Breaking up with Hi Fi

[yugaaa]

I am afraid I might have set a wrong notion about my age. I am not that old as I might have sounded in my post. I won't give a number but can say, my son is 9.

In my village a 74 yr old just became a father

 

[anilpatel]

Vivek, I’ve been following your posts and journey for a while now. And I was fearing this frustration might creep in at some stage. Overthinking about equipment can take the joy out of listening for those of us whose primary interest is not audiophilic/DIY - those of us for whom the gear is a means and not the end. You do say you’ve enjoyed the audiophilic journey in this forum and beyond and would want to continue your engagement. But you don’t want to keep working on your own rig. I recollect having warned you that you’d need to be up for a long-drawn process of experimentation, understanding your equipment, the synergy in your setting and context and also explore your own audio preferences. It’s been almost four years for me and it’s only in the last few months can I say I feel at peace with what I have and the results I get out of it. And it has allowed me to focus on my primary goal - music. And no, I haven’t reached it by giving up on the research and experimentation or on hi-fi itself, but by reaching what I’d call a certain inner conclusion with it - it’s a home-coming feeling, reached experientially. That would have never happened (and I doubt it happens with anyone) immediately after buying the components and putting them together, no matter how carefully selected.

Can I suggest you to try the opposite? Stop visiting the forum for the next three months. And keep listening to your hi-fi system, whichever way you choose to engage with it. Consider this as an experiment. Don’t even discuss with anyone about your system. Just you and the system and the music. See where it leads by the end of that period.

It’s not the loss you might suffer if you eventually give up on the hi-fi components, but the abortion of a passionate exercise mid-way without taking it to its logical destination that I would like to warn you against. Expending all the energy at the start might drain us out of what’s needed for the long haul. Check if that’s not happening with you right now. Also check if it’s not a pattern.

I am risking being blunt in saying all this. Risking not just getting spurned (would understand if that happens), but also risking adding to your current distress if you consider these arguments. Because I believe it could lead to longer term fulfilment and growth.

"Expending all the energy at the start might drain us out of what’s needed for the long haul."

This is the best piece of advice i have read/heard since long long time.

In studies, I have seen many brilliant students who spend their all enthusiasm, energy etc. in initial phase of study/career, but then after they do not further get success. I think, the above sentence self explains everything.

The similar kind of adivce was given to me by my dealer I had urge to upgrade my system.
He told me that enjoy your system for some years then upgrade.

You know, Vivek? One of the most useless purchases all of us make is a car. One; the value depreciates the minute we drive it off the showroom. Two; we hardly use it for an hour a day. Rest of the time it just sits in the garage rusting. Three; we also spend on maintenance and, of course, fuel. All added up, we will save enormously if we just use Ola or Uber. But then most of us have cars. I always wondered why. For the convenience that we can go where and when we want? An activity that occupies a minuscule amount of our time? Or the comfort? Or, are we all in a rat race where achievements are measured by what you have?

When it comes to music, books, and movies, we do act in a similar manner. At the same time, the results are different. Music brings peace and happiness, books bring knowledge, and movies entertain you. The other day, my co-brother was listening to some music on my system, and immediately decided he wanted a similar system.

I am assuming you are somewhere around 40. If you are able to spend an hour a day listening to music, all the effort and spend is justified. You don't need a large collection of music, nor do you need to experiment with new music. Just have a library of music that makes you tap your feet, listen to those songs and do tap your feet.

As humans we look for distraction and entertainment. It takes a huge amount of mental strength to be happy with what we have. The minute we earn some money, we are finding ways of spending it. Maintaining your house, your equipment, you family is a far better way of spending money than what many do including drugs, wild parties, smoking and drinking. In reality, I thank God I have none of those habits.

