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Being Satisfied in this Hobby

My satisfaction comes from a sense of realism when hearing acoustic instruments, pianos, and voices. When music causes a double take. I have made many changes over the past 8 months when I re-entered the hobby. My urge to upgrade has stopped for now.
 
Trust this when it comes to being pleased and enjoying what you have.

There is a complex mix of components involved. Source speakers wires mood .....

This is a journey one chooses to travel and enjoy.
If not, then move on be my suggestion if so.
 
The room your system is located in and how you set up the equipment/listening position in said room is ~80% of the audio fidelity equation. Even a excellent quality recording will not sound nearly as good as it could in an acoustically friendly room.
 
audioman356 said:
I struggle with being satisfied in this hobby. In writing this I realize I have to take the long view as far as investing in pieces of gear. I've gone from a vintage Sansui 5000A to an Audiosource AMP100, and then to an Onkyo TX8260 in my main system. I've also upgraded my speakers from KEF F15 bookshelves to Infinity R253s. So my system is evolving even If I need to take the slow and steady approach.

I've heard it said, here the only person your system needs to make happy is you. This makes sense. If I take the long view, I realize I"m making slow and steady progress. I'm learning my taste for receivers/integrated amps instead of separates. I tried the separates path with the AMP100 and it just wasn't for me. I've had the privilege of hearing a high end tube separates system. This beast had a vintage Conrad Johnson Premier paired with it's matching preamp driving a pair of Celestions. My friend's Dads. So I know how far one can take so-called high fidelity. But there are other priorities in my life personally that are more important to me than constanly obessing over my Hi-Fi. I"m also a musican it's in this area of my life where I spend the big bucks on gear. It's so much more fun to spend money on gear that aids in the creative process. I mean let's be honest, the hi-fi hobby is more like wine tasting than anything else.

Thoughts?
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There is no dilemma here - you already stated "It's all a matter of priorities". So why fight with yourself just accept it- this audio stuff just isn't THAT important to you. It's okay. It's not the most important thing in my life either but I do enjoy what I have and I haven't emptied the bank.
 
Being Satisfied in this Hobby

I haven't read thru this thread yet, just the title and the op.. forgive me if this resembles anything posted already..

If it's a hobby, you really don't have to try too hard to find satisfaction(or realize you won't find it)..
If you can't, you simply find another hobby..

If it's more than a hobby, you just have to keep experimenting until you find all the components that help you achieve that satisfaction..
components starting with the recorded music of your choice, to all of the necessary gear(equipment) to reproduce it, and the right space to enjoy it..
That doesn't mean you have to spend your millions on it(it doesn't really have to cost much to find a pleasing sound)..

For me, it's a hobby.. I aquire things out of interest to experiment with, most of it sounds good, some of it sounds incredible..
I'll put a system together, enjoy it, then decide if I want to keep it(space available), or share it..

I have lots of stuff to play with, but never stop looking.. it's just fun..
My Martin Logan Sequel II's(gift from a friend) are incredible, I'm keeping those.. (and gonna check out some CLS's that became available to me) we'll see what happens..

I'll read thru this thread as I can..
 
2FarGone said:
It seems that there are degrees of satisfaction with music reproduction that vary with an enthusiast’s awareness of what is possible and how to achieve it. I could have saved a whole lot of money over the years if I’d had a more well-defined idea of where I was trying to get to. As it was, I really didn’t know what I was looking for until I got there by changing this or that, which is a pretty inefficient way to proceed. The more varied systems a person can listen to in the process of building that awareness (and the more knowledgeable people they can talk with) the shorter the path to getting there. I think it important though to recognize that what is really being pursued is an inner vision unique to the individual. As you say, the only person it has to please is you, but you have to know what you’re looking for in order to be satisfied that you’ve arrived there.



