Is there a Gear vs Music Argument?
- Thread starter welcomdmat
- Start date
Most performing musicians are poor. I have family members who are professional symphony players, and the only people in that world who do well are the very thin slice of major orchestral performers and/or those who have found an unusual niche. Most of these people scramble from low-paying gig to lower-paying gig, then rush to a school to teach kids, then to a side-gig playing in small venues for a few bucks. My wife and I have season tickets to a mid-sized orchestra in a mid-size US city, and I see musicians parking in the deck and rushing into the venue before performances. Almost to a person, they appear harried and they drive crappy cars and it appears that some of them almost live in their cars.
It's really a crappy life for most, and as far as equipment goes they acquire the best they can find and afford, which often is not great. I can assure you that most string players are not searching for rare old instruments, but are instead looking for values or buying working-class instruments in the hope of honing their craft well enough to compete for better gigs and/or a niche. I've been amazed at how good a musician one can be and still struggle to keep food on the table.
It's really a crappy life for most, and as far as equipment goes they acquire the best they can find and afford, which often is not great. I can assure you that most string players are not searching for rare old instruments, but are instead looking for values or buying working-class instruments in the hope of honing their craft well enough to compete for better gigs and/or a niche. I've been amazed at how good a musician one can be and still struggle to keep food on the table.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
You would think after this much time has passed that cartridges would sound more alike. But sadly they don't, which tells me like loudspeakers there is plenty of room for improvement. The issue today is because so few cartridges are being made production costs have gone through the roof. Designs from Shure and Stanton are mainly just rehashes in oder to keep the price down. There's no break through engineering taking place there. I can remember back in the 70's top of the line turntables could easily be had for under $1000 dollars and really good ones for half that price. Seems that today the sky is the limit to obtain break through technology, from tables , arms. and cartridges. Cartridges were top of the line for less $250.00 in the 70's are all pushing or surpassing $7,500 dollars today. Its an issue we have to face with every sound system component today. No wonder good in demand pre-owned components prices have gone through the roof. MC 240 that cost $288.00 new are pushing over $4000 to $5000.00. Model 9's are just out of sight. Now wonder Stereo systems are not the fad they used to be.
Multiplex
Appease my earhole.
There are too many alternatives for entertainment that are far more stimulating to the attention-span-deficient human beings of today...
Gotta figure that most entertainment now offers vivid visual stimulus and/or real time "smart" interaction...
For instance, there are UHD TVs with thousands of options for streaming media on demand, there is online realm gaming with rocket-fast 4K consoles, social media plastered with emoticon smattered comments about duck-face selfies, tens of thousands of videos on YouTube, ranging from wacky cats, to derpy dogs, to videos of people injuring themselves on Fail Army, to dashcam videos of Russians crashing their cars, to... whatever. You can even make a cartoon pile of poo mirror your facial expressions! What more do you need, really?
Hi-fi will never again have the mainstream popularity it had in the days before Atari, VHS and cable, let alone smartphones and internet. So, don't expect affordable mass-produced audio gear of the same level of quality that you could buy 35-40 years ago. It ain't gonna happen.
But, do enjoy the toys of today, like massive flat screen smart TVs that cost less than a 19" Sony Trinitron did back then. They have perfect digital pictures with nearly ten times the resolution, color gamut, and contrast ratios, with built-in wi-fi to boot. (...though their speakers usually have about half the frequency response and volume of old tube TVs... Go figure. Better get ya a plastic Bluetooth sound bar!)
Could not have said it better Bob, all sorts of sub-forums I never enter on the site due to no interest.
malden
Addicted Member
It seems by your post that you are into toys in general, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the OP was asking about music and the gear that reproduces it.
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Multiplex
Appease my earhole.
I commented about that, too. You just have go back a little further.
malden
Addicted Member
willyrover
Super Member
My hobby is equipment. I seek out recordings to facilitate my enjoyment of the equipment.
malden
Addicted Member
Let's not forget about the visual aspect of audio gear. When I attend a live performance, I go to see the musicians as well as hear the performance. Likewise, at home I like to look at my gear while listening. When I buy a piece of audio gear, the first thing I judge it by is its appearance. Then I give it a listen. Kind of like how we find our mates.
DesertTwang
Active Member
Gotcha. Thank you!
DesertTwang
Active Member
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I would have assumed that among HiFi enthusiasts, being attracted to gear visually first might be considered embarrassing, but I'm happy to see that that's apparently not the case.Let's not forget about the visual aspect of audio gear. When I attend a live performance, I go to see the musicians as well as hear the performance. Likewise, at home I like to look at my gear while listening. When I buy a piece of audio gear, the first thing I judge it by is its appearance. Then I give it a listen. Kind of like how we find our mates.
