- Ble medlem
- 27.12.2003
- Innlegg
- 2.302
- Antall liker
- 21
Hello -- My Name is Brad and I Suffer from Delusions of Better Sound
By Brad Mitchell
bradmitchell@affordableaudio.org
Im a recovering audiophile. Lately Ive been wondering why I engage in this hobby. Im constantly trying to improve
the sound of my system. Well, what does improving the sound really mean? If you ask me what I want my system to
sound like, I couldnt tell you. And even if I could, my opinion would probably change tomorrow.
It doesnt matter, though, because the improvement in sound is secondary. Let's be honest -- it's the thrill of the hunt
that gets the adrenaline pumping, isnt it? We like to buy stuff. Its the classic feeling of tension, euphoria, and then relaxation
(think sex).
Audiophiles, like most other hobbyists, enjoy the "catch and release" phenomenon. We do things, not for the end goal
(i.e., the best sound), because in audio, this is such an elusive pursuit. Instead, we're content with perpetual experimentation,
not ultimate gratification.
Theres a logical impasse about high end audio components. Weve heard many times that the gear should be independent
of the sound; it should only produce the music as it is, and not add its own "signature sound." It follows, then,
that every piece of high end gear should sound essentially the same! Of course, they dont, but even if we stumbled
upon truly neutral components, how would we know it? This lack of knowledge compels us to keep searching for the
magical treasure that is buried underneath a rainbow of self-deception.
Heres the stupidest thing of all -- we constantly compare the sound of audio systems to live music. If you listen to
most live music, especially a rock concert, youll notice that its often difficult to clearly distinguish each instrument, and
even more difficult to clearly hear the vocals. Nevertheless, it was great concert, wasn't it? A live performance is both a
visual and auditory experience, and I dare say it is more stimulating visually than auditory because most live performances
sound crappy. Stereo systems can never duplicate the emotional and visual effects of a live performance, so
comparisons between live music and 2-channel audio is simply ridiculous.
To get around this problem, the really smart audiophile will claim to desire tonal accuracy above all other considerations.
This argument falls flat, as well. When you listen to most types of music, you don't normally hear the tone of
every instrument. Rather, you hear a blending of the instruments which is what makes the sound "musical." Musicality
is measured by how hard you bob your head, tap your toe, play your air guitar, get up and boogie, and more importantly,
how often you press the replay button.
I popped in a poorly recorded CD last month and it sounded horrible. OK, so what did I do about it? I kept tweaking my
system to make it sound better. That's crazy. Its like spraying the bathroom with a fresh flowery aroma to cover up the
stench of launching a couple of monstrous missiles from yesterdays Mexican fiesta. Whats even crazier is that even
though I know its crazy, I'll still be making some more upgrades soon so I can continue ranting about how bad my
good music sounds on my great system.
And it doesn't stop with bad recordings. I try to make great recordings sound greater. For what???? How great does
great need to be in order for it to be great? What's greater than great?
Then theres the disillusioned audiophile who actually believes wholeheartedly in what we do because, Its all about
the music. In reality, most audiophiles know a lot more about gear than they know about music, yet we have the
audacity to evaluate how music should sound. Some audiophiles couldn't tell you the difference between the sound of
an oboe and a clarinet, but can wax poetically about the sonic improvement of the latest tweak we made. At least with
other high end goods, the buyer is fully aware that their purchase is for the sake of vanity, whereas a typical audiophile
will swear his purchase is to produce better sound of music of which he probably has little knowledge. Thats nuts.
Surely, Im not the only one who has experienced audio psychosis. For those of you who are in denial of your obsessive
behavior, below are some examples of crazy things audiophiles do. If youve done at least one of these, youre a
certified audio fool:
Buy a CD, listen it to for a while, throw it away or sell it, then buy it back later because you think your upgraded
system will make it sound better.
Buy an amp you owned previously because it was better than the ten other amps you bought since then.
A F F O R D A B L E $ $ A U D I O
Affordable$$Audio
31
Call your friends over to listen to our new system and it sounds like crap. Your friends walk away unimpressed,
wondering why you spent a fortune on a system that they think doesnt sound any better than their
iPod.