Over the last 6 months, I decided to spend a bit of money redoing the house, upgrading my music and movie system, and cleaning up my garden. Why did I do this? After a long discussion with Charu, we decided these were the right steps to a comfortable and meaningful living. This is what separates us from the rest of the crowd. Maybe we were just finding justification for what we did, but what we did made us happy. THAT is the ultimate high. You sow a seed, look after the tiny plant, and glow with pride when it flowers for you. What more do you want in life? Similarly, listening a few songs brings tears to my eyes. The rationale part of me used to curse this. Then I learnt even SPB cries when he listens to Deewana Hua Badal by Rafi. Today I cry unashamedly when a song makes me happy.

How many of us are there on HFV? A thousand to 2 thousand? Compare this to the millions who have no idea what music is and how to listen to music. Who seem happy listening to distorted MP3s at insane volumes on systems that will eventually destroy your hearing. Believe me, we are all blessed. The one thing we all have to learn is to move away from the mad desire to upgrade all the time. You spend 10 lakhs on a music system? Be happy with it for 5 years or more. Don't even look at anything else. I am extremely happy with what I have, and do not get upset when I hear others boast about their system. In reality, the other day I listened to a system that costs upwards of 50L. The difference between that and my system is hardly 10%. It is an accepted fact that the the enhancement that a system brings beyond a certain spend is inversely proportional to the spend.

There is no need to feel guilty of your spend. Even if you listen to music you like an hour a day, the spend is worth it. What I do, for example, is that I finish all my work at home, switch my system on around 10:30 and listen to music for about an hour before I fall asleep.

Today, my wife and a few of her relations walk away when they see a low quality video and listen to low quality music. That is a unadulterated appreciation of the good things in life.

At the end of the day, do what makes you happy. Nothing else matters.

Great Understanding of life.
Your wisdom gives us a way of life that very few people understand, Other people just become part of rate race.

 

[navjyot]

In my village a 74 yr old just became a father

Very good sense of humour. Much needed in today's stressful life.

 

[vnmathur57]

I have taken something from this discussion and the gist is, I am not going to take any decision right away but would take some corrective measures to shoo away this thought from my mind.

Right decision! This is a passing phase, just go through it. Do not take strong decisions like , selling off the stuff- which you have acquired after spending so much time, energy and money. Many such phases come in our life when we feel that the amount of happiness or satisfaction achieved is not proportionate to the efforts we had to put up for it.
And FM! (or shortwave radio earlier) It's a different world. The anticipation and excitement of what will be playing next, makes is fantastically interesting.
Let your gear lie there like a piece of furniture for a while and enjoy the radio only.

 

[sandeepsasi]

Right decision! This is a passing phase, just go through it. Do not take strong decisions like , selling off the stuff- which you have acquired after spending so much time, energy and money. Many such phases come in our life when we feel that the amount of happiness or satisfaction achieved is not proportionate to the efforts we had to put up for it.
And FM! (or shortwave radio earlier) It's a different world. The anticipation and excitement of what will be playing next, makes is fantastically interesting.
Let your gear lie there like a piece of furniture for a while and enjoy the radio only

Couldn't contribute anything useful. But, couldn't help notice a connection between two consecutive, unrelated posts. For a moment, I thought that the thread got derailed. Sorry for my dark sense of humor.

 

[anilpatel]

Couldn't contribute anything useful. But, couldn't help notice a connection between two consecutive, unrelated posts. For a moment, I thought that the thread got derailed. Sorry for my dark sense of humor.
View attachment 51025

Nice catch.
Great sense of humor.

 

[Sushant Sharma]

In my village a 74 yr old just became a father

that's some work even for my fertile imagination.

 

[arj]

that's some work even for my fertile imagination.

