Getting rid of GAS

[Analogous]

I went through a period of GAS. It was intense, uplifting, educative, and often uncomfortable.
I know it was my diet and consumption that led me this state. It was expensive too.
Among other insights I learnt that good looking or more expensive gear is not necessarily better sounding and that a lazy approach to room acoustics and speaker placement is a recipe for disappointment and feeling bloated.
A caustic remark by a FM was a wake up call: he said my listening space looked like a showroom

I now am more aware of what satisfies my musical and SQ preferences than when I started And my set up is less cluttered, simpler and more music centered rather than gear focused. I suspect others here have had similar experiences or are going through the Gear Aquisition Syndrome too.

Is there an easier way to learn, educate oneself and discover our personal sound preferences without buying and trialling a variety of gear without GAS?

I am asking this in the context of situations where home auditions are not possible and there seems to be no reliable way to predict synergy between components from different companies beyond tech-spec matching,… the results of which may be a starting point that comforts the analytical brain but mostly does not satisfy the heart and soul…

 

[Naturelover]

I had gone on a listening tour to FM homes in several cities.
I think it is worth the investment in travel.

 

[Analogous]

I had gone on a listening tour to FM homes in several cities.
I think it is worth the investment in travel.

Audio pilgrimage! That’s a great idea. Visiting experienced people and learning from their experiences and understanding would be valuable and fun too.

 

[jigarpatel]

I recently had GAS, to overcome GAS, I did followings

• Distance myself from forums, youtube reviews and demos.
• Even I took a break from listening from my system, because instead of enjoying music I was constantly looking for fault in my system, might be negativity bias, confirmation bias working.
• After above, once I started listening to my system, I constantly done reality checked
  • Do I really liked this music album, song (means I can listen to this music on any system, Bluetooth speakers, IEM, Hi-Fi)?
  • Am I playing this music because I want to show off or someone said it's good "Audiophile" songs ? Status quo bias
• By reminding myself that I brought Hi-Fi for enjoying music not analyzing music.

Last but not least, watching youtube video similar to below

Low cost solution would be have local FMs group, listen to their system.
Try out some gears in your room, exchanging component with local FMs

 

[arj]

I am asking this in the context of situations where home auditions are not possible and there seems to be no reliable way to predict synergy between components from different companies beyond tech-spec matching the results of which which often comforts the analytical brain but mostly does not satisfy the heart and soul…

This my friend is the best internalisation one can have to a musically satisfying system. Even with home auditions , unless you get an extended one over several days you will not be able to get to that state since personally i need longer periods of evaluation.

The only way I have found out of this is to identify couple of people whose listening tastes are similiar and who seem to have got their direction in gear right and use information from all of them to reduce the risk. especially so in Amplification+ speaker+room. As above listening to different setups is perhaps the best eye..or rather ear opener

As we have all figured out, specs by itself of course will only take us so far. there are several elements which help us narrow down
Eg in Speaker: sensitivity ; nominal, max and min impedance ; 3db and 10 db points ; size of drivers ; recommended position
Amplifier: power at 8 Ohms/4 ohms , Damping factor, topology. power consumption, topology etc..

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Left-field advice:

Reduce your disposable income. It’s easier to control the GAS if there’s not much money to spend. If your earning far exceeds your expenditure, set up recurring deposits/investments to leave less money in hand. Or move onto a less paying job/work that feels more purposeful/enjoyable.

Keep checking on your involvement in the gear. The extensive time and engagement could be coming at the cost of other important parts of your life - work, family, social, other hobbies, even health at times. It happens even to the most self-aware of us.

Saner advice:

1. Believe your time existing system can give you lot more enjoyment than what you seem to get now. If a radio worth Rs 2000 gave you so much enjoyment, surely a 2 lac system should give significantly more. Work on the set-up, especially room interactions, cable separations, contact quality etc. to get what the system is capable of.

2. Keep reminding yourself that ‘the mind confuses different sound as better sound’. When you listen to something you instantly react as wow, listen and think more… you are likely to find the aspects missing in that sound as well. In the process, you’d also see the positive aspects of your own system and appreciate it for what it is/does well.

3. While listening/reading to reviews remember that everyone is biased - a user by the love of his system and an expert by professional considerations. It helps to maintain a healthy suspicion towards their tall claims.


And finally, if none of these work, try this :

 

[Analogous]

I recently had GAS, to overcome GAS, I did followings

• Distance myself from forums, youtube reviews and demos.
• Even I took a break from listening from my system, because instead of enjoying music I was constantly looking for fault in my system, might be negativity bias, confirmation bias working.
• After above, once I started listening to my system, I constantly done reality checked
  • Do I really liked this music album, song (means I can listen to this music on any system, Bluetooth speakers, IEM, Hi-Fi)?
  • Am I playing this music because I want to show off or someone said it's good "Audiophile" songs ? Status quo bias
• By reminding myself that I brought Hi-Fi for enjoying music not analyzing music.

