How Do You Live The Audiophile Life

When I started out 30+ years ago I relied a lot on dealers, and I bought my gear as demo, consignment, and later model pieces. I was a chintzy, budget audiophile. I have learned much, and spent much time and money on the hobby over the years.  :) 

Sites such as this are confusing to newbies, as the budget, experience, preferences and motivations of forum participants is unknown. 

I am a reviewer of 14 years and invite you to read my work at Dagogo.com 

You have a big advantage in having dealers nearby to hear gear. Get to shows if you can - God willing they will start up again soon! 

Give up on the idea of making a "perfect" rig. Think of it as a cross-country journey with a lot of scenery (systems, performance changes, musical experiences) rather than a destination (perfection). 

Decide which gives the most pleasure; saving money, socializing with music, media collecting, or system building - or a particular mix of them. 

Just start with a rig. You won't be remotely near state-of-the-art, even if you spend $20K. There is a shockingly HUGE spectrum of performance, and unless you want to drop $100K for starters, you have lots of room to roam in systems. 

I have no interest in debating my advice. :)

There's a science or art to just about anything.  Including multiple levels of performance.  There is typically a low end, mid level and high end to almost anything.

Somethings are an acquired taste like beer.  Some are just a matter of education and trial.  Some people have opinions about certain things that they have really never tried or (more importantly) put appreciable time into.  So their opinions are just that, and pretty worthless also.

Take wine for instance.  In my youth I grew up in an environment where people were drinking hard alcohol.  Wine was drank at family events and weddings and I really didn't like alcohol or wine.  It wasn't until I went to Napa/Sonoma for the first time and really tasted wine with a good friend that I understood that I really never had a good glass of wine before.  Learning what to taste for in wine, what do I smell, taste in the wine, etc.

Same for music and audio equipment. I consider myself fortunate.  I grew up playing classical violin, sax, oboe, clarinet, etc.  First chair violinist.  I know what instruments actually sound like.  not electronic recreations of them.  So, when listening to recordings and playback equipment, I can tell when something is off.  If it doesn't sound accurate, it drives me out of the room. 

So, my advice to anyone just getting started into the audiophile community is to know what you like first.  Second, know what instruments are supposed to sound like.  Don't fall for the hype.  Look out for and understand the scams and marketing that are intended to separate you from your money.

Based on what you like and what is accurate to you, establish a budget.  Listen intently to equipment within your budget and also listen to equipment well outside (on the higher end) your budget.  If the equipment within your budget gets you "there", then you are good.  If not, well, it's time to make/save up and go through the long upgrade path.  

Used equipment is the best way to do that.  When manufacturers come out with the newest, latest and greatest equipment, that means that many people that are in the amp of the month club have to have the newest equipment and will sell at substantial discounts that piece of equipment that you can now afford that you were waiting for.

I'm an Electrical/Electronics Engineers and also a High School Track and Field Coach.  Been a coach since the early 1980's.  I've leaned long ago and tell my student/athletes that there will always be someone that is faster, can jump further/higher than you.  Don't assume you are the best, because on a particular day, you will run into that person that is better than you. Your goal is the be the best you can be and perform at your best.

Same for audio equipment.  no matter what level you are at, there will be equipment that is more expensive and better than what you have.  But, when you are "there" with regards to the sound quality you want, that is the goal.  Upgrading after that can be fun, but you quickly learn about diminishing returns on the value/sound quality of high end equipment.

My experience, is that when you get to a certain level of being "there", there really isn't jaw dropping differences in sound quality of audio equipment.  differences, yes, but not jaw dropping.

Don't purchase with the mindset of whether equipment retains it value.  purchase based on your own criteria.  Mine, is 1) sound quality (does it improve my listening experience, am I closer to "there"?), 2) costs, 3) manufacturer and difficulty/ease of getting it repaired close to where I live.  Shipping items from the West coast of the USA to the East coast for repair is really a PITA.

Take your time, be open with your significant other.  It does not pay to lie.  Have fun and enjoy the journey and especially the music.

enjoy

I was introduced to separates by a friend at university.

Later I read the UK domestic audio press which mislead me for decades.

I would have done better reading the pro audio press but stupidly kept believing that domestic audio was superior.

One day whilst working in a local broadcasting studio I was surprised (and annoyed) to find myself to be enjoying the Technics turntable more that the Linn LP12 I had at home.

This anomaly remained in my head until eventually the penny dropped - the Technics was the better deck!

Shock, horror, anger and paranoia followed. Okay, slightly exaggerating, but you know what I mean. I realised that I had been continually duped for years and years.

My eyes were finally opened and I gave up resistance (or was it just laziness?) against those wise words I kept ignoring for years -

You must listen for yourself.

As you say, dealers are getting thin on the ground so you need to get to shows, or find some local audiophile friends.

Don't expect to be floored by what you hear, in all my years I've only heard about a dozen wow products. These were mainly speakers - ProAc pyramids, Avantgarde Trios, some Italian bookshelves I've forgotten the name of, Kerr K320s, and Monopulse Actives. However it's almost always great fun attending.

Keep in mind also the world of used products since the high end of 1960 and after can match more or less anything of today.

It's only the budget end where things have dramatically improved I think. A $1000 system of today beats a $1000 system of 1960 if you adjust for inflation.

After all these years I begin to wonder whether experience generally tends to move you from the subjective to the objective camp in the same way politically you may move from the left to the right.

Idealism tempered by wisdom?

There has been a lot of good advice give...here is another 2 cents worth.

Take some time with the system you have now and over the next couple weeks, make some notes for yourself...what are the things you like and what don't you like....and use maybe no more than 10 songs to help you develop the list.  And while listening, use a phone app to check the loudness.


Examples:  tone, dynamics, spaciousness, punch, low end, detail or brightness, sibalance, harshness.

The idea is to get familiar with what your system sounds like and get familiar with what the songs sound like on your system...what do you like and what would you like to improve.

Now when you go elsewhere to listen, bring your list, bring your songs and you will now have a legitimate reference for comparison...and listen at the same loudness level that you do at home.  And make some notes again about what you hear and how it compares.


One final thing...don't be afraid of the internet direct companies...most have liberal listening and return policies and they make some fantastic gear...ok, you may have to pay some return shipping but except for big speakers it won't be that much money.

Good luck