Sorry about the OT, but not just the imagination which was fertile in this case

 

[newlash09]

Hi vivek

A big same pinch. Iam mostly a back ground listener too and I enjoy music more than the sound quality it is presented in. What you are experiencing is a burn out. I was previously into photography, then briefly into drones and now into audio. I must say the audio bit has been the longest and most expensive so far. I've had periods of deep disappointment, when I wanted to throw my stuff off my balcony, because it didn't sound a bit like the reviews I read

And then periods of doubt, if I needed so many boxes in the room, when I enjoyed my cars crappy FM more than the dedicated 2 channel system. But in the end, what brought the joy back was my 4 monthly breaks when I set sail. Please give it a try . Just don't switch on anything for atleast 3 months and see if the break has you yearning back for a listen.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Hi vivek

A big same pinch. Iam mostly a back ground listener too and I enjoy music more than the sound quality it is presented in. What you are experiencing is a burn out. I was previously into photography, then briefly into drones and now into audio. I must say the audio bit has been the longest and most expensive so far. I've had periods of deep disappointment, when I wanted to throw my stuff off my balcony, because it didn't sound a bit like the reviews I read

And then periods of doubt, if I needed so many boxes in the room, when I enjoyed my cars crappy FM more than the dedicated 2 channel system. But in the end, what brought the joy back was my 4 monthly breaks when I set sail. Please give it a try . Just don't switch on anything for atleast 3 months and see if the break has you yearning back for a listen.

Hi Manohar ji

We have quite similar situation. I am also in to photography, bike riding. Photography is more or less took a back seat because of no travel this year and I am reviving my ridding hobby after a long break and quite enjoying it. Also trying to change my approach towards the setup. If nothing else worked, I will just enjoy by adding a tuner and un-subscribing to all streaming services and I hope no worse than this should happen.

Regards
Vivek

I think I will go with firearm's opinion. You said you started listening to hifi from 2018 onwards, upgrading yourself from mobiles and laps. Maybe you started on a wrong foot. Instead of going by brands, you should have gone with your requirements and room conditions. Instead of going straight into high brands like Lux, you could have gone for smaller, cheaper units. I have experienced this. Whenever I spend huge amount for a component, I do get smitten by guilt, the question arises, 'do I really have to spend so much for this?' You say you are a background listener. In that case, you definitely have a wrong setup.

Agree.

 

[prem]

I am sorry Vivek. I probably misunderstood your intentions. My apologies.

I can see that you enjoy the sound of a radio. For me the sound of the radio is my starting point when I set up a system. The flow and the timing is kind of perfect when you listen to a radio. How to maintain the flow and the timing, while improving on the other parameters is normally the challenge when setting up a system.

My suggestion to you is to probably sell off the Luxman and get a vintage receiver. I feel you’ll enjoy a receiver with your Klipsch. You can look up http://www.mussiclovers.com/product-category/vintage-music-electronics/receivers/

I have never bought from them. So don’t know how reliable they are. You can speak to them. They are I think based in Pune or Bangalore. Am not sure. They have several vintage receivers for sale.

 

[newlash09]

Hi again vivek

An FM tuner is on my radar too

If I enjoy FM so much in my car. It should do a blast in my music system too.

If I have to be very honest with myself. I have the best sound ive ever had since I started in this hobby. But despite the initial euphoria, subsequently the urge for a change sets in. I guess it is one of the plagues of this hobby.

 

[Vivek Batra]

I am sorry Vivek. I probably misunderstood your intentions. My apologies.

I can see that you enjoy the sound of a radio. For me the sound of the radio is my starting point when I set up a system. The flow and the timing is kind of perfect when you listen to a radio. How to maintain the flow and the timing, while improving on the other parameters is normally the challenge when setting up a system.

My suggestion to you is to probably sell off the Luxman and get a vintage receiver. I feel you’ll enjoy a receiver with your Klipsch. You can look up http://www.mussiclovers.com/product-category/vintage-music-electronics/receivers/

I have never bought from them. So don’t know how reliable they are. You can speak to them. They are I think based in Pune or Bangalore. Am not sure. They have several vintage receivers for sale.

Dear Sir

No offense taken. No need to apologise. I am very much after a vintage tuner. But not able to find it in India.

Hope to keep getting advice/suggestions from you.

