Why Audio Isn't Compelling to the Masses!!

[musicbee]

I need your opinion here. Does that mean that judging art itself is a false concept ? An award winning movie will look to be a crap to someone who loves only larger than life commercial masala stuff. So should we measure this masala crap movie and the art film at the same level ?

I believe we evolve as people and we all change based on our experiences and as "life happens".

When I started I believed music was more important than equipment. I saw people who spent money in lacs on equipment but had limited music knowledge (according to me). They had systems costing lacs but only 30 CDs. On the other hand I had over 1500 CDs and a modest Sony CDP and speakers. To my "ignoramus" eyes (back then) those folks with 30 CDs and equipment going into lacs and crores (I personally know a guy with a home theater that cost 4 crores) were showoffs. I mean they had limited music knowledge, have limited movie knowledge (I mean those folks never heard of Akira Kurosawa or even Alfred Hitchcock), but they had equipment running into lacs and crores... so it meant they were showoffs.

Today, I'm a different person. I believe music is more important and you need to spend on quality music (that means buy CDs or SACDs and don't listen to MP3s), but I have also learned with experience that spending on equipment is equally important and in fact the better the equipment the better it lets you appreciate that same music. Once you hear your favorite song played on a high end system... you realize what you have been missing (even in your favorite music that you have heard 100s of times) all these years. And I've not heard most of my music in really high end systems as my current setup is limited to mid-fi equipment like KEF and Monitor Audio.

Today I will say having only love for music is not enough... you also need love for equipment. If you are not listening to your music on good (not expensive, but good) equipment... then you are surely missing out on an aural experience. That said its true real high end equipment is beyond most of our means, unless we resort to robbing a bank. I for sure would love to have a 50 lacs DAC, but to really appreciate music even a $2000 to $3000 setup is enough for most folks. If anything the ROI decreases the higher you go in the audiophile/videophile game... so for most folks a good $3000 system is enough for life to really enjoy and appreciate good music.

It is also true that $2000 to $4000 is within the means of most folks (even middle class folks like me). It then becomes a matter or priority... you are either willing to spend $2000 on a good setup or you are not willing to spend... however it is not beyond your means when you already have a house, a car and a job that pays well. Of course most folks are not willing to spend and instead prefer to spend on vehicles, clothes, jewelry, even an expensive Plasma and that I think is where the real problem lies.

Other than that why judge or even play the game of who or what is better? If people like expensive watches, art cinema or the Rajinikanth latest masala film I'm ok with it.

 

[sound_cycle]

Agree. But I am trying to find out how influential is the case of personal identity in each of these cases. Which one has more of this and which one has less?

Dr Sheldon Cooper, 2311, Les Robles Pasadena may be a worthy collaborator in this quest

not the people who are either directly or indirectly involved in creating it !!!

R-i-g-h-t ! I will not listen to Ms. Winehouse because of some silly judgemental reason about her various mores. Reminds me, I really need to scratch of my list of all but the approved pure pavitra directly gifted by the creator

<scratch> <scratch> <scratch them too>.

Uhoh no one to listen to, no movie to watch, no book to read

It is subjective...others might feel the same way about a different thing...while we may choose to disagree with them, we should not pass a judgment based on our yardstick.

Other than that why judge or even play the game of who or what is better? If people like expensive watches, art cinema or the Rajinikanth latest masala film I'm ok with it.

:sos: may be perceived as attempt to take away unalienable right to homogenize the planet per script and "stereo" types

ciao
gr

 

[noknor]

I think the biggest reason is that people are not aware of high fidelity audio.
I remember when I was a kid I used to visit my uncle's house and he had an audio setup of an amplifier, cassette player and wall mounted speakers(don't remember the names now), I used to wonder why he had this stuff when in my home there was a Sony music system with fancy lights and equalizers and knobs.

I started appreciating hifi audio only after I stumbled upon this forum when I was trying to buy a music system for my home. I realized that there was much more than the average all in one music system because I was DOING SOME RESEARCH on what to buy.
If I had not done that then I would be having either a Sony or Philips or Bose (nothing wrong in using them) but I would not have known that the same music will sound better on a separate component system.

