I have a big problem. My stereo is too good, too accurate. I can't stand it sometimes.

Hey - we all thought Tannoys at the same time! Freaky.

 

Amazing. This thread is the exact opposite of the one I started this evening!

Guess who's having more fun...

 

The guy who got me back into listening to vinyl - a former work colleague, a guy about 15 years older than me - asked me once if I was liking my listening rig after he had helped me fine-tune the setup. I said, "Yeah, it's sounding pretty good to me now." He said, "All right then, leave the damn thing alone and just listen to it." He didn't have a stellar setup like some folks here, but it far outstripped what I had put together. Maybe those words were even wiser than I thought?

 

That is why I can only listen to "beautiful" sounding tube gear. Screw the truth. I want velvet. I have enough stress, why do I want it in my music listening room?

Art is about creatively distorting the truth or reality. So is HiFi.

 

You'll figure it out, Steve... I think the solution is to take a break from the 'good' system.

I imagine your problem is particularly troublesome because you need to listen to high resolution, highly accurate gear in order to do your job. You don't really ever get a break from hifi.

 

Is it your system that's too good or your ears? I suspect there's no escape for you.

 

Other folks who reach the "top of the mountain" really don't enjoy music. They spend more time evaluating power conditioners, power cords, cable elevators, diffusers, and other stuff than listening to tunes. Consider your self lucky you stopped short of that and are aware of the potential mine fields. Most get to your point and never even realize it and just cycle one mega buck component after another.

 

Some place I read that one of the best modifications you could do to your system was to not listen to any music for two weeks.

 

You'd be joining in Steve's complaints if you had the SR-009.
A neat thing about headphones is that it is easy to switch headphones to match the quality or needs of the music. Much easier than switching full size speakers in a listening room.

 

Another audiophile let me borrow a DB Systems solid state preamp, which is considered to be extremely accurate. Sure, everything was crystal clear and precise, but I hated it. Dry as a bone.

As the man once said, "Hot glass is where it's at!"

 

I felt the same about an Ayre preamp I borrowed. Insane amount of detail, but it was like being blinded by the sun. I had to admire it...but enjoy it? Nah.

 

I am by no means very wealthy but I do ok. I can within reason afford just about any amp I want. However, I just can't get myself to remove from the system the $220o Carver 20 watt EL84 amp. It just makes everything sound magical. The Rogue Stereo 100 is the same, gorgeous sounding, at $3000. Why spend more...so I can grit my teeth and clench my fist?

 

I don't believe that for one moment. It sounds like a good story, but that's not what I have seen.

 

Really? I have seen time and time again with my own eyes,

 

I understand what he meant. A friend of mine has a very nice, high-end system, and often bemoaned the fact that he avoided listening to recordings of otherwise good music because they didn't make his system sound awesome. Note that I didn't say "they didn't sound awesome on his system" - big distinction. He also found himself being distracted by listening for the air around the instruments and other such audiophool minutia. In other words, instead of listening to the music, he found himself listening to the gear.

His solution? He now gets more pleasure from spinning old 45s on the Newcomb classroom record player on his desk.

 

Restore that Thorens 124!

 

Among the audiophiles I have known in 35 years, those that had the best systems seemed to have the nicest collections and widest knowledge of music.

 

I always imagined you could have it all if you had the cash.

Not even Audio Note or Shindo?

 

Not my experience. As a matter of fact I know a few folks with systems in the range of half a million to a million bucks whose knowledge of music is shockingly lacking.

I brought over a bunch of compilation CDs to a fellow with an uber system and he had never heard of 80% of the music on the discs...and we are talking Seal, Peter Gabriel, U2, Robert Plant, ray Lamontagne, etc. the other folks in the room were rolling their eyes. From his 300 CD collection we had the pleasure of hearing Kodo drums, female jazz vocals, and you know the rest.

 

Bingo.

 

Or put a better arm than the ESL on it! In another thread, Steve didn't think very highly about the TD-124, and I think that's why.

 

I think you just made up your own definition of hifi