[OceanRanger]

The obsession and urges for wanting tryout and hear different components and headphones is real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve obsessed over wanting to hear my headphones on different headphone amps. For no other reason than to see if it’s better than what I have. It can be maddening sometimes.....

I agree, so far I've managed to resist adding a pair of Susvaras to my desk as I'm not sure how I'd decided between them and the 1266s.

 

[Orlok]

I have recognized more and more lately how much of an addiction this has all become. I can not listen to a favorite song without wondering how it would sound on a different source chain or via another set of headphones. Most sessions devolve into an A, B, C, D, E test at some point. Thing is there is no clear winner across all songs, only differences. I love all my babies...

Yesterday I sold an older pair of headphones to a younger guy who was looking for his first 'serious' pair. I almost wanted to refuse to sell to him because I could see it in his speech and his eyes. He was catching the bug. I'm like,..."No, go back. Don't do it!". Oh, the money and time saved if only I had taken that advice. Or at least the money could have gone into a different obsession. LOL! I can see I'm in good company here.

Yeah, once you are in, it seems there is no going back. It's like crossing the Rubicon or the event horizon.

I was thinking about this and I realized that I don't know a single musician friend/associate who I'd consider an audiophile, even some fairly successful world class musicians. Well, there's one obvious reason for that and it's that they spend their money on instruments and recording gear, which can easily run into many tens of thousands. When they do listen to music, they'll listen through their studio monitors. But monitors used for recording music are not at all like audiophile speakers.

The same with headphones for studio mixing/mastering usage. Most of of my musician friends have never heard of even Audeze and they certainly would not have heard of Abyss, Hifiman or RAAL. For them, it's "mid-fi" Sony, Beyerdynamic, AKG, Sennheiser and other mainstream brands. They roll their eyes or shake their heads when I talk to them about audiophile gear. They have no interest in it whatsoever. lol Well, I can relate; it's impossible to maintain two types of addiction at the same time!

 

[Orlok]

The obsession and urges for wanting tryout and hear different components and headphones is real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve obsessed over wanting to hear my headphones on different headphone amps. For no other reason than to see if it’s better than what I have. It can be maddening sometimes.....

Once I got the HMS and TT2 (and the TToby when I got the Buchardt S400 speakers from a friend at a good deal), my attention turned to headphones. I expect to accumulate at least 4, probably 5~6 eventually, TOTL cans. I'm now also dying to try out tube amps and have already started digging into boutique tube amp builders like ampandsound, DNA, Feliks, Eddie Current, Decware, and Quicksilver, etc. besides the bigger guys like Woo Audio and Cayin. And, of course, then there are the stratospheric endgame amps that go for well over $10K (the Riviera AIC-10 being the prime example) that I've towed away in folders to peek at and dream about every now and then.

 

[Orlok]

I agree, so far I've managed to resist adding a pair of Susvaras to my desk as I'm not sure how I'd decided between them and the 1266s.

Yeah, it came down to the Susvara vs. the 1266 TC for me as well. I actually had the Susvara on loan from a friend's friend who had to go overseas for a few months. It was amazing and I loved it and would gladly add to my collection if I had the budget but, in the end, I opted to go with the TC. The Susvara, to me, was in the HD800S type of category tonality-wise (although much better balanced, clearer and more transparent) and I wanted something different with a more powerful bass. I opted to go with the SR1a for the bright tonality with expansive staging and imaging kind of character and the LCD-4, for me, is for the warm, lush, smooth and intimate kind of thing. I expect the TC to sit somewhere right in the middle and do a lot of things neither can do as well.

 

[Slim1970]

I agree, so far I've managed to resist adding a pair of Susvaras to my desk as I'm not sure how I'd decided between them and the 1266s.

The short answer is you don’t, get both. They are complementary headphones. Sorry, I shouldn’t be nudging you along since this is the thread you come to for help

 

[ra990]

I agree, so far I've managed to resist adding a pair of Susvaras to my desk as I'm not sure how I'd decided between them and the 1266s.

That's a hard decision, they're both so good. I always think I'm going to sell one, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to decide.

 

[Slim1970]

That's a hard decision, they're both so good. I always think I'm going to sell one, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to decide.

I tried when I sold the Abyss Phi CC’s and kept the Susvara’s. When I heard the Abyss TC’s I bought them as they fixed the Abyss Phi’s shortcomings. It’s so hard to choose between them.

 

[mammal]

So my girlfriend had an intervention with me a couple of months ago, requesting me to get therapy for my head-fi addiction, suspecting an “escapism”. I did oblige and can share with you what my therapist said. If your hobby is adding value to your life, bringing happiness, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if your hobby is removing something from your life, making you distance from others, creating emotional feedback loops (buy/sell or feel dull), than you should address the underlying issue (could be an addiction, or you are not processing something hence escapism). It is a slippery slope and I can only imagine what others are going through. Some are here genuinely for love of music, trying to make an informed decision (since buying blind is difficult). Some are here out of boredom, others have an underlying issue that should be addressed sooner than later. Just definitely there shouldn’t be a blank statemen or generalisation on this hobby, especially coming outside in, but since money is involved and hours of research, sometimes it is difficult to recognise/appreciate. I hope this context helps someone.