Tweak your system, rave about how good it sounds, and three days later remove the tweak because it actually
made your system sound worse.
You tell your wife that you dont plan on upgrading anymore. A week later the UPS guy shows up at your doorstep
with a new preamp.
You make an impulsive purchase and regret it before the component arrives. Sure enough, it sucks, and you
sell it as fast as you can.
You get caught up in the next great thing because every audio forum is raving about it, but it sounds like dog
poo and you kick yourself for being so gullible.
You sell your amp to a friend, visit his house one day and the amp sounds great, then youre pissed off for selling
it.
You demo a component for a week, like it a lot, then buy it. Within 24 hours it doesnt sound as good anymore
and you think about selling it. Youre afraid to return it because you dont want the audio retailer to think youre
a whacko.
You bought an expensive piece of equipment and expected a huge improvement, only to find that its replacement
was better and it was only a fraction of the cost.
You decide to downgrade your system and sell some of your gear. The excitement generated by the proceeds
from the sale causes you to change your plans and buy more gear. Eventually, you end up spending more
money on a system that doesnt sound as good as the one you just sold.
Youve been changing out components for many years in the same room, only to finally realize that inexpensive
acoustic panels made the biggest difference, by far.
One day you wanted to show off your system, so a friend comes over with a few of his favorite CDs. Of course,
they weren't well recorded, so you got frustrated, interrupted his listening session, and played some of your
better recorded material so he could hear what he was missing. What a jerk! (I'm referring to you, not him.)
So whats the cure to this madness? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there isnt one. The good news, however,
is that once youre infected, youll become so obsessed with finding the perfect sound that you wont even realize the
need to be cured. I guess this answers a question Ive had for a long time Do crazy people know theyre crazy?
OK, I lied. Theres only one thing you can do build a good system and quit cold turkey. If you want to determine
whether or not your system is good, theres only one consideration how does the music make you feel? Because
any other pointless critique of your system merely masks the fact that you arent really enjoying your music. Once you
can get your system finger poppin good, then quit while youre ahead. Take up golf or photography. Audio is not the
only hobby that will render you frustrated and confused, and drain your bank account.
http://www.affordableaudio.org/
mvh
Sleiven
By Brad Mitchell
bradmitchell@affordableaudio.org
Im a recovering audiophile. Lately Ive been wondering why I engage in this hobby. Im constantly trying to improve
the sound of my system. Well, what does improving the sound really mean? If you ask me what I want my system to
sound like, I couldnt tell you. And even if I could, my opinion would probably change tomorrow.
It doesnt matter, though, because the improvement in sound is secondary. Let's be honest -- it's the thrill of the hunt
that gets the adrenaline pumping, isnt it? We like to buy stuff. Its the classic feeling of tension, euphoria, and then relaxation
(think sex).
Audiophiles, like most other hobbyists, enjoy the "catch and release" phenomenon. We do things, not for the end goal
(i.e., the best sound), because in audio, this is such an elusive pursuit. Instead, we're content with perpetual experimentation,
not ultimate gratification.
Theres a logical impasse about high end audio components. Weve heard many times that the gear should be independent
of the sound; it should only produce the music as it is, and not add its own "signature sound." It follows, then,
that every piece of high end gear should sound essentially the same! Of course, they dont, but even if we stumbled
upon truly neutral components, how would we know it? This lack of knowledge compels us to keep searching for the
magical treasure that is buried underneath a rainbow of self-deception.
Heres the stupidest thing of all -- we constantly compare the sound of audio systems to live music. If you listen to
most live music, especially a rock concert, youll notice that its often difficult to clearly distinguish each instrument, and
even more difficult to clearly hear the vocals. Nevertheless, it was great concert, wasn't it? A live performance is both a
visual and auditory experience, and I dare say it is more stimulating visually than auditory because most live performances
sound crappy. Stereo systems can never duplicate the emotional and visual effects of a live performance, so
comparisons between live music and 2-channel audio is simply ridiculous.
To get around this problem, the really smart audiophile will claim to desire tonal accuracy above all other considerations.
