Sure it’s our brains. Because once you have heard “it” you want more.
As Nietzsche wrote, "Without music, life would be a mistake."
un-becoming an audiophile
Yes, the title is what is sounds like.
I remember long ago, as a boy, I used to be able to enjoy music without picking apart a track. is the bass tight? is the midrange clear and life-like? is the treble resolution spot on? What about imaging/sound stage?
Most people have this very same superpower - not being an audiophile. They can play a song from the worst earbuds, laptop speakers, or even computer speakers - and enjoy the music; even sing along. They aren’t thinking about "how it sounds" or scrutinizing the audio quality. Actually, they couldn’t care less. They can spend their time on other life pursuits and don’t feel a need to invest big money (or much money at all) in the hi-fi hobby.
Any psychologists or scientists in the building? (please no Amir @amir_asr ) since you are neither! ...despite the word "science" being in your domain name - audio science review.
Please, I beg you. Help me get away from this hobby.
Imagine - being able to enjoy all of your favourite music - while still achieving that dopamine rush, along with serotonin, and even oxytocin - the bonding hormone, which can be released while listening to songs with deep emotional messages, or love songs.
We’re very much like food critics or chefs in a sense. We want the best of something (in this case, audio) I’m sure michelin star chefs face the same thing in their own right...can’t enoy or even eat the food unless it’s up to a certain standard.
When we audiophiles want to listen to music, we often play it on a resolving system, so as to partake in a a "high-end" listening experience. We often pick apart music and fault the audio components in our system, cables etc. All of this takes away from the experience of enjoying music as a form of art/entertainment. It has been said that some famous artists don’t even own a high-end audio system.
I gained a great deal of wisdom of from the documentary - Greek Audiophile. In it, we have audiophiles from all walks of life. Their families think they’re crazy for spending all this money on audio. They say it sounds "nice" or "real" but still can’t justify it.
I think it’s all in the brain. If we can reset our brains (or me at least) I can still enjoy music without needing a great system for it.
- Jack
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- 216 posts total
@speedthrills interesting suggestion! my Heresy do help me quit obsessing because the music presented is just so damned engaging. It's like a user review of the Forte IV, also, that I read on Crutchfield: "At this stage in my life I wanted "shut up and play your guitar" sound and the Klipsch deliver." Or something like the Polk R700 also come to mind... a "done" speaker at $2000, easy to place, sounds great with anything, and as Andrew Robinson points out, a speaker that sounds so good that it poses a "philosophical question" (like you, the OP, is asking) about any desire to go any "higher." Time to just enjoy.. And, I'll also plug Andrew Robinson for his thoughtful youtube and print posts about "overcoming the audiophile addiction"... he even bills himself as a "recovering audiophile," and although you can still see his enthusiasm for gear in his reviews, he does actively promote the idea that once you have something good then relax and enjoy the music it delivers rather than obsessing on the neverending and always-diminishing-returns chase for an elusive perfection that doesn't even exist. |
Or just put it away. If it doesn’t bring you peace, walk away. This may be you realizing you’re pursuing something that doesn’t fulfill you. Best wishes sorting it out- I’ve been there myself. Sometimes these periods cause us to reevaluate and refocus. It may very well be a blessing instead of a curse.
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Look at it this way. Our systems sound so good that we’re inclined to listen to music we may not even like that much, provided that it’s well-recorded and has interesting sound effects. We would never listen to this same music in the car. The tradeoff is that some of our favorite music is not enhanced by a great sound system. |
I’m certainly drawn into the audiophile word more from the equipment side than the music side. I’m not particularly musical which may be why my repertoire of music is relatively small and I don’t actively seek out new music very often. I tend to stumble across it. Having said this, I can get lost in some music in a way that it’s almost as if I’ve stopped lost all together. The music stops and I realize that it’s now quiet. For the OP, do you have some music that sucks you in? If so, what’s different about it? Maybe try reading a book or playing games on your phone while listening to distract from being hyper-focused on the SQ. |
- 216 posts total