Is audiophilia one hobby or two?

[treitz3]

Hello all and good evening to you all. It is a well known fact that if you are an audiophile, exploring high fidelity is a hobby.

Tonight, I would like to challenge that thought and present another perspective. Hear me out...

So, we have many formats that have gone to the wayside. 8 tracks, LD, cassettes and for many....the R to R. While R2R is one of the best formats out there, getting original recordings or albums in today's world is, shall I say, close to impossible. Sure, you can find a gem here or there but for the most part, folks use them to record physical media that they already own. With that said, LP and the digital counterparts are what is basically left for mainstream audiophilia. What I mean by digital counterparts can include but most definitely are not limited to CD's, XRCD's, HDCD's, SACD's, transporters, laptops, computers and the like.

So let me go back to my original question. Are we involved in one hobby only........or are those who have vinyl AND the digital counterpart actually involved in two hobbies?

Tom

[Robert R]

The way you ask the question I'd say one hobby, with a lot of facets - Sound Reproduction. But there is another hobby, the one that gets a temporary back seat while we're Festing - Serious Music Listening. The first is pretty meaningless without the second.

Robert R

[kingman]

The way you ask the question I'd say one hobby, with a lot of facets - Sound Reproduction. But there is another hobby, the one that gets a temporary back seat while we're Festing - Serious Music Listening. The first is pretty meaningless without the second.

Robert R

Agree...the equipment for reproduction is one facet, the actual music listened to in reproduction is another.

[jjptkd]

Are all audiophiles music lovers? Are all music lovers audiophiles?

[sea]

This is a very interesting topic. I personally find that I get all wrapped up in the technical aspects of our hobby and discover that I am not even listening to music. For instance I might be in the basement working on a pair of speakers for hour and realize that my system with Plats is sitting right across the room in silence. It has been months since I have sat and critically listened for any length of time.

[radioeng2]

Are all audiophiles music lovers? Are all music lovers audiophiles?

No and no.

[radioeng2]

I think the equipment and love of music are two seperate things.

You can mentally switch gears from analytically listening to music appreciation when something you love comes on or someone else is really into something playing and gets that across to you.

Im into the technical side often enough that I sometimes have to tell myself to change gears to focus on the music side. Again, a good selection can help you shift your mental focus much faster.

Mark

PS...it's very important to make that switch to help you find out how enjoyable a system is and how capable of communicating to you it is. Stale electronic reproduction is the penalty if you don't make the switch.

[jerryj12]

I think the equipment and love of music are two seperate things.


PS...it's very important to make that switch to help you find out how enjoyable a system is and how capable of communicating to you it is. Stale electronic reproduction is the penalty if you don't make the switch.

Agreed
Very well said Mark.

[Jazzman53]

Audiophelia is at least two hobbies and often compounded by a psychosis (or two). that is; the equipment, the music, tubes if you fail to avoid the seduction and some folks like Mark (and others we know) have the speaker building madness.

[loner_t]

The Technical side of the hobby comes out at places like CF2016, but the Musical side stays, intertwined with memories beyond the specific Technology. The most expensive technology or a pair of EarPods, the emotional invocations transcend the technology. The Brain is quite capable of filling the technical gaps to get the emotions out. Mozart or Tin Pan Alley in my head, sounds the same, on ALses, Apogees or Sonorousness. Just my 2c.

[Magnaryder]

Synergy as my best bud Jesse says is a path to that place where you can just sit back and enjoy the music and forget about the gear If even for a moment. Right here, Right now I have found that place with my rig as you may have seen it at the Fest. And for those of you who listened close the analogue rig sounds even better. Something about the nice mix of tubeage and LPs. But on the otherhand, the digital stuff moved me too. I think the Yggdrasil and the Fosgate are links that make the mix of the EAR V20 the the Spatial M3s work so well together. I can kick back smoke a 1992 Rocky Patel, drink a wee bit of Crown and forget the gear and just enjoy the tunes.

ray

Synergy baby, system Synergy