Listening to gear? Or, listening to Music? ...

I've amassed a reference quality system so my music sounds as real as possible, but I have never bought a piece of gear simply to listen to it.

 

But would you rather listen to boring music that is superbly recorded on a phenomenal audio system, or music that you truly love on a tinny clock radio?

I agree that bad sound is bad sound, but a great song still tends to shine through. Likewise, no system can save a song that is uninteresting in every way. So music>sound for sure, but sound is definitely not unimportant.

 

listening to music with a dash of listening to gear...

 

That's a nice way to put it!

 

: ) thanks...

 

I think that music is one of humanity's greatest creations. It existed in all corners of the world from the earliest times in so many wonderful varieties. I have been lucky enough to live near Lowell, MA and I regularly attend the Lowell Folk Festival where I get exposed to the amazing music of the world. Music is one of my earliest memories from the age of 4 and beyond. It has helped me through many different phases in my life. I can enjoy music on all ranges of gear. I have enjoyed great tunes on the cheap early transistor radios of the 60's or an AM in a car. Music can transcend the device it is played on. The gear has the sole purpose of reproducing the music, so I tend to try to remember that.

Now having said that, I certainly enjoy hearing music reproduced on great equipment. There are times where I spend more time listening to the gear than normal. Typically this is when I am evaluating gear pre or post-purchase. Post purchase it is a mix of paying more attention to the equipment while at the same time appreciating what it has done for my enjoyment of the music. I am reveling in the new details I am hearing in the music: such as deeper cleaner bass, greater clarity, a better sound stage, more realistic highs. Having good equipment has always been important to me but I have tried to always spend my money wisely. I tended to spend more on my equipment than other friends my age, but it was done with several goals. I tried to get something that would make me want to listen to more music, something that gave the best performance for the price and getting something that would sound good enough I wouldn't be itching to replace it in a year. So in the long run the extra money I spent may have worked out to less money spent over time since I hung onto the gear longer. I had my Larger Advent speakers for 40 years. I got the first pair with the idea a second pair was to follow soon. I enjoyed these for 40 years right up to the end. I wasn't dissatisfied with them, I just wanted to see what was possible 40 years later.

Another aspect of this equation is the money. With the gear you run into the law of diminishing returns where you must spend considerably more to reach a higher level of performance. Sure if I could have anything I wanted and cost were no object I would try to have the best gear. But until recently money was always a factor. My parents passed away a few years ago and their estate opened some doors I never expected. I always expected they would spend down their savings, but sadly this didn't happen. Suddenly I could get a high cost money is no object system if I wanted. I did use this money to turn my third and largest bedroom into my Home Theater and listening room. I started upgrading my equipment. For the first time in my life I could buy gear where price really was not the major consideration. But I decided what I really wanted was to go a level or two better than where I was currently at. The other left over money would be used for other practical areas and to help in the future with retirement. It has also helped with the current shutdown. So while I could have gone all in on my favorite hobby, I decided to go for an improvement I would be happy with. I found a great dealer who was able to help me achieve this goal. I told him my goal and asked him to help me step up a level or two. Sometimes I would get his recommendation and then ask how much more might it cost to step up one more level. Sometimes I'd ask: If I spend X will it get me to the next level for this piece of gear. Sometimes he would even say I didn't have t spend that much. This told me I had found a good dealer.

So I now have a system where I have dipped my toes into the higher end waters. This system is one that most audiophiles would not dismiss out of hand and laugh at. This wasn't my goal, my goal was to get the music to a new level of enjoyment that I would be happy with for a long time. I certainly am. It is such a joy to listen to my old LPs again on the new system. One way I know I have reached this point is when I intend demos at my dealer. They have events several times a year where all of the newest gear is demoed by the manufacturers reps. I can certainly hear the differences in performance, they are often amazing. But the differences are not big enough where I start wishing to replace my gear right now. In fact I leave both happy to hear the great sound and quite pleased with my own gear.

Now my latest change in the music listening is interesting. I have more than enough records to make me happy. I have most of the titles I want in LP form. In the last year or so I began buying MoFi and other high end pressing from Analogue Productions, ORG, Blue. NoteTone Poets etc. On my new system they sound incredible and it has caused a change in my music buying habits. I find I would rather get one high end pressing than 2 or 3 regular pressings. The sound is so realistic it is spoiling me. This is a bit of leaning towards the gear. Not my system, but the record viewed as more like a piece of gear and part of the whole system. Since I have many of the current catalogue titles I'd wish to own, I would rather buy a smaller quantity of better sounding music. The MUSIC sounds amazing and the music is the bottom line for me.

 

At one point I took my turntable in to get fixed to a really high end store. While I was there I listened to some Mahler on this system that was insanely expensive, maybe $100k or more. The biggest take away for me was that the distortion was noticeably less than anything I had hear before. But that didn't really translate into my enjoying the music any more or less.

 

Many audiophiles listen only to their gear! And I don’t understand the search to better pressings, where nearly no differences exist.

 

Not sure I understand this statement. Every single record is different.

 

I need my system to let me hear my music, but I don’t want to listen to it, only what it produces. It’s a funny tension

 

Exhibit A. The inordinate amount of Diana Krall recordings played at audio shows

 

Listening to the music first & foremost but gear & set-up when needed to evaluate changes.

I've listened to a lot of 'Audiophile' recordings, only enjoying some of them for the music though. Their sound reproduction may be stunning, but for many, I did not enjoy it much because I couldn't get into the music.

 

Gear has always been a medium, not a goal to me

It allows me to listen to my favourite music. It's not THE MUSIC itself