Is Audiophile level sound an acquired taste?

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMCIII /img/forum/go_quote.gif Learning to appreciate good, quality sound is very definitely an accquired art. BUT, only for those who are willing to learn. A closed mind is a closed mind - I don't care how much time and effort are made to demonstrate the difference between poor sound and good. However, if a person is open to the idea then you have a chance to teach them. It may not take - not everyone is willing to make the commitment to audiophiledom. Cost, however much we would like it not to - matters, especially today.Many that DO hear a difference are not either prepared or willing to make the investment. Music just isn't THAT important to them. Hey, that's OK. It never hurts to know when "good enough" really is good enough. But for some, "good enough" isn't - and it's those people we CAN reach, if we try. And that's the beauty of headphones, it doesn't have to cost a small fortune to join us and enjoy great sound.

Some people simply don't have an ear for it, just like I may not have a vested stake in their passion, whatever that may be (like tracking the stock market every day).

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pataburd /img/forum/go_quote.gif The challenge and the excitement are in configuring a system that sounds good to you, stays within your budgetary constraints and always leaves room for at least a little improvement at the same time.

That certainly is the ideal. Many will either underspend because they are frugal or overspend and go into debt but a happy middle ground would be to find the best sound at the best price within one's budget so the stress is minimized and the enjoyment is maximized.

Quote:

Personally, I have more invested in my headphone set-up right now than in my car.

Oh me too, and not by a small margin either

[quote']The snobbery that comes with "having more" probably does infect these Head-Fi forums, but less so (IMHO) than other audiophile sites/circles. It seems like most of the HS's with big bankrolled rigs have, for the most part, arrived there along the same rank and file, trial-and-error experiences as the common man (e.g. they got to the GS1000 after having heard the SR-60 somewhere along the way). In general, though, I think we share a common quest for hi-fidelity. Best "Bang-for-the-Buck" seems to govern the majority of buying decisions here, too.

This site offers, I think, a good sense of personableness and willingness to share experiences/knowledge across "economic borders." That's why I stick around, anyway! : )[/QUOTE]

I agree. There are a whole lot of people, particularly those with insane setups, who often will chime in on how great SR60's or Koss KSC-35's or Sennheiser PX-100s are. Often recommendations will be: one will have AWESOME sound using X with Y and Z as the headphones and it can all be had for less than $300! WOW! Awesome! This affordable for many. Likewise those same people won't hesitate to elaborate on why their system costs $20k+ and where the improvements come in.

I often try to emphasize this myself. I have indicated in the past that an AM radio will get you at least half the way there. A pair of SR60's with a decent DAP or PCDP will get you 80% of the music if not more. The problem comes when folks get a taste for those harder to portray aspects of playback which unforunately comes at a cost. The essense of the music exists in the first 80%-90% perhaps...but it's the last 5-10% that is the holy grail. For most they can live without it, but for those who have tasted it, nothing can stop them (save for money and maybe a resistant significant other).

 

[iancraig10]

I developed the habit of listening to headphones and not music.

People that aren't particularly into headphones just seem to respond to the types of things that many 'Hi-Fi' people don't like and avoid. A friend of mine was looking for decent headphones, so I let him try all my gear. I didn't tell him the price of anything because I didn't want to 'skew' what he heard.

He preferred the Beyer DT770 because it has bass.
The Grado sr60 because it had treble and was clear.
The ipod buds because of the treble response/clarity and the ipod goes loud with them!! (without an amp)

He didn't like the Senn 600 or 650. Couldn't tell the difference between them. He hated the Beyer dt880.

In other words - nothing subtle. He also changed his mind when changing headphones.

Some people don't know what they are listening for and as long as their music is clear (to them) then that is the 'correct' sound.

It was the good people on this site that pointed me to subtle differences. (Especially when it came to amps) At first, I couldn't hear much difference but with practise, it became obvious. I don't know why that is.

However, I know that the advice I got from people here was good and I was led the right way for me. Good advisers were telling me what the strengths of each headphone were, but I couldn't hear it until someone told me. Now, I can hear differences more easily myself.