This argument falls flat, as well. When you listen to most types of music, you don't normally hear the tone of
every instrument. Rather, you hear a blending of the instruments which is what makes the sound "musical." Musicality
is measured by how hard you bob your head, tap your toe, play your air guitar, get up and boogie, and more importantly,
how often you press the replay button.
I popped in a poorly recorded CD last month and it sounded horrible. OK, so what did I do about it? I kept tweaking my
system to make it sound better. That's crazy. Its like spraying the bathroom with a fresh flowery aroma to cover up the
stench of launching a couple of monstrous missiles from yesterdays Mexican fiesta. Whats even crazier is that even
though I know its crazy, I'll still be making some more upgrades soon so I can continue ranting about how bad my
good music sounds on my great system.
And it doesn't stop with bad recordings. I try to make great recordings sound greater. For what???? How great does
great need to be in order for it to be great? What's greater than great?
Then theres the disillusioned audiophile who actually believes wholeheartedly in what we do because, Its all about
the music. In reality, most audiophiles know a lot more about gear than they know about music, yet we have the
audacity to evaluate how music should sound. Some audiophiles couldn't tell you the difference between the sound of
an oboe and a clarinet, but can wax poetically about the sonic improvement of the latest tweak we made. At least with
other high end goods, the buyer is fully aware that their purchase is for the sake of vanity, whereas a typical audiophile
will swear his purchase is to produce better sound of music of which he probably has little knowledge. Thats nuts.
Surely, Im not the only one who has experienced audio psychosis. For those of you who are in denial of your obsessive
behavior, below are some examples of crazy things audiophiles do. If youve done at least one of these, youre a
certified audio fool:
Buy a CD, listen it to for a while, throw it away or sell it, then buy it back later because you think your upgraded
system will make it sound better.
Buy an amp you owned previously because it was better than the ten other amps you bought since then.
A F F O R D A B L E $ $ A U D I O
Affordable$$Audio
31
Call your friends over to listen to our new system and it sounds like crap. Your friends walk away unimpressed,
wondering why you spent a fortune on a system that they think doesnt sound any better than their
iPod.
Tweak your system, rave about how good it sounds, and three days later remove the tweak because it actually
made your system sound worse.
You tell your wife that you dont plan on upgrading anymore. A week later the UPS guy shows up at your doorstep
with a new preamp.
You make an impulsive purchase and regret it before the component arrives. Sure enough, it sucks, and you
sell it as fast as you can.
You get caught up in the next great thing because every audio forum is raving about it, but it sounds like dog
poo and you kick yourself for being so gullible.
You sell your amp to a friend, visit his house one day and the amp sounds great, then youre pissed off for selling
it.
You demo a component for a week, like it a lot, then buy it. Within 24 hours it doesnt sound as good anymore
and you think about selling it. Youre afraid to return it because you dont want the audio retailer to think youre
a whacko.
You bought an expensive piece of equipment and expected a huge improvement, only to find that its replacement
was better and it was only a fraction of the cost.
You decide to downgrade your system and sell some of your gear. The excitement generated by the proceeds
from the sale causes you to change your plans and buy more gear. Eventually, you end up spending more
money on a system that doesnt sound as good as the one you just sold.
Youve been changing out components for many years in the same room, only to finally realize that inexpensive
acoustic panels made the biggest difference, by far.
One day you wanted to show off your system, so a friend comes over with a few of his favorite CDs. Of course,
they weren't well recorded, so you got frustrated, interrupted his listening session, and played some of your
better recorded material so he could hear what he was missing. What a jerk! (I'm referring to you, not him.)
So whats the cure to this madness? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there isnt one. The good news, however,
is that once youre infected, youll become so obsessed with finding the perfect sound that you wont even realize the
need to be cured. I guess this answers a question Ive had for a long time Do crazy people know theyre crazy?
OK, I lied. Theres only one thing you can do build a good system and quit cold turkey. If you want to determine
whether or not your system is good, theres only one consideration how does the music make you feel? Because
any other pointless critique of your system merely masks the fact that you arent really enjoying your music. Once you
can get your system finger poppin good, then quit while youre ahead. Take up golf or photography. Audio is not the
only hobby that will render you frustrated and confused, and drain your bank account.
http://www.affordableaudio.org/
mvh
Sleiven
-