Regards
Vivek

 

[Nitin K]

Hi vivek

A big same pinch. Iam mostly a back ground listener too and I enjoy music more than the sound quality it is presented in. What you are experiencing is a burn out. I was previously into photography, then briefly into drones and now into audio. I must say the audio bit has been the longest and most expensive so far. I've had periods of deep disappointment, when I wanted to throw my stuff off my balcony, because it didn't sound a bit like the reviews I read

And then periods of doubt, if I needed so many boxes in the room, when I enjoyed my cars crappy FM more than the dedicated 2 channel system. But in the end, what brought the joy back was my 4 monthly breaks when I set sail. Please give it a try . Just don't switch on anything for atleast 3 months and see if the break has you yearning back for a listen.

Hi Manu,

Pls do let me know in advance if you are planning to throw any of your stuff out from the balcony. I'll be there right on time waiting down to catch them with a helmet off course. Your Krell might be too heavy to catch though.

Regards,
Nitin

 

[prem]

Vivek, check that site link I sent you. I think they have tuners also. Here you go

Buy Vintage Tuners Pune-India -

Buy Vintage Tuners Pune, India. Vintage Tuners for sale. Yamaha, Technics, Nakamichi Electronics and old Vinyl Records.

www.mussiclovers.com

 

[Vivek Batra]

Hi again vivek

An FM tuner is on my radar too

If I enjoy FM so much in my car. It should do a blast in my music system too.

If I have to be very honest with myself. I have the best sound ive ever had since I started in this hobby. But despite the initial euphoria, subsequently the urge for a change sets in. I guess it is one of the plagues of this hobby.

The surprise is the real fun for me with FM. Almost every day I get to listen to songs that were long forgotten. This can happen only with FM, I can't skip tracks and very balanced mix of new and old songs is there. I am made for FM only. Same is true with in car audio, FM all the time.

I have short listed few Luxman vintage tuners, but no opportunity this year to travel and grab one.

Regards
Vivek

Vivek, check that site link I sent you. I think they have tuners also. Here you go

Buy Vintage Tuners Pune-India -

Buy Vintage Tuners Pune, India. Vintage Tuners for sale. Yamaha, Technics, Nakamichi Electronics and old Vinyl Records.

www.mussiclovers.com

Thanks Sir, I don't know about this site. Will get in touch with them.

 

[prem]

Vivek, I don’t think Luxman is known for their tuners. Read up on the net as to which ones are good. I am not into tuners. So have no clue. There are guys on the forum who can advise you as to which brand and which model to buy.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Vivek, I don’t think Luxman is known for their tuners. Read up on the net as to which ones are good. I am not into tuners. So have no clue. There are guys on the forum who can advise you as to which brand and which model to buy.

Could be, I know some guys who own Luxman tuners for their reviews. Kenwood, Sansui are other well respected brands for analogue tuners. Let's see what comes first my way.

 

[newlash09]

The surprise is the real fun for me with FM. Almost every day I get to listen to songs that were long forgotten. This can happen only with FM, I can't skip tracks and very balanced mix of new and old songs is there. I am made for FM only. Same is true with in car audio, FM all the time.

I have short listed few Luxman vintage tuners, but no opportunity this year to travel and grab one.

Regards
Vivek

For what it's worth, maybe you can try some physical media and see. You might end up liking it, like I did

1. Shove in the CD
2. Refill the glass
3. Throw away the remote and cell phone
4. Switch off the lights.

I got burned out with streaming, but Iam liking CD's a lot . So much so, that I've decided to finally dip my toes into vinyl . By all means, please hunt out that luxman tuner, as we say " the hunt is always more thrilling than the kill

But after that something to keep you excited further down the road I guess

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

This thread started with Vivek saying I enjoy my old system / FM more than his current HIFI system .....after all the counselling sessions which asked him to focus on music and not on equipment ...... he is now finally going to hunt for one more piece of vintage hifi equipment in the form of Tuners ? ....cant stop laughing @Vivek - take a break from this forum and listen to what you have ....