Listening to music on a really good rig can be an immersive experience that even the best wine can‘t touch, although there are certainly similarities in the diminishing returns aspect. :thumbsup:
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Sometimes the best wine (or enough of any wine) and the right company can make any system sound fantastic
 
Swokie63 said:
My Martin Logan Sequel II's(gift from a friend) are incredible, I'm keeping those.. (and gonna check out some CLS's that became available to me) we'll see what happens..
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The Sequel IIs were the first speakers I had ever heard that proved to me that speakers didn’t have to sound like boxes. I bought a pair, later progressing to the CLS IIZs. The Sequel IIs predictably have better bass but lack the transparency of the CLS IIZs in the lower midrange. Both are excellent speakers, but you’ll need subs with the big panels.
 
I struggled for my first two years in this hobby. Some people are lucky, and find that particular combination that appeals to us aesthetically as well as a synergisticly. I wasn't one of them. In fact, I was starting to think there was something that had changed for me. Nothing had changed. All I needed to do was find that right combination. Integrated amp combined with speakers to give you what you need in audio. For me, I like big 4 ohm speakers. That drove me to power amps. You can get there with integrateds, but why go through all that frustration when getting a good power amp combined with a nice preamp, can give you what you want right away. Some people go for pro amps. I've done that in the past, setting up a system for a friend of my brother who wanted the Tangent RS-8s I had. I tried a few integrated amps and wasn't getting it. The Integrated amps I do have are able to drive speakers quite capably. They are McIntosh MA-6200 and Sansui AU-9900. And for those really tough to drive speakers, there is my Yamaha M40 paired with the AU-9900 preamp section. I needed that with the Paradigm Monitor 9SEs I recently had. They sounded great together!

My advice is keep doing it until you reach the point you are happy. You might try to cultivate relationships with some local AKers for auditions of different gear. We all love to show off our gear! And there are so few who are interested.
 
I am the most satisfied……for life……in all my hobbies………knowing I have the rest of my life to enjoy them to the fullest…….tick tock MFs
 
It all depends what you want from this endeavor. Are you after a wide wall of sound that many can enjoy at moderate levels. If so its fairly easy to achieve. If you want concert levels that can be a bit of a challenge. You just have to find the correct efficient speaker for you. Now if you want accuracy thrown in, thats where the spending can take off on you. I mean if you are willing to make some slight compromises in dynamics or frequency extension then your goal is obtainable. But if you are searching for that last degree of perfection, then thats when pricing becomes ridiculous.
 
audioman356 said:
I struggle with being satisfied in this hobby. In writing this I realize I have to take the long view as far as investing in pieces of gear. I've gone from a vintage Sansui 5000A to an Audiosource AMP100, and then to an Onkyo TX8260 in my main system. I've also upgraded my speakers from KEF F15 bookshelves to Infinity R253s. So my system is evolving even If I need to take the slow and steady approach.

I've heard it said, here the only person your system needs to make happy is you. This makes sense. If I take the long view, I realize I"m making slow and steady progress. I'm learning my taste for receivers/integrated amps instead of separates. I tried the separates path with the AMP100 and it just wasn't for me. I've had the privilege of hearing a high end tube separates system. This beast had a vintage Conrad Johnson Premier paired with it's matching preamp driving a pair of Celestions. My friend's Dads. So I know how far one can take so-called high fidelity. But there are other priorities in my life personally that are more important to me than constanly obessing over my Hi-Fi. I"m also a musican it's in this area of my life where I spend the big bucks on gear. It's so much more fun to spend money on gear that aids in the creative process. I mean let's be honest, the hi-fi hobby is more like wine tasting than anything else.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
There are so many interesting responses here. I have found that this hobby, in my experience, is very much like an "arms race". I have personally reached the point, that going any further will require expenditures that I am not comfortable or willing to make. As you have said, there are other important priorities as well. I would also like to note: vintage is not generally the best, although it can be pleasing. I wish you well on your journey. :)
 
Natasha Bell said:
. I have personally reached the point, that going any further will require expenditures that I am not comfortable or willing to make.
Click to expand...
this is exactly what I meant when I stated that I was close to reaching my personal end game, or at least a plateau. I know there are better options out there, but I’m also aware of my own limitations and everyone has their own personal points of diminishing returns.
 
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