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Unable to comprehend this mentality whatsoever- what is your goal?

L

Lux Man

AK Subscriber
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A guy I know has a nice system and he thinks it sounds wonderful however he still messes with it. If you are happy with what you have, why introduce a change and spend more money, more time if there is no goal in mind. I mean - just be content! Can't we just be satisfied? I am not even sure he knows what he is chasing.

On the other hand if I come to your house and your highs, or mid-range, or bass is just superb then I could very well have a new target to try to achieve. I wonder how many don't really have a "specific" audio sound or element of the sound they are chasing vs just randomly making changes hoping for some improvement but nothing specific?
 
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Always give latitude when it comes to subjective preference. Tinkering can be a sign that the listener is early in the journey and does not know what sound he likes. Or the listener knows his sound preference but has not found the right combination of gear that delivers what he wants. Any talk of his motives and his money risks being judgemental which is not helpful.
 
I like to experience different sound signatures with different combinations of speakers, amps, turntables, etc.. I have multiple systems, and quite a few amps/receivers/turntables and speakers (I do need to move some on though). I enjoy rotation to enjoy how the music sounds across different combinations. The only thing that never gets changed out is my Fisher 400. I also feel that rotating old electronics keeps them alive longer.
 
Audio is a pursuit. I know for me, I got hooked with the original issues of Gordon Holt's Stereophile magazine. The pursuit of perfection or improvement can be really seductive. Music and the reproduction of it fulfills some sensory needs we humans have on a very fundamental level.
 
Lux Man said:
A guy I know has a nice system and he thinks it sounds wonderful however he still messes with it. If you are happy with what you have, why introduce a change and spend more money, more time if there is no goal in mind. I mean - just be content! Can't we just be satisfied? I am not even sure he knows what he is chasing.
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The enemy of ‘wonderful’ is ‘better.’

We can’t help it!

Contentment is hard.
 
I've posted on another thread about "ethos" and within that how marketing and advertising plays its part.

"We" live in an era where it's now perceived that anything and everything can be bettered/improved etc. and are "herded" into that mindset.

It's very, very difficult to simply be content with what you have with that amount of "noise" all around you all the time.

Enjoy what you have and by all means search for something that's "better" for you - it'll be a good journey if you can be specific about exactly what you decide is better and infinitely long if you can't ;)
 
In my experience, that's having had a system that sounded much better than it should have for the money spent and having interacted with people in this and other hobbies, it's never good enough.

Even now, with using portable BT speakers, I still experiment with different positions and stereo vs "double". Double is when both speakers get both channels. This creates a very different stereo image than stereo mode where each speaker only gets one channel.

Seems to me that everyone has a passion that one obsesses over.
 
How do we know how good our systems can be if we don't experiment a little and experience better sound? I discover the beers I like by trying new ones. I've been "content" with many beers over the years, and often discover new favorites, but I wouldn't have known they existed without the opportunity to taste and experience them.

I don't typically make wholesale changes and spend big money on my system. Instead, I look for the lowest hanging fruit and try to upgrade it with something better. It's often things like tubes, opamps, isolation, caps, resistors, wires, connectors, etc. Not all changes work out for the better, but many do. It's a long term trial and error process of making minor changes, then evaluating them for long enough to know if I prefer the change or not. It's all very subjective, and unique to my preferences, but it's a refinement process that I enjoy and get some benefit from in the long haul, while still maintaining the basic character of a system I've loved for years. It's one big puzzle I enjoy working on and solving.
 
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To much time to contemplate things that don't really matter?

Agree with every "why not/its a hobby" posts.

I have been stagnate for about 3yrs with my main system, but I am always looking at things. If something peaks my interest I will buy it and try it out. It would be new production as I have jumped off the vintage train.
 
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GordonW said:
You never know if it can be even better, if you don't try.

Just be sure to be able leave yourself clues/markers/notes to get BACK to where you were before, if it doesn't work out! :D

Regards,
Gordon.
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That might be one of my problems. Surprised I really never thought of that.
 
Well unless your HVAC system keeps the humidity constant and the temperature with in 3 or 4 degrees changes will affect the sound. If you are using tube equipment changes can sneak up on you as all tubes deteriorate . Professional Ampex did studies on how long common tubes like 12 ax7 and others last if left on continually or were switch on and off. I found the results to be surprising. I know if you have higher voltages in your house some tubes expecially output tubes can fail much sooner. Tuners drift and wether can chage and make multipath distortion worse. Stylus suspensions change over time especially when dealing with older cartridges and replaceable stylus assemblies from the past. But the biggest bugaboo is the human hearing system. The way we hear things one day can be quite different the next day or the next week. Studies in the 30's proved that that I read about in the AES journals back when. Just changing listen positions or head angles can create a very notice able change. When I had smaller floor stand speakers the maid would move them when I was at school to clean under them. Getting my Altec Carmels stopped that. She couldn't move my Bozaks when they came a long either. Having divers side by side can be a listeners night mare in some cases with slightly different arrival times causing changes in the sound. So so much with woofers but with some midranges and all tweeters. using multiple speakers systems placed side by side or stacked improperly can cause all sorts of variables that might work for some recordings and destroy others. Then their are room issues compounding changes in sound that can happen frequently.

Sound systems are anything but stagnent in terms of sound quality. Then the recordings we listen to vary from one recording to the next. But are biggest challenge as I said earlier is US!.
 
A hobby, and many times a business, since 1968. It's fun, it's entertaining, something to blow money on.

The one thing I have never bought into is "Trying to re-create a live music experience in my living room." I could never make sense out of that.
Otherwise, it's all fair game for PLAY.
 
I'm with your buddy, tweaking all the time, it's 1/2 the fun. Unfortunately I think your in the minority, the quest for better sound has been around since the wax cylinder was born. Anybody that's been around knows that equipment synergy is real, what may sound good with one system might stink for another.

I can understand the static attitude, yea sometimes I just need to kick back and get off my feet but it's really hard.
 
I've kinda peaked out with upgrades, speculations and desires to improve or change what I've evolved into. Over many years and iterations. I seem to like where it is. I agree that a session can vary every time you use your rig. Sometimes I'm just probably distracted with "things" to get into the music mode. Other times it's divine. I did a lot of DIY over the years to get what I seemed to lust for. Kit builds of amps, preamps. Solid state and tube. And speakers. Monetary issues spawned the DIY in large part. But it has been as turned out, very gratifying for me. But it's been a fine hobby, intellectual and crafts pursuit. Like the Who sang. "I'd call that a bargain, the best I ever had".
 
Lux Man said:
A guy I know has a nice system and he thinks it sounds wonderful however he still messes with it. If you are happy with what you have, why introduce a change and spend more money, more time if there is no goal in mind. I mean - just be content! Can't we just be satisfied? I am not even sure he knows what he is chasing.

On the other hand if I come to your house and your highs, or mid-range, or bass is just superb then I could very well have a new target to try to achieve. I wonder how many don't really have a "specific" audio sound or element of the sound they are chasing vs just randomly making changes hoping for some improvement but nothing specific?
Click to expand...
some people just can't stop futzing.
doesn't matter what it is.
 
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