Greetings from a fellow Canuck! Your post here is well thought out, hard to find a lot of fault in your reasoning. The logic is sound, the emotional requirements still need to be considered. Speaking for myself, I began enjoying listening to music at a young age, as time went on (and finances allowed) I grew my music collection and the hardware to make the music sound more enjoyable. I've read articles where top notch musicans show off their mass market gear, and yet still seem to really enjoy music, so is esoteric hardware REALLY necessary? Obviously not. One trip to a recording studio (I've been to Morin Heights several times) will sure make you wonder why we bother, the electronics used in the studios to record popular music is garbage. Since we don't really NEED top notch gear, it falls into the luxury category. Once you've taken care of all the basics (roof over your head, some decent food, warm clothing, etc..) you hopefully end up with some disposable income to make your life more enjoyable. Making the decision to invest in music, whether it be adding to your collection or upgrading gear is an harmless and enriching experience. Everybody has a hobby or interest they invest their time and money in, my main hobby, and one I've been involved in for over 25 years remains music. I've got my three kids interested in music and sports, beats some of the other alternatives out there. Rgds, Jeff
Love of MUSIC or love of GEAR
I think the appeal of audio gear is more complicated than simply a love of music. In my experience I have not seen much of a correlation between the love of music and the pursuit of high-end gear. That is not to say that audiophiles do not necessarily love music – I think that they do (or they at least have some kind of aural fetish)– or the gear would not make sense to them. But if the full appreciation of music was dependant on hearing it played through the best gear, then musicians, composers, CBC FM radio hosts (yes, I am Canadian) – would all be audiophiles. As it stands, this is not the rule but the exception. (I would bet that there are more architects than musicians that have high-end systems.) I propose that the pursuit of high-end audio has something to do with an obsession with the POTENTIAL of gear to produce music. Wrapped up in this ‘potential’ are the aesthetics and physical appearance of the gear, its smell, feel, ergonomics, size and mass, technological innovation, myths associated with it, etc. The pursuit of gear in this context is its potential to offer a doorway to a world of music as expansive and rich as we can imagine, that we can open at will - by ourselves or with others who are willing to listen.