Last but not least, watching youtube video similar to below

Low cost solution would be have local FMs group, listen to their system.
Try out some gears in your room, exchanging component with local FMs

Cold turkey approach! That’s a way.
Did you not find Comparing headphones with speakers set ups challenging?

identify couple of people whose listening tastes are similiar and who seem to have got their direction in gear right and use information from all of them to reduce the risk.

Absolutely! This is the the path I followed.
I received valuable suggestions, advice, encouragement and feedback from @prem @bornfi @shyamv, @bhooshaniyer , @Vinodtherattil, @KNRAMU @Kannan, @raghupb and @aeroash to name a few.

 

[sidvee]

While I enjoy listening to music, I enjoy the equipment that reproduces it equally. It's my hobby, which gets my mind off other mundane and stressful events of what we call - living. So TBH, I have no plans of getting rid of my GAS. I think the only time my GAS will be gone, is when they call the crematorium for disposing off my earthly remains.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Analogous]

While I enjoy listening to music, I enjoy the equipment that reproduces it equally. It's my hobby, which gets my mind off other mundane and stressful events of what we call - living. So TBH, I have no plans of getting rid of my GAS. I think the only time my GAS will be gone, is when they call the crematorium for disposing off my earthly remains.
Cheers,
Sid

You may like this:

Hi-Fi: How Do We Listen? | The Ivory Tower

Hi-Fi news, gear reviews, and interviews

parttimeaudiophile.com

An excerpt from another article linked below:
“ Sitting down for a two-hour “listening session” on a Saturday afternoon in front of your system is something you do for yourself, by yourself. You get immersed in the music. You revel in the interplay between Miles Davis’ plaintive runs up and down the trumpet scale and Tony Williams’ explosive cymbal responses. Another side of your brain, concurrent with your artistic appreciation for this amazing musicianship, makes conspicuous note that your system is reproducing the music with startling realism, that every subtle detail and nuance of the music is clearly audible and tonally accurate. You’re reacting to both the artistry of the music and the recognition of the amazing quality of the playback itself. There is satisfaction on multiple levels. But unfortunately, this is an experience from a bygone era. Virtually no one from the Gen X or the Millennial generation sits down and “listens to their system” anymore and when us Baby Boomers die off, that’ll pretty much be the final death knell for the hobby of component hi-fi audio.”

An Audiophile’s Realization: My Last New Speakers

The day we get big new speakers is an important day to us audiophiles. We’ve spent years researching them to get the best we can afford. Here’s the story of what are probably my last loudspeakers.

www.audioholics.com

 

[sidvee]

Currently I have 4 systems, and each one is at a difference price point. I enjoyed putting together all of them as much as I enjoy listening to music on 3 of them (one is to watch movies). Just last night I listened to the cheapest of the systems for 2 hours straight. And I look forward to changing gear within each of these systems as much as I look forward to listening to them. My other hobby is playing golf, which I do at-least 6 hours a week, and even there I enjoy buying different golf clubs or playing on different golf courses, to enjoy my game better, I don't think I will ever stop buying equipment (better or not) even in golf and will continue to enjoy playing as well. In both these hobbies of mine, I don't think the equipment or the end results of the equipment are mutually exclusive.
Oh and lastly I never spend more than what I can afford on both of these hobbies. They are strictly for my own enjoyment, and not really to exhibit anything to others.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[square_wave]

I had gone on a listening tour to FM homes in several cities.
I think it is worth the investment in travel.

I second this. Reviews will only take you halfway.

 

[arj]

Oh and lastly I never spend more than what I can afford on both of these hobbies. They are strictly for my own enjoyment, and not really to exhibit anything to others.

This is the crux of GAS...going above leads to misery !

 

[coaltrain]

Interesting post @Analogous !
Here's my $0.02, with a healthy dollop of ymmv.

As you've mentioned in your post, this issue consists of two parts:
- discovering your personal sound preferences
- discovering gear that matches your personal sound preferences
And I agree; understanding the former will help you fine tune your search for the latter.

In my case, this process took many years and also included some mistakes. Like when I realized I don't like metal tweeters, after I bought Epos M22s. But I also discovered that I prefer tubes to SS after a single evening at a friend's place. And that, sometimes, I would find something I liked but could not fully commit to. Electrostats, for example. Love the sound; can't live with their quirks.

One's personal sound preference is also a matter of how one listens to music. Do you enjoy getting lost in the music, or do you like analyzing every little detail in the sound? This could also change over time, as the younger me used to love dissecting all the tiny microdetails. Not anymore.

Once you know what you like, and more importantly, what you don't, finding the right gear becomes (a bit) easier. Speaking for myself, I take a deep dive into professional reviews and user comments on various forums. And I mean deep. Before buying a dac, I went through 75 pages on Steve Hoffman's forum (to name just one), filtering all that info through my list of likes/dislikes. If a certain product was being described as 'incredibly detailed with crystalline highs', I'd take a pass. However, if something else 'keeps you listening for hours, spinning one album after another', I'd take a closer look.