 

[Orlok]

As I'm sure you all know, the pricing of high-end goods is pretty much determined by demand vs. what the producers can supply. Being in the high-end segment of an industry which sells guitars in the $1,500 to $8,000+ range, I have a fairly good idea of how this kind of business works. Like in the audiophile industry, the guitar industry has a lot of guitar and related gear buyers who have virtually unlimited budgets. These are wealthy or fairly wealthy people who will spend $50,000 on a vintage guitar (say, a 1954 Fender Stratocaster in decent shape). A 1958 or 59 Les Paul can easily fetch well over $250,000 these days. A "pre-WW2" Martin acoustic or a D'Angelico arch top jazz guitar will go for even more.

Who's buying these vintage guitars? Certainly not your everyday musicians! I know that David Gilmour of Pink Floyd can afford to have a nice collection of vintage guitars, as does Kirk Hammett of Metallica, who owns a certain Les Paul that used to be owned by Peter Green from the original Fleetwood Mac. But, besides mega-successful musicians like these, vintage guitars and even high-end boutique guitars are not bought by musicians but by wealthy, filthy-rich or fairly well-to-do collectors.

That made me think how much of the high-end audiophile gear demand is driven by the same types who simply want to stuff their living or entertainment rooms with ultra high-end gear. These are people who may not even really like music that much. They are moving into a very nice new home and just want to spend a certain amount (like $50k to $100k) as a status symbol statement. And I've seen these types and their systems. Typically, it's McIntosh components and B&W speakers I would see in their opulent homes but, of course, there are many other brands. I would look at their CD collections on the wall and see that most of them are utter crap. I would think to myself, "No, they don't really care about music or sound. It's all status symbol BS. Sigh~"

I've read and heard that some of these buyers would come into high-end audiophile stores and ask, "I have $100K to spend. Just pick out the stuff for me. Also, when can you send it deliver and install it?" That's it. Well, I certainly know some people like that and that's where I got to hear such systems. They'd proudly tell me that the speaker cables cost more than $10K. It's as if they wanted to rub a little more salt on the envy wound but, honestly, I really wasn't envious at all. I actually felt more pity than envy and it was a little sad to see that good gear was purchased only to brag about their financial status to their guests.

This kind of thing is especially rampant in east Asia and I believe a lot of the demand is being driven by the markets in China, Japan and Korea. Sure, there are genuine music lovers and addicts like us there, too, but I wonder how many wealthy "living room stuffers" are buying up the high-end audiophile gear, which in turn raises the prices for the rest of us. How much of the pricing of all this high-end gear is based on the law of supply and demand? The audio market is obviously much, much bigger than the guitar market so the effect of the wealthy and well-to-do buying up high-end gear also has to be much greater. Who buys the speaker systems that can go up to 7 figures? Obviously, billionaires and the world has a lot of 'em these days.

I guess I bring this up with the rhetorical question since it's not something that can really be answered: how much of it is really the SQ and performance of the gear and how much of it is determined by the law of supply and demand?

 

[mammal]

how much of it is really the SQ and performance of the gear and how much of it is determined by the law of supply and demand

I like high end companies that approach this differently - here you have our TOTL offering, the same one (from SQ perspective) we offer to others, but we will make you a one-off piece, some precious metal, unique paint, whatnot. This way we all enjoy the R&D equally, yet, they have something special they can afford and wish to own. But reality is not like this, I get that.

 

[Orlok]

So my girlfriend had an intervention with me a couple of months ago, requesting me to get therapy for my head-fi addiction, suspecting an “escapism”. I did oblige and can share with you what my therapist said. If your hobby is adding value to your life, bringing happiness, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if your hobby is removing something from your life, making you distance from others, creating emotional feedback loops (buy/sell or feel dull), than you should address the underlying issue (could be an addiction, or you are not processing something hence escapism). It is a slippery slope and I can only imagine what others are going through. Some are here genuinely for love of music, trying to make an informed decision (since buying blind is difficult). Some are here out of boredom, others have an underlying issue that should be addressed sooner than later. Just definitely there shouldn’t be a blank statemen or generalisation on this hobby, especially coming outside in, but since money is involved and hours of research, sometimes it is difficult to recognise/appreciate. I hope this context helps someone.

Ultimately, it should be about the music but even that can become sort of an "escapism". There really is that indescribable euphoric rush when experiencing incredible sound from music that is dear to you, whether that is something nostalgic or brand new that sort of transports you to a new world. There is also this deeply emotional connection to music as well and great sound enhances that connection to a whole new level. I think that's why this is so addictive and we get attached to the gear as something that will help you get there.

