A typical audiophile!!

I ran into this on the net, alot of truth to it???? A typical Audiophile usually spent over 40 years to quest for best amplifier before he/she died.

The 1st 10 years: spent all the money and time on the solid-state amps;

The 2nd 10 years: discovered tube amps, and spent all the money and time on both tube and solid-state amps (and cables as well as speakers, etc.);

The 3rd 10 years: discovered tube SET amps, and spent all the money and time back and forth on the SS, tube PP and tube SET amps.

The last >10 years: finally stayed with a low power tube SET amp and took it with him/her to the Heaven.

I ran into this on the net, alot of truth to it???? A typical Audiophile usually spent over 40 years to quest for best amplifier before he/she died.

The 1st 10 years: spent all the money and time on the solid-state amps;

The 2nd 10 years: discovered tube amps, and spent all the money and time on both tube and solid-state amps (and cables as well as speakers, etc.);

The 3rd 10 years: discovered tube SET amps, and spent all the money and time back and forth on the SS, tube PP and tube SET amps.

The last >10 years: finally stayed with a low power tube SET amp and took it with him/her to the Heaven.

Yeah that sounds about right.

Any chance that this is attributable to changes in our hearing
and temperament as we age -
and don't have a damned thing to do what is actually more accurate?

Apologies if that's already been covered.

Disclaimer: Just putting it out there for discussion, not advocating.

Not to beat a dead horse, but personally I believe "audiophiles" that spend too much time fucking around with too many different types and brands of amps are missing the forest for the trees. Obsessing with amps/equipment misses the point to all of it: LISTENING to and ENJOYING music! At a certain level of quality/power of a system it's good enough (IF musical pleasure is your prime focus). If you're just looking to have the biggest/baddest/most expensive/most "perfect" "toys", then that becomes your prime focus and the music is secondary. Talking about it all too much (wires, amps, tubes, power sources, speakers, etc.): ditto!

Not to beat a dead horse, but personally I believe "audiophiles" that spend too much time fucking around with too many different types and brands of amps are missing the forest for the trees. Obsessing with amps/equipment misses the point to all of it: LISTENING to and ENJOYING music! At a certain level of quality/power of a system it's good enough (IF musical pleasure is your prime focus). If you're just looking to have the biggest/baddest/most expensive/most "perfect" "toys", then that becomes your prime focus and the music is secondary. Talking about it all too much (wires, amps, tubes, power sources, speakers, etc.): ditto!

Well said Ed !!!

I agree 100% with you & that scares the hell out of me.

Not to beat a dead horse, etc, etc.

I agree with your post, of course.

So, do you think the pattern that many seem to follow,
big SS gear followed by an interest in tubes as one ages
is attributable to the changes that occur in ones hearing?

I have certainly noticed more older guys liking tubes
and more younger gearheads liking the SS stuff.

Maybe it's what people liked when they were younger and couldn't afford it.

Any additional thoughts?

Perhaps, Martin. But I think it (SS vs tubes, etc.) to be more along the lines of to each his own, etc. Personally, I like extreme detail in my music (which of course if this detail has any/too much distortion in it, then yes, that can quickly "get on your nerves". Hence the need for good sources, good IC's, good speakers, etc.). I like the extreme contrast of detailed highs and "perfect bass". Hearing/nerves certainly could play a part in all this. Old = calm = "smoothed out music from tubes" could be a factor. Energy level as well..... But hearing and "nerves" and energy-level degradations due to aging can be addressed thru nutritional supplamentation (as I've posted here before: Nerve Complex, Max Stress B, etc. from u know where are all "system components" or "system matenance" along the lines of 'Deoxit for the brain' that I'd highly recommend!) and I believe this can do as much to improve your "system" as anything else....

Cool response
Totally agree on the detail vs grating thing.
Forever toggling the 10k up boost/cut, trying to get that balance right.

"perfect bass"....

Sometimes I like it to kick my chest in,
never been a fan of the 'one note smear.'
Open Baffle seems a step in the right direction,
but the Db meter seems to think there's enough there,
even when I don't.
Maybe it's a Fletcher and Munson thing.