When I've got s shortlist of stuff I think will work, I look at the specs to ensure basic compatability - speaker impedance and sensitivity vis-a-vis amplifier power/current; dac output impedance vis-a-vis amplifier input impedance; ideal speaker positioning vis-a-vis rear wall distance available; that sort of stuff. Finally, I'll look around for an audition or home demo. If I can't get anything, I'll trust my gut. And hope I don't get gas!

One last point: though I do spend a lot on music, I don't spend megabucks on my setup. (Until I get a dedicated room for my gear, I don't see the point of an endgame system) Nor do I keep older stuff lying around. The minute I upgrade, I get rid of the gear it replaced. Whether it's hifi or girlfriends, a clean break is always better

 

[Analogous]

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Interesting post @Analogous !
Here's my $0.02, with a healthy dollop of ymmv.

As you've mentioned in your post, this issue consists of two parts:
- discovering your personal sound preferences
- discovering gear that matches your personal sound preferences
And I agree; understanding the former will help you fine tune your search for the latter.

In my case, this process took many years and also included some mistakes. Like when I realized I don't like metal tweeters, after I bought Epos M22s. But I also discovered that I prefer tubes to SS after a single evening at a friend's place. And that, sometimes, I would find something I liked but could not fully commit to. Electrostats, for example. Love the sound; can't live with their quirks.

One's personal sound preference is also a matter of how one listens to music. Do you enjoy getting lost in the music, or do you like analyzing every little detail in the sound? This could also change over time, as the younger me used to love dissecting all the tiny microdetails. Not anymore.

Once you know what you like, and more importantly, what you don't, finding the right gear becomes (a bit) easier. Speaking for myself, I take a deep dive into professional reviews and user comments on various forums. And I mean deep. Before buying a dac, I went through 75 pages on Steve Hoffman's forum (to name just one), filtering all that info through my list of likes/dislikes. If a certain product was being described as 'incredibly detailed with crystalline highs', I'd take a pass. However, if something else 'keeps you listening for hours, spinning one album after another', I'd take a closer look.

When I've got s shortlist of stuff I think will work, I look at the specs to ensure basic compatability - speaker impedance and sensitivity vis-a-vis amplifier power/current; dac output impedance vis-a-vis amplifier input impedance; ideal speaker positioning vis-a-vis rear wall distance available; that sort of stuff. Finally, I'll look around for an audition or home demo. If I can't get anything, I'll trust my gut. And hope I don't get gas!

One last point: though I do spend a lot on music, I don't spend megabucks on my setup. (Until I get a dedicated room for my gear, I don't see the point of an endgame system) Nor do I keep older stuff lying around. The minute I upgrade, I get rid of the gear it replaced. Whether it's hifi or girlfriends, a clean break is always better

Thanks for sharing your process and experience @coaltrain. You have a meticulous method of research to short list and choose your gear. Getting rid of old gear when you get new stuff is surely a good way to mitigate GAS
There seems to be no shortcuts to knowing our personal sound preferences starting out in this hobby?

 

[coaltrain]

There seems to be no shortcuts to knowing our personal sound preferences starting out in this hobby?

Unfortunately, I don’t think so @Analogous
The way I see it, our past experience is the only yardstick for our current reality.

For example, If I had never heard an 8 watt 300B amp driving 97 db standmounts, I would still believe that I need a 200 watt SS amp and massive floorstanders to enjoy great bass.

And, what if tomorrow I heard a 200 watt amp driving large Maggies and loved that sound more? Wouldn't that become my new benchmark?

Perhaps, one should start by checking out all the various paths to great sound first - vinyl, cd, tubes, ss, r2r, chips, open baffle, horns... the list is endless. I'm pretty sure there are only a handful of FMs who have this breadth of experience. The rest of us will have to keep our minds and ears open for some time to come.

 

[Analogous]

Unfortunately, I don’t think so @Analogous
The way I see it, our past experience is the only yardstick for our current reality.

For example, If I had never heard an 8 watt 300B amp driving 97 db standmounts, I would still believe that I need a 200 watt SS amp and massive floorstanders to enjoy great bass.

And, what if tomorrow I heard a 200 watt amp driving large Maggies and loved that sound more? Wouldn't that become my new benchmark?

Perhaps, one should start by checking out all the various paths to great sound first - vinyl, cd, tubes, ss, r2r, chips, open baffle, horns... the list is endless. I'm pretty sure there are only a handful of FMs who have this breadth of experience. The rest of us will have to keep our minds and ears open for some time to come.

The path to audio nirvana then is full of people struggling or enjoying GAS it would seem.
As Emerson pointed out enjoying the journey experience is as important as reaching the destination. Go GAS!

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

The path to audio nirvana then is full of people struggling or enjoying GAS it would seem.
As Emerson pointed out enjoying the journey experience is as important as reaching the destination. Go GAS!

And so we keep self-justifying!

 

[keith_correa]

IMO,
Overthinking.
Overanalyzing.
Overeducation.
Obsession.
All these attributes result in GAS!

 

[Analogous]

IMO,
Overthinking.
Overanalyzing.
Overeducation.
Obsession.
All these attributes result in GAS!

Lots of 0s there!

 

[arj]

For me its all the Os which give me joy .Thankfully lack of budget helps in controlling GAS !