[manuvajpai]

Hi all,

I am here to address the biggest problem that I suppose every new and budding audio enthusiast faces (strictly avoiding the term audiophile here, those people are crazy!

), based on my own personal experience. The problem occurs when you get to a website like Head-fi to get your first "audiophile" headphones and end up tumbling in dangerous waters where your wallet starts to dissolve rapidly in front of your eyes.

It starts when you get your first headphone and you end up looking for reasons to justify your purchase, even though you had thought of a million reasons for that before buying them anyway. Then you look at all those fancy reviews and comments from the more serious members of the board and it's natural to get sucked into the somewhat spicy, somewhat sweet, and mostly seductive description that will eventually lead you to your fantasized presentation of your favorite music.

And then it strikes! You look back at your setup and you go - "What! This isn't even close to what I can get. My next system is gonna be an Orpheus, or maybe Baby O because that one is so costly."

My advice to all those nurturing and frisky new entrants to the world of hi-fi audio is to stay back from all these thoughts and listen to more music. I am just presenting my own experience here. After getting really really excited from several months of head-fi reads (without even joining the boards!

) I bought some decent gear in the form of my AD700s and a Xonar essence STX. It all was going nice and easy but I was getting bored and decided to venture into some more posts to find ways to appreciate my purchase. One thing led to another and I soon started finding faults with my current setup (more like trying to find because my ears, as I have realized, are not even accustomed to finding the details revealed by it, completely). This then led to seeking out better options for future purchases and the never-ending search for ultimate satisfaction was beginning to grow inside me.

Then one fine day I decided to check out a really nice Jazz CD which I had for a long time but didn't listen to, because I was too busy procrastinating on Head-fi, and there it was. I was actually listening to the music and enjoying it.

So there you go! My advice (I am repeating it so often to burn into everyone's minds, more so my own) is that get the music that you want to hear. Forget about your gear and enjoy listening, after all that is why you bought it in the first place.

PS - Lots of appreciation for the great community here at head-fi. Without them I wouldn't have discovered my next purchase. Wait!

 

[azncookiecutter]

Totally agree. A lot of people forget that this hobby is about the music, not the equipment. I think this has to be reinforced forum-wide.

And regarding upgraditis, a lot of the times, it hits you when you least expect it, such as finding a great deal on a nice piece of gear. You sometimes just have to roll with it.

 

[ronnielee54]

I sometimes wonder how some of the people here can actually enjoy the music when they are so busy analyzing the equipment they are using. When I get into a really good tune, the equipment has got to be really f'd up for me to notice it. It is even worse over on some of the HT forums. You wouldn't believe some of the minor flaws that people go on about. As soon as they here about one, they spend hours trying to see if they can duplicate the problem on their system. Myself, I just watch the damn movie.

 

[manuvajpai]

The worst part is that you get so much exotic gear with such supple reviews that you are bound to fall for it, even if you are extremely satisfied with your current setup. And then you seek out headphones that do one thing well and another to complement it, for example. It works well for people who are gifted both economically and most importantly with time.
In all it all boils down to getting experience. I am not proposing that we just stick to one piece of kit. It's just that people (read newbies) sometimes forget to evaluate their own limits before thinking that they have reached their equipment's, and end up being perennially unsatisfied and tantalized.

 

[nhancakes]

yes! +1. Sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and just go turn the music on.

 

[Joelby]

Good points guys.

To the newbs: Just buy a MS1 for $100 and run away, never looking back!

Seriously though, I've come to appreciate that you can really enjoy your tunes at any price range. We've got our entire lives to climb the ladder of Hi-Fi goodness. So leave yourself something to look forward to down the road.

 

[Bigburger]

I agree. To me there is a point where the SQ is so poor that its not even worth listening to the music, even if its your favorite song. This would be like Youtube or some sort of internet streaming or really low quality mp3. But apart from that, music is music. The only problem is that once you upgrade, you won't truly enjoy anything lesser! (Unless you give yourself time to get used to it and forget how the better equipment sounds).

 

[boomana]

There's a balance between gear and music. When sitting in one's home and listening to music with headphones, it is all about the music, and is a private experience. I also, however, want to point out that most of us here are interested in gear in varying degrees, and there's no right or wrong to that. Some people come here looking for a pair of headphones for a set purpose (travel, gaming, audiophile-level listening experience) and that's the end of that. Some people enjoy the hobby aspect of experiencing as much as possible, trying everything they can out of curiosity, attending multiple meets, developing friendships, and buying, trading, borrowing, upgrading, downgrading, sidegrading (uh...is that a word?) what they can. There are people of all ages, backgrounds, financial means, and levels of prior experience with audio when coming to this forum. We all enjoy music, but this is a forum that was created to discuss gear, and there is no one-size fits all agenda for newbies when it comes to what that means. Although the op's advice is good for everyone (appreciate what you have and get back to the reason you have it: music), I think it's important that we respect each others choices and reasons for getting into this hobby. Upgrading might be foolishness for one person, and might be meaningful enjoyment to another. There's room for all.