My music collection is getting enormous because I've started to listen to music again.

ian

 

[wharfrat1]

Seven months ago, I thought my $50 Sony iem's were the greatest thing ever. The big reason, was when using the equalizer on my Ipod I could get big bass out of these little things. Now I think these are complete crap and using the equalizer on my Ipod equally crappy. Once I got my first taste of truly deep, extended, impactful, tight bass without any of the bloat I was ruined. This happened with HD 650's and a Microamp. Different strokes for different folks. I can't imagine going back to those, cheap lousy phones. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some of my friends listen to my stuff and think it's worth the money, others think I'm insane.

 

[nor_spoon]

What I find weird, is that most, if not all people like music in some way, but only very few understand why you invest in good and life-like sound quality.

 

[Awah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharfrat1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Seven months ago, I thought my $50 Sony iem's were the greatest thing ever. The big reason, was when using the equalizer on my Ipod I could get big bass out of these little things. Now I think these are complete crap and using the equalizer on my Ipod equally crappy. Once I got my first taste of truly deep, extended, impactful, tight bass without any of the bloat I was ruined. This happened with HD 650's and a Microamp. Different strokes for different folks. I can't imagine going back to those, cheap lousy phones. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some of my friends listen to my stuff and think it's worth the money, others think I'm insane.

Same thing here wharfrat I used to LOVE my $60 Sony IEM's but once I bought my UESF5's I couldnt stand them. When I had just gotten by UE's I didn't like them, I was frustrated that my brand new expensive IEM's weren't better, but after a week I couldn't stand my Sony's. The bass was muddled, the mids weren't clear! I just couldn't listen to it anymore.

My friends think I'm crazy as for now, I'm looking at getting myself a nice home rig with a moderate price range At least I got them to invest it $70 dollar IEMs for their ipods and game my old sony's to my girlfriend and they are believe their sound is better now so I got somewhere!

Now I have my troubles, buy the Pico or maybe Predator? Get Grados, Senn or an AKG? Will the portable run them? -.- So much to search for... (have to find my money too, I think there is a hole in my wallet o.O)

 

[channum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pataburd /img/forum/go_quote.gif My post was facetious...

I gathered as much, it just seemed like a good launching spot for some pontificating

So many posts, tongue in cheek or not, link money and audiophile taste. It got me thinking is all.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Haven't read through the 22 pages yet (lol), but to reply to the OP and (I'm sure others said this as well), in my experience, it's not so much an acquired taste as it is understanding what to listen for. Some people (most, in fact) are perfectly happy with iPuds, and they just want to "hear" their music...not being critical of equipment, or anything like that. They don't care how a track was mastered, if it's live, if the piano is a Casio keyboard or a Steinway, etc. My wife thinks my hi-fi passion is madness and a completely stupid waste of money. She likes her 128kb mp3's on her Sansa with her (my recommended) Senn MX-70's. I played some of her fave stuff off of CD with my equipment for her, and she didn't like it at all. She couldn't really describe WHY in the terms we're familiar with, but thought everything sounded "like too much was going on". She just shrugged her shoulders and said "whatever...yeah, it sounds good, but is it that much better?" I didn't want to go into soundstage, imaging, resolution, all that jive...She doesn't see the need for my DAC or multiple headphones, and there's no way I can justify it to her in a way she'll appreciate. That's all fine...not everyone cares about this stuff as much as we all do, and not everyone listens to/for the same things.

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have indicated in the past that an AM radio will get you at least half the way there. A pair of SR60's with a decent DAP or PCDP will get you 80% of the music if not more. The problem comes when folks get a taste for those harder to portray aspects of playback which unforunately comes at a cost. The essense of the music exists in the first 80%-90% perhaps...but it's the last 5-10% that is the holy grail. For most they can live without it, but for those who have tasted it, nothing can stop them (save for money and maybe a resistant significant other).

For an audio/headphile, the % Satisfaction vs. Dollars Spent graph is logarithmic (w/% Satisfaction asymptotically approaching 100% as Dollars Spent approaches infinity). : )

We're a 21st Century breed of the "die-hard Romantic"!