I realize that I do need to focus on the music, not as much on the gear. I should get back to analyzing the structure of a symphony and what the composer had in mind instead of focusing on whether the midrange is slightly "off" and if that needs to be "corrected" by EQ or a "better" DAC, amp or headphone. I think that's when you come to realize that it's not healthy. Of course, musicians, guitar players in particular, get wrapped up on getting that sound or tone more than writing good songs and expressing themselves as artists.

Your post is definitely sobering. I have to admit that I'm in this "gear rush" right now after getting the SR1a recently and with the 1266 TC arriving very soon. But I really do need to "settle down" and just enjoy what they bring - musical enjoyment. Overall, it's all fun and I enjoy the camaraderie here. There does need to be some discipline - especially in regards to what one can realistically spend - and not let this hobby create anxiety and anything negative in one's life and those around you.

I'm going to take a long-term approach. Yes, I'm sure I'll continue to do more research and buy more gear but I know what my budget is and what I can realistically spend every year. I know that I'm maxed out for this year. The TC is my final major purchase for the year and I'm going to just focus on enjoying music with it when it arrives along with the SR1a. I have more than enough to keep me very busy and happy going through my library again and discovering new music on Qobuz. For me, that's what this needs to be all about.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Over the past year, the audio addiction Hit me hard.

One year ago I bought a Hifiman Arya as first purchase in like 3 years Prior to that.
I was planning on finishing with a Schiit Gungnir + Mjölnir stack and call this setup my "Personal endgame"

However addiction kicked in and I now ended up with gear costing more than 10x of the initially aimed budget.

To my surprise, with my current setup I really feel like "it's enough". I still read up on other stuff, but nothing triggers the urge to buy anymore - guess there is hope for those still having the permanent itch.

Nonetheless I often think about wether the investment Was worth it, now my audio gear easily surpassed the value of my car, and even though I could afford it an investment of this size always has some bitter taste to it.

Right now my DAC is on its way to the manufacturer and I am using the Oppo Sonica which I also used a year ago. This is the perfect opportunity to see if I couldn't be also happy with a cheaper alternative (i.e. the old setup)
The DAC is certainly good, but I can really say that the upgrade to the Wavelight was well worth it and not only "a small step up".

I hope you guys will reach this point as well.

 

[Bennera513]

Yeah, once you are in, it seems there is no going back. It's like crossing the Rubicon or the event horizon.

I was thinking about this and I realized that I don't know a single musician friend/associate who I'd consider an audiophile, even some fairly successful world class musicians. Well, there's one obvious reason for that and it's that they spend their money on instruments and recording gear, which can easily run into many tens of thousands. When they do listen to music, they'll listen through their studio monitors. But monitors used for recording music are not at all like audiophile speakers.

The same with headphones for studio mixing/mastering usage. Most of of my musician friends have never heard of even Audeze and they certainly would not have heard of Abyss, Hifiman or RAAL. For them, it's "mid-fi" Sony, Beyerdynamic, AKG, Sennheiser and other mainstream brands. They roll their eyes or shake their heads when I talk to them about audiophile gear. They have no interest in it whatsoever. lol Well, I can relate; it's impossible to maintain two types of addiction at the same time!

That's an interesting thought....never considered it but it's true. Musicians do not obsess over audio-philia......But surely obsess over capturing a given soundscape, as interpreted through the recording studio 'gear'. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I wasn't going to share this, but I think I will. I've been completely sober for 3 years now (got my 3 year chip on the 3/11). So, I know I have addiction issues. At times, I wonder if I just switched addictions from drugs and alcohol to being an audiophile.

But, I get tremendous joy from music. It’s like one of the only things that I enjoy in life. So, it makes sense I’d be attracted to high-end audio. I see it as a healthier addiction, something that isn’t hurting me. I’m not going into debt or missing work or anything like that.

However, @mammal post got me thinking. I think I might be going into “emotional feedback loops” and “escapism.” But, is that a bad thing? Shouldn’t research on components, listening to different equipment, and enjoying music result in some form of escapism, by design?

But yeah, I do spend a considerable amount of time researching products, reading all the reviews I can find, and trying and purchasing different equipment. Perhaps Covid has helped to facilitate this situation, as I’m not hanging out with people, going on dates, etc.

All this talk about addiction has me thinking though. I know being an audiophile is definitely better than being an alcoholic or drug addict. But, perhaps it’s not an either/or situation

I dunno, I guess I need to self reflect more. This thread is helping out though, and thanks to @mammal for sharing his experiences.

For the time being though, I’ll continue loving and listening to music

 

[jlbrach]

actually I think it is a very healthy habit if not a very expensive one...as you suggest there are far worse addictions and the music is a huge positive for me