I wish I could say that I have experienced an audio epiphany or two in my time. But I fear that I am leaning in the other direction and am becoming something of an audio curmudgeon. Well, perhaps I'm not that much of a grouch, but I am most certainly not an audiophile's audiophile -- assuming there is such a thing.
I have learned that equipment reviews and opinion really doesn't mean much beyond the person writing the reivew or expressing the opinion because what is often missing is a common frame of reference. Yet I am still interested in what other people think, much moreso than what other reviewers write. It all has a sameness to it. Take some prose, add a few flattering pictures, and sprinkle it liberally with audiophile adjectives and there you have it....yet another rave review. I'm still waiting for the reviewer who hooks up the expensive whatever and says categorically, "This thing sounds like sh*t." And I have to admit that to me reviews and opinion almost seem like self-fulfilling prophecies as you climb the price ladder. Now it may just so happen that a $10,000 amp sounds that much better than a $3,000 amp. Or it could be that it sounds better because people expect it to sound better. But there are reasons to buy audio gear that don't have much to do with how it sounds. I am attracted to certain pieces by the design philosophy or aesthetics. Yes, I want gear to sound good and I want it to look good. Sounding great and being butt ugly doesn't get it done for me. Note to equipment manufacturers: if you build the greatest performing audio component assembled from the best available parts and then stick it in a chassis that looks like it was put together by a bunch of 9th grade industrial arts students then I will look elsewhere every single time.
It is because of the apparent dichotomy between the subjective and the objective that my approach to home audio has evolved into building relationships with vendors rather than trying to divine what the best sounding audio doo-hickey is. I tend to favor small operations and even one-man shows where I can get to know the designer and builder on a personal level. This has led to me a very satisfying place system wise and I don't have to spend a lot of time worrying about whether one gadget sounds better than another. I operate from the assumption that most equipment within a given price range will more or less perform the same. Besides, one cannot know how something will truly sound until you put it into your system and listen to it with your sources in your room. So the choice for me often comes down to who I like doing business with, how do their products speak to the audiophile in me, and who do I trust. To me, gear is nothing more than a means to an end. I'm more about the music than anything else. I was chatting on the phone this morning with another AN member and this very subject came up in conversation. I said I would rather talk about a Miles Davis or Duke Ellington LP than go on about which whatchmacallit sounds better. I can only tell you what sounds good to me in my system in my room. It may sound like total crap in yours.
It seems as though every time I get to a place where I am totally satisfied with everything in my rig, I am overcome by an uncontrollable urge to shake things up and do something new. I try not to do this too often. But since I usually buy nice stuff to begin with that retains some value I can do other things and not take too big of a hit financially, which to me is one of the great things about being an audiophile. The other great thing is being in a position from time to time to help others. I have been extremely fortunate and blessed to be able to buy the equipment that I have, and to immerse myself fully in my passion for music. It's a personal indulgence that many people cannot afford to make.
I try to gift stuff to others when it makes sense to do so and when the gift will truly have an impact. A few years ago, for example, I tried a Denon DL-103 phono cartridge and it took me all of 10 minutes of record spinning to determine that it was a poor match for my tone arm. I could not get back fast enough to the Benz Ruby that I was using at the time as my main cart. Someone on another forum accidentally broke the cantilever on his DL-103 and he was upset because money was a bit tight and he didn't know when he would be able to buy another cartridge. The thought of him not having vinyl for the forseable future was more than enough for me to send him a PM and offer my DL-103 to him for free.
Anyway, I guess I have blathered on long enough. Peace.
--Jerome