What is your take on bass?

I dont think once you have hit the "Good enough" state, and then you change it up again and again, that makes you less of a music lover. I had a good enough car in the 80s along with other things such as television, furniture even a wife.... But I have changed all these and it doesnt mean that what I had wasnt good enough, it means that I could improve, so I did. I know what you mean about obsessing with "better this and better that" and I think youll find that with all hobbies. Think of model airplane guys....they usually start with something small and 20 yrs later they have a plane you could put a Cocker Spaniel in, they still love flying model planes, they just tweak and improve as they
gain more experience. There are always the guys that have what they started with, but that doesnt mean that the guy that moved on....not necessarily up...doesnt love "it" any less. Besides, all hobbies involve some kind of building or tweaking to make something you can call your own. Everyone has their own limits as to how far they go, that makes the experience their own.

You hit on the head with "bass". If I would of left what was good enough alone, I would still be listening to one note, boomy bass from my original sub. Never would of found OB bass and what it offers......it offers a lot. I never would of gone with the fad of open baffle mains as well, this just opens the door to a whole new world of clarity and detail....or bothered with a dedicated room for the system. I love music, play a bunch of different instruments, grew up in a musical family....both my grand fathers were musicians, one was a music teacher. Maybe another way to look at it is maybe some people....especially the ones who know the tones of real instruments in the same room they listen to gear in....are striving for that, and good enough wont do.

Spot on PDR!!! I think most of us "audiophools" are striving for that "live" sound!

Agree, agree with everything responded. I was mainly trying to draw the distinction between "system collectors" and "system listeners" along the lines that some car collectors (e.g.) prefer "trailer queens" that they'd NEVER drive...just like to show them off and display them and collect them and see how perfect a classic car they can own as opposed to other classic car collectors who ONLY want a driver for the experience and enjoyment of driving. They don't obsess about trying to continuosly get a "more perfect" car...they just want to DRIVE what they have. And nothing wrong with doing the same thing in audio...trying to own the biggest, most expensive, most powerful, loudest, most perfect system out there, but not really ever sitting down and listening to this system for 10-12 hours at a time and going for years without "upgrading"....just enjoying it for the music only.

And of course you need to do a certain amount of upgrading along the way (unless someone builds you a "perfect" system on day one...99.99% of us will never be one of those "golden spoons"!) and be aware of what's out there and not get stuck at too "inferior" of a level. I think this has been discussed here before...."plateauing", "cul -de sac's", "dead ends", etc. Gotta be a balance there somewhere (if you are not in the "trailer queen" audio camp....). But I agree; most ("average" listener...whatever that is) miss out on a whole lot of musical pleasure because they settle for what's generally available, just don't care or simply don't know what they are missing.....I was most definitely in that camp my pre-Carveraudio forum days..... Music system was just "there"....no need to upgrade nor worry about what kind of replacement drivers I used, etc. It was "good enough"....WRONG! Not even sure what brings people out of their "audio stupor"...for me, maybe just because I was done with "kid raising" and was allowed to "wake up"

Not even sure what brings people out of their "audio stupor"...for me, maybe just because I was done with "kid raising" and was allowed to "wake up"

Ed....that was me as well, I love my kids, but I can relate 100%
I think thats my new favorite saying....done with "kid raising" and allowed to "wake up".....

Not to beat a dead horse, but personally I believe "audiophiles" that spend too much time fucking around with too many different types and brands of amps are missing the forest for the trees. Obsessing with amps/equipment misses the point to all of it: LISTENING to and ENJOYING music! At a certain level of quality/power of a system it's good enough (IF musical pleasure is your prime focus). If you're just looking to have the biggest/baddest/most expensive/most "perfect" "toys", then that becomes your prime focus and the music is secondary. Talking about it all too much (wires, amps, tubes, power sources, speakers, etc.): ditto!

Well said Ed !!!

I agree 100% with you & that scares the hell out of me.

Now you have reason to be scared Frank, because I 199.99% agree with Ed !

Nice to see you guys getting along lol.