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

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?
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Because it’s a hobby. I’m running 4 amps and three sets of speakers on my system. It sounds great…I am trying to make space (that really doesn’t exist) in order to add more speakers
 
SansuiHafler said:
Because it’s a hobby. I’m running 4 amps and three sets of speakers on my system. It sounds great…I am trying to make space (that really doesn’t exist) in order to add more speakers
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I think that captures the essence of the hobby. It's one man's vector. Doesn't need to be what others would find interesting, just what HE finds interesting. I love that attitude.
 
I feel like "being content" is not a value in this country. Why? Because how can someone make even more money off of you if you are content?

However, being content sure makes life a lot easier.

When I first started out I thought that maybe I needed something better. But then I learned that I didn't. The grass is not always greener...
 
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...
I don't replace audio gear out of boredom. There has to be a compelling reason like something broke or I happen to listen to something that is much better than what I have for a price that is reasonable. I still have the first pair of serious speakers I purchased which are JBL L100t3s. They were in continuous use for around twenty years. Then in use off and on for the next fifteen years. I have a pair of JBL L5s that have been in continuous use for more than fifteen years and will be in use for many more. I have never had the urge to replace the L5s and likely never will unless they fail to a point that repairing them is untenable. I have gone through a lot of receivers, AVRs , disc players, etc. only changing things when a deal that is too good to pass up comes along or something fails. Overall, I am very pleased with the two systems I use daily and plan to only change things when something fails or a screaming deal falls into my lap. This rarely happens because I am almost always not searching for something better.
 
Lux Man said:
A guy I know has a nice system and he thinks it sounds wonderful however he still messes with it.

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.
Click to expand...
Years ago I had what I considered a nice system, Luxman receiver, Denon CD Player and a pair of Polk Audio Monitors. It was my first big boy purchase from an actual brick & mortar audio shop. I demoed multiple speaker brands as well as receivers and to my ears the Luxman-Polk combo won me over.

When people visited they liked what they heard as well I was content.

Fast forward several years I was visiting a buddy at his home and we got around to listening to some music. We had the same musical tastes so he throws on the The Other One (a Bass heavy number) by the Grateful Dead a song I'm VERY familiar.

I couldn't believe how great it sounded on his vintage Marantz & JBL's, at first I thought it might of been substance enhanced :biggrin: but even so Phil's Bass playing was so much tighter and heavier then what I was used to having owned the same CD for years he was playing.

My first though was it was a different reissue CD so I noted that and a couple of days later bought the same one. I get home and pop it in and I'm not hearing what I heard at his place. I throw my original copy on and same thing. Next thing you know I'm fiddling with the Bass & Treble controls and nada.

I let it go and it was several years later that I learned about room dynamics, speaker placement etc. His set up was so different from mine and then it all made sense.
 
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Could it be that it's his hobby and he likes to play with it. You can yell the age of the boys by the price of the toys.
 
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...
For my part, even though I’ve been involved with this hobby for forty some-odd years, the goal only became clear about 6-7 years ago. That was about when a shift occurred from making the system sound “good” or “better” to having it sound real enough to allow me to forget that I’m listening to my system and just focus on the music. I feel that I’ve achieved that goal and have zero interest in further upgrades. I’ve gone backwards before, and do not want to do so again.

I think it’s a mistake to project your own criteria onto someone else’s decisions, however. We’re all in this hobby looking for different things, and some of us started far lower on the path than others. I like that about AK - at its best, people are all about sharing their knowledge to help others achieve the best they can with what they have. At its worst…well, if there’s a pathway in life where you won’t encounter an occasional #@!#, I haven’t found it. :thumbsup:
 
I just want nice sounding music and I like cool looking stuff. Of course, "cool looking" is a subjective thing.

I'm also a "tinkerer" at heart.

All that leans me towards" vintage" in most things.

Most of what I do/spend is what I would consider maintenance to keep my vintage stuff "up to snuff":

Sansui 8080DB
Kenwood CD425M CD player, fed into an SMSL DAC.
Dual 1249 and a 1229Q as well as a Technics SL-QL15
Three small, modern, relatively inexpensive ART preamps
Relatively modern Polk RTi-A5 towers and a PSW-111 powered sub.

Nothing crazy expensive or "TOTL" there, but it all sounds great to me and it will knock snow off the roof if I want it too.

Other than keeping it all in good shape, I'll futz with small details and things like different external DAC, carts, styli, etc but that's about it.

I've got a bit more gear kicking around the house in other rooms, but it's all simple and I don't really buy big stuff anymore unless I run across something really nice at giveaway prices/free.

You can be satisfied with what you have and still futz with details. That doesn't mean you're not happy with what you already have, it's just fun "busy work".

:)
 
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GChief said:
But it is a hobby, so no harm or foul if someone whats to find out for themselves.

There is no right or wrong! I don't understand why this topic is even of any concern, its just does not matter.
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^^^^^ That.

I think the thread CLEARLY supports what the Chief said there. No right, no wrong way to enjoy. No good, better, or best way to enjoy. No goal is better or worse than any other goal. It's kind of like looking in someone's closet, and then asking, "Why do you have THOSE clothes?"
 
I don't want to change anything about my system, I'm content and love to power up my system every day to give the GAMMA's a go.
I have tweaked my system with cables, connectors and coupling caps, it's all done.
Now I can just lean back and ejoy the ride, new music feels like a new system to me, it never gets boreing.
I still look around to see what's available, so the hobbey goes on, but I don't feel like buying anything, but finding something interesting is a bit of a thrill, some kit is pretty cool.

I completely understand the need for tweaking and trying out more equipment, I have had such journey as well, so I know how it feels.
For some it seems to never end and they can explain how loads of setups sound, which makes for good reading, it only reinforces my contentment though, as I feel my system does so many things right that I value.
 
So I have flown R/C airplanes. Typically a new plane is purchased with a specific goal to achieve vs what you are flying now. You might want something more acrobatic, something that you can do a better snap roll better more power, something smaller, or slower to fly in the park. There is a clear identifiable feature/purpose that you are wanting to get out of your new plane.

I realize very few agree with me, but my point is, to make changes without a specific goal. It’s like throwing you know what against the wall and hoping something will stick and smell better than it did. I am as guilty as anyone regarding this issue but I feel like I’ve realized the approach I’ve taken is not a good one.

I understand those of you who have said this is a ridiculous thread because it’s a hobby so people can just do whatever they want and I absolutely agree. Anyone can always do whatever they want, but is it the best approach? I’m simply suggesting that maybe there is a more intelligent way of going about it rather than just, hit, or miss, and hope. I spent the first 40 years in this hobby doing it hit miss and hope. This thread that I began was purely for the purpose of maybe helping those newer to the hobby to maybe just maybe just take another approach, a more intelligent approach than the one I did by thinking about what specifically are you trying to improve?
 
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