Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Wehamilton, I was (self)diagnosed, but that did not help either. My system is more or less right now, but my ears are failing. So there you are...but I am still at it of course, thinking of tweaking hearing aids and how to find the sweat spot in my ears for them. Regards,

CW London, do you think this Mr. Whitehead is real? Seems rather like a bit of a wag.....but then perhaps he has a Bose system in his Spitfire and a big B&W system in his B-17. Me, I'm a snob, I'd rather be shot down and crash then listen to that stuff.

Tucker, I don't know if that would answer your question, but I'm thinking that if I were very, very rich, I would exactly know which Porsche to buy in order to enjoy "the best" in terms of acceleration, handling, etc., or which mansion to build and where and probably most of the cognoscienti would agree with me. Generally in these things we can establish a clear set of references. Audio on the contrary seems elusive. Nobody really has a fixed set of reference. Nobody can truly tell us ( thank the audiogods) what is "best". Cars can be compared by measuring performance, time pieces by their exactitude, rarity,workmanship, but nobody can measure how close our systems may come to the real thing, to a live musical event. So audio is more of a quest, an experimenting, a searching, a road full of doubts, of ups and downs and possibly often also quite a lonely thing. The lucky fellow with the oil wells, reading TAS and spending the 350.000 on a system described there as SOTA and showing it off as "as the best", without comparing it to a life concert and hence starting a quest of his own, I would not describe as an audiophile. So to be a true and dedicated audiophile is impractical, expensive, trying. The enjoyment of a new level of performance in your system is often enough followed by bouts of selfdoubt, the critical remark of a peer might throw you into the deepest of depressions, a new ampflifying star on the horizon will fill you both with greed and a new yearning for sonic nirvana. You are rarely at peace, neither with yourself nor with your system. Now who needs that? Nobody in his right mind. Besides if you want to hear music, why not switch on your radio, huh? So you ask why so few people love audio? We are an elite lot, my friend. The salt of the (aural)world. (-;

Thanks, Doug, you got the weak part of my argument...and I would be a motorhead, if I could only afford it. Regards

WOW and for the same price as a gnu beemer ? Where do you shop and duh, what's a buell? (sounds Scandinavian, Viking sort of...)Forgive ye olde ignorance...

Thanks Doug, you make me feel all nostalgic. The last time I sat on a bike was deep in the last century. It was a Brits Triumph, 200cc, I think. SIGH.

A splendid analysis, Wehamilton. How come you know me so well?!!

Although basically I would agree with you, that since the beginning of the eighties, the advances in the high end have mainly been prices and advertising skill, I would say that in dissolving such finer points as the various rythms inherent in the musical web and the widening of the dynamic scale, especially down in the ppp region have been considerable. Also the ability of creating a reasonable facsimile of the soundspace has improved . Especially the ability to better recreate the intricacies of the rythm element is an important factor to make a system seem more musical and closer to the truth. This ability has also begun to seep through to mid priced gear. So, though your point is partially valid, in defecting you are missing quite a bit in my opinion.
It will still take quite a time, if at all, until we turn out the light. I guess, you have gone to bed a bit too early. (-:, Regards,

Wow Wehamilton, excellent! I wished, I would have been able to write that post. We are a bit behind here in continental Europe, but its coming fast and some high end stores are beginning to fold, others begin to diversify into HT. So your sociological analysis holds true also for us. We are not quite so far yet and analog\vinyl still thrives amongst the cognoscienti and in my generation, specialist stores, with above average vinyl setup service can still make a fairly good living. Unfortunatedly we are not so far as yet, where excellent high end stuff is thrown on the used market, because people want the raucus of HT. But it will come and be a feast for us, the old guard, like it was in those days, when digital started off in the market and people were getting rid of their LP's. Gosh what a feast that was!
So there are two sides to everything!