 

[manuvajpai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's a balance between gear and music. When sitting in one's home and listening to music with headphones, it is all about the music, and is a private experience. I also, however, want to point out that most of us here are interested in gear in varying degrees, and there's no right or wrong to that. Some people come here looking for a pair of headphones for a set purpose (travel, gaming, audiophile-level listening experience) and that's the end of that. Some people enjoy the hobby aspect of experiencing as much as possible, trying everything they can out of curiosity, attending multiple meets, developing friendships, and buying, trading, borrowing, upgrading, downgrading, sidegrading (uh...is that a word?) what they can. There are people of all ages, backgrounds, financial means, and levels of prior experience with audio when coming to this forum. We all enjoy music, but this is a forum that was created to discuss gear, and there is no one-size fits all agenda for newbies when it comes to what that means. Although the op's advice is good for everyone (appreciate what you have and get back to the reason you have it: music), I think it's important that we respect each others choices and reasons for getting into this hobby. Upgrading might be foolishness for one person, and might be meaningful enjoyment to another. There's room for all.

Indeed! I didn't start this thread to question anyone's hobbies (considering I spend half a day looking at computing and gadget sites, I am not in a position to judge anyone

). I apologize if I have given off the wrong impressions here.

What I mean to highlight is that people need to train their ears better, before judging equipment critically based just on reports given by more experienced members, and thus be in a position to understand what they want (it's very subjective after all). Again, this is more from personal experience and may not hold for everyone.

What is ironic is that you need to hear at least two different sounding headphones to get a taste of what you want, that alone is a reason to indulge further.

 

[DeusEx]

Upgradeitis is scary, and unfortunately too real...

The DAC I'm considering right now cost more than my custom gaming PC....

 

[Tordenskjold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good points guys. To the newbs: Just buy a MS1 for $100 and run away, never looking back!

lol I wish i could buy the MS1 for 100 bucks.

oh of course upgraditis sets in. (funny though, I had several headphones before and nothing happened. (Then I went on headfi and here we go)
My solution is simple: Money. And also my head-fi-selected and newly-bought HD25 sounds absolutely awesome when simply plugged in my Onkyo A-8019. The old person never ceases to amaze me. (and its 20 years old!!) There´s the answer: learn to love your equipment and if you want new stuff - check out some new music. I really hope I don´t end up owning several explicite headphone amplifiers and still manage to be unsatisifed.

Concerning the problem of different sound characteristics: Yes, I would like the heights of the K701 with the kickass-bass off my HD25. But until both can be bought combined in a single headphone to a price I can afford: screw it.

conclusion: learn to love the uniqueness and individuality of your gear. It´s not perfect but every perfection is an illusion.

so, enough of my teutonic rambling for one evening.

(why no emoticon or the generalism "headphone-happy"? Is that another symptome for the dangers of headfi?)

Back to the night and the music.

 

[roadcykler]

As a relative noob to Head-fi I can attest that upgradeitis can be insidious. You have what you think are a nice pair of headphones and then you start reading that they suffer from lack of bass or have a midrange hump (whatever the heck that is). So you read reviews of other 'phones and think you've found something better so you buy them. Then you read that those don't sound well without an amplifier so you get one of those too. Then you read that a portable amp won't sound as good as a dedicated home amp so you get one of those too. Then you read that a several hundred dollar re-cable really "opens them up" (again, whatever that means). Next thing you know your $120 headphones have blossomed into a $2000 system.

For me, the bottom line is diminishing returns and self-discipline. I'll likely never sell a pair of headphones for what I think they are worth and if I don't stay in control of my finances it impacts more than just me.

 

[manuvajpai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tordenskjold /img/forum/go_quote.gif so, enough of my teutonic rambling for one evening. (why no emoticon or the generalism "headphone-happy"? Is that another symptome for the dangers of headfi?)

I also want that smiley! I don't know why but that AT smile makes me feel like an idiot.

 

[El_Doug]

After one year of Head-Fi: $13,600 spent on equipment

and yet, I listen to more music than ever. I have expanded my collection to include 100 SACDs, on top of 500 CD's. in my experience, upgrading has been an incentive to rediscover my old discs, as well as explore new ones that I would not have considered before (for instance, listening to enya due to great recordings, despite not caring much for the genre).

music is most definitely a passion for all of us; i have a hard time believing anyone "forgets about the music" in their quest for better equipment. striving for better sound is the heart of this hobby - music is the soul. stating that one is more important than the other is - imho - a bunch of bologna

 

[priest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif After one year of Head-Fi: $13,600 spent on equipment

Yikes!

Okay, I'm a piker, if that wasn't obvious already.