I choose not to be ignorant because I had a choice. Most people do not do that, they do not even know that they have that choice, it is because they are not aware.

When I brought home my floor standers a few of my relatives who visited asked me if I had hired them for the festival season.

 

[soulforged]

When I brought home my floor standers a few of my relatives who visited asked me if I had hired them for the festival season.

Is that actually an option??? I wouldn't mind going for that given the amount of time I get these days to actually listen to music

 

[karthi1000]

.

When I brought home my floor standers a few of my relatives who visited asked me if I had hired them for the festival season.

hyeah: nice to hear such a comment

 

[Bharathram]

Soulforged and Musicbee
I am thankful for some of the thought processes that has gone into this thread. But I would want to let you guys know that

'I am no ways supporting that music is the only superior experience in this world'. Of course its not. Meditation , long distance running, Nature & Travel all these produce unique and wonderful experiences which are not comparable to each other..

In the same way owning a great brand be it apparel, car or watch attach different experience to them. Psychologically the drivers behind each of these experience are different.

I would also like to tell my experience on this before going into the psychology of it. I was a big brand fanatic on apparels once , buying T shirts of Edhardy , Audiger and Prada at outrageous prices. Every time I see myself wearing one of these , the feeling that dominated me was 'Wow. I am able to own to these' (Accomplishment) or 'I own this' (Snobbery)

And when I asked some of my friends who own 3-5 lakh Longines/Tissot , or 2 lakh rare edition of waterman fountain pen whether they share the same feeling, they answered in the affirmative. Whatever you want to call this feeling as (good or bad) , but I enjoyed it at that time.

Owning a luxury brand is driven by sense of pride, accomplishment (be it authentic or hubristic) . Owning a good set of speakers is driven the experience of subtleness, feeling oneness, closer to emotions etc. The same applies to logic behind jogging, meditation. Which one of experiences is important? is a pure personal choice. Just because one loves sense of accomplishment or pride more than sense of oneness and bliss it doesn't mean he is inferior and vice versa. But please don't make that comparison of one against each other, because it is baseless and obvious!!

The drivers that I mentioned here are purely based on research from psychology journals and not my personal experience

Again,
These are only the dominant observed experiences among people who MAKE these purchases, who love what they bought. Observing these experiences on people who don't love it or practice it , is not within the subject of this discussion. For some of them music creates disharmony, jogging creates pain , meditation causes depression etc...

If anyone of you here is interested in actually understanding the psychological implications owning a luxury brand ,please go through some of the thoughtful papers on consumer psychology like

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...uy-luxury-brands-and-how-do-they-make-us-feel

The psychology behind luxury brands - Talking Shop - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[mvkgilli]

problem is cost of these.everything comes down.seakers eduvumae kami aavula

 

[psinghal]

What the difference between an Audi and a M800, the same between a music system costing 1000 bucks and few lakhs. Does the quality of ride in a car change because of poor roads? Yes, in all cases. How much it changes depends on the car and obviously it will be worse in a M800 as compared to an Audi.

Coming to music system, a good system needs a room, cable choices, speakers, amplifier, and so on and still an audiophile may not be satisfied.
I came to this forum many years ago looking for a low end HiFi system. I have still not bought anything as whatever I consider seems inadequate going by the opinion of connoisseurs in this forum.

Everyone has different choices and hobbies. If you believe that your hobby is the best and others are worthless, then you are very narrow minded at best and full of ego and self worth at best, nothing more.

End rant.

 

[asliarun]

This hobby is about consumption and ownership, not creation. So it is similar to owning an expensive watch or car. And different from playing the guitar or playing golf or cricket.

Because it is an ownership or consumption driven hobby, it often falls prey to the affectation of the rich. That is, surrounding oneself with expensive gadgets and other items of snob value.

But it is also a means to an end. It allows lovers of music to have an enhanced experience. The only funny thing is - most serious music lovers I know focus more on skill and nuance of the performers and hardly pay attention to how the music reproduction sounds.

Just some thoughts.