Article: Sharing the Love of Music and Good Sound Quality

Love this. I can relate to this. I like to invite friends and colleagues to come to my house and listen to music. They are always impressed by how good the music sounds. I once had a colleague who has a Sonos set at his home. When he listened at my place he was amazed that he could now hear what the singer was singing. I’m playing with a Gryphon Diablo 300 and Magico A3. The source is an Antipodes K50. 

Our handyman carpenter loves to sit down and listen to both the  2channel and HT rooms. Always blows his mind!

After my girls had their friends over to sing along to Taylor Swift albums, a couple of those friends dads have asked about my system. one was at our house for a BBQ, along with his wife and kids, and he and I went and listened to some songs. People who have never heard a good quality playback system before really do have their minds blown when they hear it for the first time.

"Everyone likes music and everyone is interested in taking little break in the work day to experience something they didn’t know existed."  Agreed.  And when it is possible, it is also fun to play the system while they work (an open floor plan makes this easy).  

For a painter who was working in our dining room, I put on some Brazilian guitar music without his asking.  After about 10 minutes he commented that it was "prefect" for what he was doing.   Worked for us too since he did a perfect job.

Someone who worked on our kitchen for two days enjoyed classical on day one and jazz on day two (he made positive comments both days).   His work was also exemplary. 

Of course, I know they do great work for all their clients.  That is who they are.  But that they had a unique, pleasant experience was gratifying.  

I have had many similar experiences over the years. Looking back I can't recall a single one where the amazed and astonished person asked if the system "measured well". Go figure !

One or two asked about price....to which I swiftly reply, er....Oh wait to you hear this track!!

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Everyone likes music and everyone is interested in taking little break in the work day to experience something they didn’t know existed.

Something about that sentence really caught my attention.   Broken into parts: "everyone likes music," "everyone is interested in taking a little break," and everyone [wants to] "experience something they didn't know existed," are difficult to argue with.  But the part that bothered me was thinking: Just how often do we actually take that little break for music?

Given the current pace of life, the distractions, the competition for too little time, the overload of things in front of us we might enjoy if we did take the time, makes me feel as though you are describing a deep seated need we all have, but spend far far too little time addressing: the need to calmly sit back long enough to actually listen to a whole piece of music, otherwise surrounded by silence, to really let it sink in and touch us.

At one level, I might think that your system is so astounding (and it surely is) that even the busiest and most distracted of us would snap to attention, drop what we're doing and sit doen next to you for that long listen and all that came with it.

A while back, someone else asked whether the unlimited availability of tracks to stream now available to almost everyone actually made music less enjoyable than it was in the days when you brought home a new record album and spent the next week listening to almost nothing else, playing that album from start to finish.

Both your comment and that earlier one forced me to ask myself, given how good my own system is, why aren't I taking more time to stop my own busy day, to have that long satisfying listening session,let all else fade away, and be a better person for having done so?  Isn't that what music is all about? When did it stop having that power over us? Are we spending far too much time chasing other glittering objects, when real happiness might be 30 uninterrupted minutes in our favorite listening chair...?

3 hours ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

One or two asked about price....to which I swiftly reply, er....Oh wait to you hear this track!!

I usually reply:  "This is a crazy hobby."  And they know what I mean.  One time, two electricians walked in and both stared at my speakers.  Once I explained the work that needed to be done, I went into another room.  I heard one say:  "Do you know how much they cost?  They cost $xx,xxx!"   He was correct on the current price!  I said from the other room:  "Correct.  It is a crazy hobby."  They both laughed.  Because that is what a reasonable person does when they realize how much crazy audiophiles spend on their gear.  Although, now that I'm thinking about it, I consider myself reasonable and never laugh about how much I've invested.  

1 hour ago, PYP said:

I usually reply:  "This is a crazy hobby."  And they know what I mean.  One time, two electricians walked in and both stared at my speakers.  Once I explained the work that needed to be done, I went into another room.  I heard one say:  "Do you know how much they cost?  They cost $xx,xxx!"   He was correct on the current price!  I said from the other room:  "Correct.  It is a crazy hobby."  They both laughed.  Because that is what a reasonable person does when they realize how much crazy audiophiles spend on their gear.  Although, now that I'm thinking about it, I consider myself reasonable and never laugh about how much I've invested.  

I never tell people how much my system really costs. They all think the amounts are insane. If high end ever comes up in a different context I let them know its a very big amount if they are really curious.

The ones who don't know audio don't have a clue how much high end hi-fi costs and are astounded if they find out.

Even my friends who are what I would call rich, and could easily afford high end systems think what I have is crazy expensive and wouldn't buy something like mine.

I also have a super expensive espresso making setup. They also think that's crazy.

I agree that it's crazy. 

I find it curious that they don't seem to think that their super expensive watches or cars are also "crazy". 

4 minutes ago, firedog said:

I also have a super expensive espresso making setup. They also think that's crazy.

 

I agree that it's crazy. 

 

I find it curious that they don't seem to think that their super expensive watches or cars are also "crazy". 

I think I have figured it out - anyone who is fatter than me is fat, anyone who is skinnier than me is skinny, and anyone who drinks more than me is an alcoholic !

Oh if you're espresso making setup costs more than mine, it is expensive. (the one with a pull down lever that if the group head spits out under pressure the lever arm flies up uncontrolled and could kill you if it strikes you in the head!. Now that IS crazy !

59 minutes ago, Sal1950 said:

"Sharing my love of music and good sound goes to another level when my 12 year old daughter and her friends come up to my listening room. It's Atmos music all day long, by request. That's a story for another time." 

 

That one peaks my interest.

Once they heard Atmos it was game over.
 

I let them request songs. I just find them and hit play. When I play one without an Atmos version, they all question me as if I’m responsible for such a travesty. Then they immediately suggest another song. 
 

I will have to work on a full length article about it. It’s really fun.