[LugBug1]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
An interesting way of seeing the upgrade/perceived improvement phenomena, is to witness a fellow head-fier. They may even ask you what you think, and even with all this being personal taste, you can still witness the side-stepping purchase in progress. It seems the view of the painting is so big that to see the whole picture is harder than it looks.
 
 
At times there is a profound over-all upgrade but at times it is tricky. Tricky when you tunnel vision in on a perceived change/improvement so much as to miss the other changes. That new flavor will loose the warmth for detail or not have an attribute somewhere.

 
 
 
At times we think we find an improvement to take place only because we really just want an improvement. Manufactures play the coloration game only to help us on our terminal illusion process. Hind-sight is always 100% 20/20.

Brilliant quote. It was perfected a long time ago. We are now only enjoying a digital revolution in regards to; computer= to that perfection. Mmm.. me thinks it will be the the philips TDA1541  that we'll all come running back to. It's the music that matters.. Right?

 

[walfredo]

Wonderful question!!  And wonderful thread and comments!!!
 
My 2 cents:
 
It really depends on what what you mean by "audio nirvana".
 
If it is the best audio set-up that you fell it is better than everything else you can possibly hear:  No, I don't think such a thing exists.
 
If it is a particular moment you feel music so real and enticing, your toes tip, and you are greatful you started this hobby:  Yes, many nirvanas exist! 
 
Just a lesson I've learned:  If you find yourself in a nirvana, don't stop it to do an A-B comparison.  Just enjoy it!

 
[]s
Walfredo

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Do you believe one pair of headphone can give you audio nirvana? I think it must be at least two or three pairs of them with varying sound signatures to really satisfy an audiophile with all kinds of music.

 
I have one pair of headphones at least that are both easy to drive out of pretty much anything and cover all types of music nicely for me, while being highly resolving, but they are semi-unobtanium now as you can pretty much only buy the drivers last I heard.

 

[reeltime]

Quote:

 
At times we think we find an improvement to take place only because we really just want an improvement. Manufactures play the coloration game only to help us on our terminal illusion process. Hind-sight is always 100% 20/20.

 
To be fair-- I probably would have been just fine stopping at the HD650 and the WA6.  
 
I just sensed that there was a little more for me if I stepped a little closer to the edge of the sonic envelope, and frankly, I was curious.
 
I guess $5000 dollars is the price of my curiosity...  Unless I add another headphone...

 

[mab1376]

"Ween - Stay Forever" with an OTL amp and HD650's, Absolute Nirvana

 

[Timodeus]

To be fair-- I probably would have been just fine stopping at the HD650 and the WA6.  

I just sensed that there was a little more for me if I stepped a little closer to the edge of the sonic envelope, and frankly, I was curious.

I guess $5000 dollars is the price of my curiosity...  Unless I add another headphone...

Curiosity killed the cat.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Quote:

 
To be fair-- I probably would have been just fine stopping at the HD650 and the WA6.  
 
I just sensed that there was a little more for me if I stepped a little closer to the edge of the sonic envelope, and frankly, I was curious.
 
I guess $5000 dollars is the price of my curiosity...  Unless I add another headphone...

 
 
Everyone has their curiosity. People blow 7K in a night in Vegas. It truly is about finding out stuff. You only live once. I'm totally happy on the money I spent. The fact that it can bring enjoyment and satisfaction. The worst thing (maybe even more scary) is to go and never realize your dreams.
 
I think it's just all about the "wow" factor. So no matter what level of money was spent, to just feel impressed with what we have time after time. I have heard super expensive headphone systems and they did "wow" me but spending 5X more money for 35% better sound was out of my league, even though my Wife wouldn't let me spend the money in the first place.

 
I guess my definition of Nirvana would be getting a system that left you with-out wanting time and time again. If you were to average out the money spent over all the years you could enjoy it, then it really all starts to look very conservative money wise. It could even be the price folks spend on going out to plays and theater and musical shows.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Quote:

Curiosity killed the cat.

 
 
Quote:

"Ween - Stay Forever" with an OTL amp and HD650's, Absolute Nirvana

 
 
Some of the best audiophiles I have seen, keep all the packages and paperwork. If they do go out on a limb (like cats do). They can sell their gear used for close to what they paid. Any loss is chalked up to learning and they can go back to their starter system again. Kind of like ditching your trophy wife and dating your first wife.

