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The argument against upgrading

I’ve always assumed upgrading hifi can be worthwhile provided there is some audible improvement in sound quality. Maybe, this assumption should be challenged.

Let’s suppose I make some change to my system. I make a meaningful comparison that proves it sounds better in some way.

Before making the change, I was already able to get into and enjoy certain recordings. Surely, I can’t get into these recordings any more than that. It’s an either or thing not a matter of degree.

So what does the upgrade actually do for me in practice? I fear that more often than not it may be absolutely nothing.

I am not arguing that there is no better. Just that incrementally better may not necessarily always translate into more musical enjoyment.

I suppose this all begs the question what I actually mean by better.

What’s your view on the benefits of upgrading? How can we reliably assess whether it is effective?

newton_john
evanpress
50 posts
 

Will the upgrade give you more enjoyment than using the money for something else such as a gift to your kids/grandchildren, a home improvement, a vacation or other need/want?  Which would you value more?  

coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
883 posts
 

Be still. Be satisfied. Ignore the urge. It’s only a thought. Let it go. 

chalmers
14 posts
 

parkergetdean...love the 5k

mahler123
3,991 posts
 

The OP frequently unfavorably compares his present listening experiences to those of his adolescence.  A Yes album on a car system excited him more than the same album decades later on a more refined rig, and so on.

  Psychologists have long noted that the experiences we undergo in our youth are frequently more intense and “real” to us than the same experiences revisited later in life.  Many of us were completely enraptured by the music of our choice upon first encountering it, and the OP isn’t the only one here hoping that some piece of equipment will get those passions stirred up again.

  I suggest that while occasionally we can have those vivid experiences, most of the time that is an unrealistic expectation.  We aren’t fourteen years old anymore.  Our brains aren’t wired as they were back then.

  I look for my system to get the essentials right and simultaneously reveal complexities in music that I had not previously appreciated.  And particularly in pop music , three chord rock, etc., there may not be complexities to be appreciated .  With a Yes album, and other prog rock artists, there are probably many details that the OP current gear are revealing that his 14 year old self couldn’t appreciate from his car eight track.  However appreciating these details are probably not going to transport him in the same way as when he was 14.

skinzy's avatar
skinzy
204 posts
 

This is a great thread with lots of interesting perspectives.  After many years in this hobby I've always believed speakers have the biggest impact on sound quality and to make gains here you need to make big changes.  I have two systems. One is 4X the price of the other.  I could be happy with either one.  I am often amazed how far the less expensive system gets me in musical enjoyment. In the end it's all about having fun and enjoying what you have as coltrane1 suggests.

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