I have long danced around the many reasons people get into the audio reproduction hobby. VERY generally, I divide us into two categories: those who do it to better hear the recordings they love (like me) and those who just love the tech and different listening experiences all the various products offer (gear collectors).
When you look at the nature of the discussions here and elsewhere, and the way various people buy and replace components in their systems, I get the impression that most of those talking (or writing) about their hobby online tend to be focused more on the collector side of the hobby. I think it is because they are always hunting for something new and different AND they want to share the new and different experiences they are having. Whereas, the listeners find a certain level of Nirvana and just enjoy the music they already own. They aren't seeking new things and only pop up from time to time when a piece of gear breaks, an exciting new technology appears on the market, or they finally have the money to upgrade significantly.
Both forms of this hobby (and the variations between the extremes and the far outside hobbyists) are perfectly fine and there is nothing wrong with either. But in the years I've been participating online with this group, editing articles and blogs for others, and working with developers and engineers for audio companies, I have seen that the way the two extremes discuss products and issues in the hobby is very different. Collectors want to talk differences, even when the experiences are worse, and they want to touch, feel, and hear everything out there. Listeners discover what characteristics they love and hunt for the tools to create that experience and then tend to stick with it for as long as possible. The end goals are completely different, so the discussions and important facts are also different for the two groups.
So, where do you fall on the spectrum? On a scale of 1 for completely about perfection in listening to 10 for completely on the collector of everything you can afford to buy or borrow, where do you lie?
Me?
Well, most of you already know, I am at 1 on the scale in terms of actions (purchasing) with a tendency to want to hear and experience things just because I am also a nerdy techie sort of fellow who loves the advancement of the art of reproduction.
When you look at the nature of the discussions here and elsewhere, and the way various people buy and replace components in their systems, I get the impression that most of those talking (or writing) about their hobby online tend to be focused more on the collector side of the hobby. I think it is because they are always hunting for something new and different AND they want to share the new and different experiences they are having. Whereas, the listeners find a certain level of Nirvana and just enjoy the music they already own. They aren't seeking new things and only pop up from time to time when a piece of gear breaks, an exciting new technology appears on the market, or they finally have the money to upgrade significantly.
Both forms of this hobby (and the variations between the extremes and the far outside hobbyists) are perfectly fine and there is nothing wrong with either. But in the years I've been participating online with this group, editing articles and blogs for others, and working with developers and engineers for audio companies, I have seen that the way the two extremes discuss products and issues in the hobby is very different. Collectors want to talk differences, even when the experiences are worse, and they want to touch, feel, and hear everything out there. Listeners discover what characteristics they love and hunt for the tools to create that experience and then tend to stick with it for as long as possible. The end goals are completely different, so the discussions and important facts are also different for the two groups.
So, where do you fall on the spectrum? On a scale of 1 for completely about perfection in listening to 10 for completely on the collector of everything you can afford to buy or borrow, where do you lie?
Me?
Well, most of you already know, I am at 1 on the scale in terms of actions (purchasing) with a tendency to want to hear and experience things just because I am also a nerdy techie sort of fellow who loves the advancement of the art of reproduction.