 

[mab1376]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
Some of the best audiophiles I have seen, keep all the packages and paperwork. If they do go out on a limb (like cats do). They can sell their gear used for close to what they paid. Any loss is chalked up to learning and they can go back to their starter system again. Kind of like ditching your trophy wife and dating your first wife.

 
 
My entire setup including tubes, cables, cost about $1500, and honestly; I couldn't be happier.
 
I didn't spend more than $25 on any cable and more than $40 on any set of tubes.
 
Gear that is truly neutral doesn't appeal to me, I listen for enjoyment only, so something that's warm and full bodied is best for me.

 

[mark_h]

Quote:

Here's the funny negative to this: A lot of music I used to like sounds poor through my equipment as the flaws in the recording quality is apparent. So all that music I used to like years ago has been relegated to being listened to in my car, or on public transport, on flights and the like. 

 
Some of my favorite music has the most appalling recording quality, I would never relegate it to incidental listening for that reason and if a setup could not convey its strengths then I would not call it an excellent setup regardless of its cost and resolution. To much emphasis is placed on clarity these days, it is the same with photography and film.

 

[reddragon]

Quote:

 
 
 
man you really have some unicorn gears there 

 

[Sweden]

Quote:

This is an interesting topic to ponder. What I can say after going through a lot of gear and having an crazy (by normal, non-Head-Fier) standards expensive rig is that there is a lot of music I can now appreciate that I couldn't before I started. An interesting consequence has been that I now have a speaker rig that blows away what my father had for the same money as he spent a couple of decades ago. So if I were to answer the question myself right now, I'd say all I'm lacking is more interesting, well-recorded music! Here's the funny negative to this: A lot of music I used to like sounds poor through my equipment as the flaws in the recording quality is apparent. So all that music I used to like years ago has been relegated to being listened to in my car, or on public transport, on flights and the like. This has balanced things out nicely. I get to appreciate it still without any desire to hear it on higher-quality equipment and can just enjoy it whenever I'm not at home.
 
What I find sad though is that audio can be such a big quagmire for people new to it, but for headphone listening at least, you can get a lot better gear for less than was possible, say, 5 years ago.

 
I find it a sad phenomena when music lovers becomes audiophiles and instead of listening to good music mostly listen to bad well recorded music just because of how revealing their gear is. I have seen this happen again and again and I've noticed the same symptoms with me to some degree. The more gear centric people get the less music centric I've seen them become.
When I see someone listen to Diana Krall I know that person have lost all sense of what music is all about... Maybe they just had bad taste in music before but common now. There is music that have both a technical and musical quality.
If someone catch me listening to mediocre sleepy jazz nonsense please do an intervention!

 

[walfredo]

Quote:

 
I find it a sad phenomena when music lovers becomes audiophiles and instead of listening to good music mostly listen to bad well recorded music just because of how revealing their gear is. I have seen this happen again and again and I've noticed the same symptoms with me to some degree. The more gear centric people get the less music centric I've seen them become.
When I see someone listen to Diana Krall I know that person have lost all sense of what music is all about... Maybe they just had bad taste in music before but common now. There is music that have both a technical and musical quality.
If someone catch me listening to mediocre sleepy jazz nonsense please do an intervention!

 


Oh, come on!!!  Diana Krall is awesome!  I already loved her much before becoming an audiophile.  Now it is just better.

 

[Sweden]

If I didn't have ears I might have thought she was great...

If you like her who the heck cares but I just can't imagine anyone with a lot of music knowledge liking her at best mediocre stuff.

 

[vvanrij]

I just pop in the forum back now and then to read about new headphones. But my 'nirvana' search ended with the K1000's. Properly amplified they are the ultimate headphones for me. They are not perfect in recreating audio, there are other headphones doing a better job doing that last 5%. However its the only presentation of audio acceptable to me. I'm a speaker listener 90% of the time, and when I put on normal headphones, it is just really really annoying to me, to hear everything 'out of place'. I can listen to the K1000's for hours without annoying my neighbours, or without getting annoyed with the presentation of the sound. Something that seems lost on most people is that its all about finding your PERSONAL best headphone/setup, not about finding the most expensive, or what 90% of the people like. Its all about YOU!