 

[pataburd]

Have you ever gone through a purgation, getting rid of all your accumulated "high end" gear, only to start all over again with something as seemingly insignificant as the MX-450? Quite soon, you find yourself in another cycle of "end-all" headphone system acquisition.

Sometimes I've been tempted to get rid of it all and invest in season tickets to the local Symphony Orchestra instead. : )

 

[Golden Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pataburd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sometimes I've been tempted to get rid of it all and invest in season tickets to the local Symphony Orchestra instead. : )

THEN you'd be in the cycle of looking for the perfect symphony, perfect auditorium, debating the merits of one cellist over the next, searching for the perfect seat, deciding on open air or indoor performances, critiquing one conductor compared to another, etc. etc. etc...it could be just as ugly of a proposition, lol...

 

[dreamwhisper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMCIII /img/forum/go_quote.gif Learning to appreciate good, quality sound is very definitely an accquired art. BUT, only for those who are willing to learn.

Part of what I like so much about this hobby is the ability to find my idea of the perfect sound.
Which ironically along the way involves my ears getting burnt in (learning) just as much as it does me hearing exactly what I'm looking for.

I consider this akin to dancing in a very delicate and personal/heartfelt way.
...And cutting through a lot of bullsh1t imho.

 

[slwiser]

Music is art and much like art appreciation much of it has to be learned and appreciated by experiencing that art. This is what headphones do for me and my music. It brings me nearer to the art rather than the entertainment from music. Entertainment is a valuable element of music appreciation but so is the art of music which is what being an "Audiophile" means to me. I am entertained in my car by music. I lean back an appreciate music in my Easy Chair.

 

[braddo]

I listen to music 2-3 hours a day at home, and anywhere else i can during the day (people's radio at work etc.), yet my friend who would prefer to watch t.v. and listens to music maybe 1 hour a week seems to have all these opinions on music/sound. eg."a $50 CDP will sound good, what are you worried about?". I don't comment because if my equipment doesn't shake the floor with distortion or have a bass boost button it's rubbish to him. I find people who aren't so interested in music seem to know everything about music, maybe for the fact it's so accessable and if you don't know about it you won't be 'cool' or 'smart'. I keep my mouth shut even though i've played in bands for years, toured, released albums and bought and heard top quality vintage instruments. My point is, stick with you're own kind, like the fine people on head-fi, and if you learn to live with the crap from the outside world, you may be able to handle the world's music industry, which is worse again, because people like my friend run it. I also think 'audiophile' is a learning process, the more you experience/hear, the more you learn/know.

 

[braddo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikoLayer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am a strong believer in people's zeal and passion in a hobby of one sort or another. Unless they were forced into a situation where such luxury was never allowed, I would feel sad for a person without any such motive to carry themselves on through life. To reiterate, most anyone has something they set high priority on and are willing to channel more effort and resources into. No two human beings are identical, and therefore it is inevitable everyone would have differences in what he or she so cherishes. Another idea I storngly advocate is mutuality of respect. If you intend to be respected as a well-mannered human being, it would be wise to avoid "pushing buttons". A person so carelessly spitting out outright disregard for my lifestyle choices would certainly not fare well in that regard. I would interpret this as a sign that the person have no interest in further forging a strong friendship of any measure. Though I wont turn my back on them right away, I would feel somewhat distanced from him or her conciously and subconciously. One of my x-roomates was an avid automobile afficianodo, when I am almost uninterested in cars in general. Likewise, he is not a single bit interested in hi-fi audio from what I can tell. Yet we were cool about each other's hobbies and were very respectful and civil towards each other when delving into such topic. The world would be a better place if same could be expected from most others...

I find music is the ONE topic that, (when discussed with anyone whether I know them or not), EVERYONE has an opinion on, and I find the person who doesn't know much doesn't like to admit it, or they don't know they don't know much and are very straight and shallow with their comments, because we all hear music at least one time in our life, and it's easy for a non-music listener to say "i used to listen to this" or "I heard that song years ago before you did". If I don't know about trains, I won't say I do, even though I use them. I guess art is in everyone's life one way or another, and we all take it differently.