmuck, so what? Most individuals in this hobby are highly engaged and experienced. They know why they are spending their money. They know what gets them off.

But again, it all comes down to a very simple economic principle: If you see the value in something and can afford it, buy it. If not, don't. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head. And this pattern of high prices/ high quality exists for virtually every industry today - from cheese to clothing ( I saw a killer $10K Kiton cashmere sport coat the other day) to cars to beer to kitchen appliances to tools...

We no longer live in the Victorian times. And we no longer live in the 1960's or even the 1980's. Thank Heavens for that!

 

[caesar]

If your going to get skin cancer, this is the one to have. It was no big deal. The dermatologist just burns down through three layers of your skin. You get to walk around and look like a dork for awhile (or more dorky depending on your existing dork level) until the burn heals up. Mine will be two weeks tomorrow so I'm still pretty high on the dorkometer scale.

Good to hear you'll be well soon. Skin cancers could eb extremely deadly. Get a melonoma, and you got 3-6 months. You (and us all) have a lot to be grateful for.

 

[caesar]

...Gratitude is another way to cheaply get what an expensive system provides. Don't turn your system on. Shut off your computer or mobile device. Sit in a quiet place for 15 minutes every day and just be grateful for all of the awesome people and things in your life...

 

[caesar]

Is this thread some insidious trick to make audiophiles mentally healthy?

Well, it won't work!

Cjfrbw, I couldn't agree with you more. Audiophilia is like a really powerful drug. It comes down to a 3 step process that is the same for any habit that we form, good or bad. First there is some kind of a cue - it could be a smell like vinyl, a magazine that looks familiar, a song we hear, etc. That trigger tells your brain to go into automatic mode. Then there's a routine which can be physical, emotional or mental - we turn on our system, hit an audiophile website, stop by a dealer, pick up a magazine, etc. Finally, there is the reward for the audiophile - it's that state of bliss that either a closer connection to the music or a feeling of self importance of having "cool" gear provides. Over time, this loop—cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward—becomes more and more automatic. The cue and reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges. And then we're ufcked!!!

For a lot of people turning on their system or hitting audiogon is a relief. But frequently it's just an escape. Sometimes it's better to sit alone for 15 minutes in complete quiet and be grateful for the awesome things and people our lives.

 

[NorthStar]

No offense meant, _____ . But these same arguments come up all the time, the points get explained and argued out, yet people still don't get it. This site brings together a lot of different people. I know some people here have a demonic obsession with finding and sharing experience about the most real sounding gear, yet others just like to argue. I believe in free speech, and I don't have problem with the latter, but when the same drek starts repeating over and over and over....

Psychological angle: Our brains are wired for novelty. Our brains respond to new events and experiences. But the neurons in our brains don't fire if events do not provide new information. We quickly adapt to what we have. And we strive for new and different things. Manufacturers are aware of this, and they oblige. If they make gear that gets our neurons firing, they can ask a lot of money for it...

Economic perspective: This is really basic stuff. The value proposition of high end audio is to make sure the customer understands the intrinsic quality, the level of workmanship, and the cost to make the products. If this does not come across and there is no compelling reason to buy the high end gear, people will not buy it. Some claim that audiophiles are dumb schmucks, easy marks. But how many schmucks are there that are buying stuff just because it's expensive? Just like you can't say that every actress in Hollywood is a strung-out slut like Lindsay Logan or everyone in New Jersey is like the individuals on MTV's Jersey Shore, not everyone buying the dCS Vivaldi or an expensive speaker is an idiot. But if there is one guy out of 30 or 40 Vivaldis dCS will sell this year who is that schmuck, so what? Most individuals in this hobby are highly engaged and experienced. They know why they are spending their money. They know what gets them off.

But again, it all comes down to a very simple economic principle: If you see the value in something and can afford it, buy it. If not, don't. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head. And this pattern of high prices/ high quality exists for virtually every industry today - from cheese to clothing ( I saw a killer $10K Kiton cashmere sport coat the other day) to cars to beer to kitchen appliances to tools...

We no longer live in the Victorian times. And we no longer live in the 1960's or even the 1980's. Thank Heavens for that!

...Gratitude is another way to cheaply get what an expensive system provides. Don't turn your system on. Shut off your computer or mobile device. Sit in a quiet place for 15 minutes every day and just be grateful for all of the awesome people and things in your life...

Cjfrbw, I couldn't agree with you more. Audiophilia is like a really powerful drug. It comes down to a 3 step process that is the same for any habit that we form, good or bad. First there is some kind of a cue - it could be a smell like vinyl, a magazine that looks familiar, a song we hear, etc. That trigger tells your brain to go into automatic mode. Then there's a routine which can be physical, emotional or mental - we turn on our system, hit an audiophile website, stop by a dealer, pick up a magazine, etc. Finally, there is the reward for the audiophile - it's that state of bliss that either a closer connection to the music or a feeling of self importance of having "cool" gear provides. Over time, this loop—cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward—becomes more and more automatic. The cue and reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges. And then we're ufcked!!!

For a lot of people turning on their system or hitting audiogon is a relief. But frequently it's just an escape. Sometimes it's better to sit alone for 15 minutes in complete quiet and be grateful for the awesome things and people our lives.

---- All excellent reading. :b