Audio Sucks - I have two great systems in two locations and I can't enjoy them .. *

Hi guys. I'm having an audio crisis. I've set up full systems in Hawaii and California and both drove me nuts in the end. In Hawaii it was Magnepan, Bryston, Wavelength, Pro-Ject. Now in California it's Tekton, Red Wine Audio, Chord, Clearaudio. They have both brought me great joy and great suffering. That sucks. I'm about to pack it up and find a new hobby. The main problem I'm running into is consistency. Sometimes I love it, and then I'll hate it and I remember how nice it was to love it and I'll thrash around trying to bring the love back. Sometimes I can't. Taking a step back and looking at this objectively, it's not good.

I figure I have 3 options:

1. Walk away and don't think about it again. This will certainly lead to more happiness in my life.

2. Keep a headphone system (without amp) for listening while I'm working because it's a lot easier to control than a full system. I have AKG K812 and Audeze LCD-X headphones which both pair well with my Chord Hugo DAC and I think I could pull off living with that very simple system plugged into my laptop without going insane.

3. Set up some kind of a very simple main system that is easy on the ears and won't make me think about improvements. Does that exist? This could be done in conjunction with #2.

What do you think guys? Sarcastic and deriding comments are welcome.

 

Buy some new music, relax. Nothing has to be done. Evaluate your goals.

 

Sell all of it, along with one of the houses.

And get this thing:

 

That thing sucks and you know it.

 

That is truly all I want to do. Unfortunately both of the systems I've built do not allow it.

 

Do as you suggested. Simplify. Your not going to get much better than that Hugo/Audeze LCD-X. All you would need is a set of good book shelve speakers for your non can moments, driving by the Hugo direct. That's it, now enjoy some tunes.

 

For me it was getting a pair of Harbeths monitors (7Es3) with a 100W integrated amp (Luxman). After many years of searching, I found the sound "warm and musical but with excellent detail" I was looking for. Just some food for thought...another thought is to look into room acoustics and treatment. It really does make a difference....

 

Learn to enjoy the music instead of analyzing it.

 

I'll take either one off your hands. You're welcome!

 

A couple of questions?

Are you saying that there are times that you listen to a specific piece of music (CD, File, Vinyl) at one point in time and it sounds good, but then at another point in time you listen to that exact same piece of music (CD, File, Vinyl) and you don't like the way it sounds?

Or are you saying some things sound good and others don't?

Assuming the former, have you noticed a pattern to the problem? (time of day, weather {bear with me}, etc). In other words it sounds good at night when it's dark and cool? I had a consistency problem myself and noticed that things sounded better in the wee hours. At first I was convinced it was at least partially due to it being dark and cool and so I was in a better frame of mind and therefore the music sounded better.

After doing a bit of research, I decided to invest in Power Conditioning (the wiring in my house should be described as mediocre at best).

Many of the problems of inconsistent sound disappeared. FWIW

 

I know you have been chasing the tale for quite some time. I remember participating in some of your threads on your systems, specifically about the Magnepan I think, here and elsewhere. I have chased it to some degree also. Do you have any friends that you really care for? They probably have some faults as most of us do but you accept them and enjoy their company all the same. See if you can make those systems your friends. Accept their shortcomings and enjoy their presence.

 

Yes.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. The problems with my Hawaii system seemed to be centered around AC line noise so I got really into power conditioning and it turned out to be just another rabbit hole. So I got "really smart" with my California system. It's 100% off-the-grid. None of my audio components plug into the AC line, they're all run on Red Wine Audio batteries. Still I have consistency problems. And if you tell me it's all in my head, I believe you, but what difference does it make?

 

Thank you brother, but it just sounds bad.

 

At this point I'm ready to pull the rip cord. I just want to know if I have to give up on recorded music or if there's a way to still enjoy it somehow.

 

As long as you've addressed the Power issue (and especially since you went off grid)....

Anything about environmental issues? (I almost always listen at night, in the dark, when it's cool, because I am relaxed. I enjoy it more).

 

My advice is to prowl around on Ebay and find something that clicks with you.

 

I don't have a wifi network and I scanned for wifi networks from the neighbors and only found one which has a low signal. I don't think there is a cell phone tower around here. Heat could possibly be related I suppose. Does gear sound bad when it's ~82F inside?

 

I don't know if gear sounds bad at that temp, but I know I'd be too warm and a bit uncomfortable .

 

I think you just need to get laid. Nothing like barring it all heart and soul mixed with tunes, plus your favorite spirits.

 

I'm not in your situation, first off -- but I can imagine being in that situation. I'm guessing that you've been so engrossed into the hardware aspect that somewhere along the line you've kind of lost why you were building those systems in the first place?

Am I close to the mark? If so then I wouldn't do anything except maybe step back, take a break from both systems and gather your thoughts. Don't do anything rash until you've cleared your head, and maybe re-evaluate whether or not you want to keep them, or maybe one of them, or maybe you want to go a completely different route.

 

Can you hear yourself, dude? "The problems with my Hawaii system..." !!!

Especially hard to take immediately after reading this amazing post by Jason Stoddard (co-founder of Schiit, and his dad passed away a week ago) on audio and perspective.

(Hey, you asked for deriding.)

 

I'll have to ponder this while I go listen to my two systems: Sound Design and Yorx!

 

I can't see any mention of room treatment in your profile, therefore I suggest another option:

4. Explore speaker/listener position, room treatment and perhaps EQ. Apart from improving your listening experience they also add more interesting aspects to our hobby.

The above ideas can help get the best out of any level of gear and affect things in a far greater way then isolation, cables and other tweaks. Here are some links but there is plenty more advice if you look:

http://www.barrydiamentaudio.com/monitoring.htm

http://www.gikacoustics.com/

http://realtraps.com/

Get a book: 'Get Better Sound' by Jim Smith.

 

If it sucks, sell your gear and buy a Moto Guzzi.

 

There are plenty of times when I go to listen and the music just sounds off. Maybe it's the time of day, power issues, my mood, whatever the cause I find it important to stop listening immediately. I learned not to hate my system in those moments, I just walk away. Without fail, the next time I return to it the sound I was missing returns.

Frankly you sound like the obsessive type that can't enjoy what you have (referring to audio only), maybe you're just not cut out for the Hifi game. How about a sound dock? A cheap vintage setup? What's the point if it's not fun?

At the end of the day I enjoy some tinkering and upgrading. The very thought of "how can I improve my system" entertains me, it's not a battle though, it's voluntary, I enjoy every step of the process. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it.