I, too, enjoy just looking at my stereo while listening to music. Even the simplest of operations, such as flipping a glistening, silvery switch and feeling it snap in place carries a kind of satisfactory haptic experience, compared to pushing a rubber button on my Smart TV remote.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
When I look at how amateur photography has changed over the past 40 years I have to admit its just startling. Of course film is now called the ultimate format. Its similar to the LP reincarnation. I can shoot 500 frames today throw out what I don't want, crop and correct what I do want for just the cost of the camera and lens I chose. Back in the old days it could be a dollar each time I pulled the trigger with my Hasselblads, after I had finished mounting the developed slide film. I easily spent $ 3000 on film and processing every year. And those slide mounts weren't cheap either. Today Its just pull the trigger. With the money saved on film and processing I can buy a lens when I want or change bodies. But I'm conservative so the money I save now goes into the hifi budget/HT budget. I've been digital since 2008. So I have saved about $30,000.00 Which paid for 3 camera bodies and 3 lenses. Paid for a pre-owned Apple lap top, a pre-owned MX 151, and new MVP 891, and a preowned MR 7084. And I'm still way ahead. It paid for replacing my Laser discs with blu ray DVD's too. Up dating to C-34v and rebuilding my MR-80 and MPI-4. It won't pay for the new MDX, but it will pay for the Hi test gas. Now if I could make those same savings with my Hifi system I would be way ahead . But alas it doesn't work that way in the home entertainment business. Sure CD that cost $ 17.00 dollars can be streamed for a fraction of the cost, and Lps can be had for about what they sold for in the 70's. 4K DVD's are still less expensive than Laser disc were, and again streaming saves a bundle. But their are hidden costs. Directv and Spectrum cost me $200 a month. But that all can't be blamed on HI fi enjoyment. maybe $20.00 a month. But Video is the issue. If I could figure out away to chose just 10 channels Directv provides, I could get everything else off the air. I'm sure there is a work around through the internet, but I haven't gotten mad enough to do anything about it. But I'm getting close. I don't do Starz, HBO, Cinemax, but I do love Velocity, Smithsonian, TCM, Fox, MGM and Paramount channels. The 800 music channels are a nice alternative, too. Decisions, Decisions, to many to make.
malden
Addicted Member
cameras, lenses, film, lap top, mx 151, mvp 891, mr 7084, laser disc, blu ray, dvd, c-34v, mr 80, mpl-4, mdx, hi-test gas, direct tv, spectrum, starz, hbo, cinemax, velocity, smithsonian, tcm, fox, mgm, paramount, 800 music channels...
...Where do you stand on the music vs. audio gear question?
...Where do you stand on the music vs. audio gear question?
armyslowrdr
I don't want one..LOL
I love gear...hi-fi, cameras, computers, road and mountain bikes, weather stations.
The output of such gear is pretty neat too.
The output of such gear is pretty neat too.
Cliffordreid
Member
This exists in every hobby. In skateboarding, we called them posers. Kids who showed up to the park with brand new high end skate shoes, top of the line boards, and could hardly skate. They’ed skate around for a few minutes, but mostly sat around holding their board. Next week theyed show up with another new one. They like the “idea” of being a skateboarder, and having all the gear, more than actually skateboarding.
Same happens in music. Lawyer types, old men, who buy $4000 guitars, $10,000 amps, who can hardly play, and only play a few minutes here and there. But they sure like coming online and talking about their new gear, and taking pictures of it. They spend hours a day posting and talking about gear, but minutes a week actually playing.
It’s fairly common to see better players with one or two decent guitars. They’re too busy playing, their guitars are tools, used to play music.
And awful players with lots and lots of high end guitars, amps, and other gear. All in pristine condition. They’ll post topics looking for help fixing a little nick on their $8000 John Mayer signature Martin acoustic. The more a scratch on a guitar bugs you, the less you probably actually play it. The more you play, the more likely you are to know that you’re gonna start banging it up eventually, and it won’t bug you.
I baby my 2 Martins. Treat them real well. I only store them in their hardshell cases, Keep them properly humidified. But I play for several hours most days, and both guitars have quite a few dings and scratches.
So this isn’t unique to listening to music. Some people spend more time buying gear and testing gear and talking about gear. Others just buy what they need, and use it.
Same happens in music. Lawyer types, old men, who buy $4000 guitars, $10,000 amps, who can hardly play, and only play a few minutes here and there. But they sure like coming online and talking about their new gear, and taking pictures of it. They spend hours a day posting and talking about gear, but minutes a week actually playing.
It’s fairly common to see better players with one or two decent guitars. They’re too busy playing, their guitars are tools, used to play music.
And awful players with lots and lots of high end guitars, amps, and other gear. All in pristine condition. They’ll post topics looking for help fixing a little nick on their $8000 John Mayer signature Martin acoustic. The more a scratch on a guitar bugs you, the less you probably actually play it. The more you play, the more likely you are to know that you’re gonna start banging it up eventually, and it won’t bug you.
I baby my 2 Martins. Treat them real well. I only store them in their hardshell cases, Keep them properly humidified. But I play for several hours most days, and both guitars have quite a few dings and scratches.
So this isn’t unique to listening to music. Some people spend more time buying gear and testing gear and talking about gear. Others just buy what they need, and use it.
malden
Addicted Member
I love gear...hi-fi, cameras, computers, road and mountain bikes, weather stations.
The output of such gear is pretty neat too.
So do I, but what does any of that have to do with the OP's question? Or maybe it's a roundabout way of saying that gear is more important than music.
Weather stations?
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