A little off topic but with some relevance to the hobby in general. I was just wondering if there’s any correlation between personality types and “upgraditis” or being an “audiophile”- whatever that means. I appreciate you don’t need to be an introvert in the slightest to enjoy music but I believe our hobby is deeply personal and we are always hunting for sensory stimulation from Constantly looking to upgrade or change / side grade our gear. I think this kind of curiosity and the extent we go to to experience certain gear goes far beyond the love of music and is rooted in our personality. I thought I’d post this to see if there is any common personality type or traits etc to explain our behaviour... I figure Myers Briggs personality types would be the best to test this as there are varying levels of introvert / extrovert.
I’m an ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) which I think explains a lot about my urge to want to test various iems and gear to find the best sources and pairings etc.
I'm not sure if this has anything to do with a personality type per se but I have wondered a few times to what extent this hobby is fueled by a love of the dopamine rush that attends trying/buying a new piece of gear. There were a few times this past year where I could have just stopped and been happy but I found myself pursuing new gear, not because there was anything wrong with my old gear, but for the trill of trying something new. I could pick my 3-4 favorite IEMs and chances are a non-hobbyist would have trouble discerning any differences between them...and half the time I probably couldn't either.
Haha yes! I also think this is a contributing factor. It’s been picked up a few times by relatives of mine about how happy I am when I open / first try new gear. Some would call this the Honeymoon period I guess but it’s a very real occurrence and I guess it can be as addictive as say, gambling. Everyone has their own poison I guess!
If you go to meets you’ll find a wide range of personalities there. Though I do agree the hobby can be attempted in different ways. And you would be surprised when you learn someone’s profession and how it may not blend with your correct idea of how they would approach audio. The fully educated engineer spending years on math and science may seem totally different in his approach to audio, believing in lots of edgy non-scientific methodology. So is the hobby a way for the engineer to have fun with his interests outside of normal? Was he always non-scientific but good with math?
There is truly a treasure-trove of compulsive-obsession going on in truck-loads with no end in sight. That and the full range of consumerism practiced along with it’s inherent endorphin highs and lows. Some of course ruined their lives selling their soul to the Devil; much like gambling!
But the love of music is with many personality types, if they are inclined to write about it on-line is another story.
In a nutshell, there is that element of *Curiosity* and *Exploration*.
I consider myself curious and I like to explore. So buying new gear can be a vehicle for that.
But to be honest, I rarely listen to my audio system nowadays because I’m having fun on my guitar and plan on buying some more expensive high end guitars. To me, sound is more fun in the musicians gear world.
Wonder how much it has to do with living in various audio forums. Living in various forums can fuel the desire to buy new stuff and then be able to chat with others who have nobody in their REAL world to chat with. Having these PRETEND friends can boost up their egos as if they are actually doing something good with their lives. Instead of saying Ill be fooling around , playing with iems and just finding ways to past the time one uses words as : research , testing , analyzing , finding. Another reason of not enjoying gears , multiple gears is one upping others and boosting ones ego. Obvious everybody enjoyed music on cheap gears 20 yrs ago and didnt go buying new things every month back then .
A little off topic but with some relevance to the hobby in general. I was just wondering if there’s any correlation between personality types and “upgraditis” or being an “audiophile”- whatever that means. I appreciate you don’t need to be an introvert in the slightest to enjoy music but I believe our hobby is deeply personal and we are always hunting for sensory stimulation from Constantly looking to upgrade or change / side grade our gear. I think this kind of curiosity and the extent we go to to experience certain gear goes far beyond the love of music and is rooted in our personality. I thought I’d post this to see if there is any common personality type or traits etc to explain our behaviour... I figure Myers Briggs personality types would be the best to test this as there are varying levels of introvert / extrovert.
I’m an ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) which I think explains a lot about my urge to want to test various iems and gear to find the best sources and pairings etc.
My friends advise me to consider my options more before placing bets, which I am already doing. I don't just pick a team at random and wager everything on it. I am a fair-minded individual.
I am INTJ, with an engineering/IT background. Now retired I have the time to really sit down and listen to music (vs. background wallpaper for multitasking).
I believe that over time we can “gold plate” our ears and brain to hear, and enjoy, more detail in our music.
This is a mixed blessing, because we start to pick up distracting or unsatisfactory sound quality, and to be able to identify what it is we really like or dislike in our eqipment. That’s one part of my ongoing search for the best equipment I can afford.
The pleasure of getting a new toy is still there however
I'm an ISTP-A, a so-called Assertive Virtuoso, but do not consider myself to be an audiophile.
This is me, I taught myself to use every computer and OS I've ever touched::
I have a music folder on my computers numbering close to 15000 songs and listen to music most of the day through headphones or if outside theough a Kindle Fire and cheap Bluetooth earbuds.
But I've had tinnitus since October 1987 and that's good enough for it.
A little off topic but with some relevance to the hobby in general. I was just wondering if there’s any correlation between personality types and “upgraditis” or being an “audiophile”- whatever that means. I appreciate you don’t need to be an introvert in the slightest to enjoy music but I believe our hobby is deeply personal and we are always hunting for sensory stimulation from Constantly looking to upgrade or change / side grade our gear. I think this kind of curiosity and the extent we go to to experience certain gear goes far beyond the love of music and is rooted in our personality. I thought I’d post this to see if there is any common personality type or traits etc to explain our behaviour... I figure Myers Briggs personality types would be the best to test this as there are varying levels of introvert / extrovert.
I’m an ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) which I think explains a lot about my urge to want to test various iems and gear to find the best sources and pairings etc.
Interesting thread, so I took the personality test tonight.
Turns out that I am INTP, and on a quick reflection it is starting to help me make sense of why I now post/interact on head-fi much less now, compared to when I first joined the forum.
Here's a personality test for you, The Dark Triad:
This is interactive version of the Short Dark Triad (SD-3), which measures the three traits of machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.
The dark triad personality traits are three closely related yet independent personality traits that all have a somewhat malevolent connotation. The three traits are machiavellianism (a manipulative attitude), narcissism (excessive self-love), and psychopathy (lack of empathy).
The dark triad has traditionally been assessed with three tests different tests, each of which had been developed individually. Most commonly, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) was used as the measure of narcissism, the MACH-IV for machiavellianism and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP) for psychopathy.
My area of expertise as a Professional is getting you to stop doing what you want to do and start doing what I want you to do, behaviorially speaking.
My whole skillset is based on, well, let's just call it Social Engineering. Manipulation sounds so swarmy.
So I rate very high in Machiavellianism and am what's known as a High Mach. And if there was such a thing as a Super Mach it would be me.
INTJ entrepreneur. I love researching new hobbies and often find myself deeply ingrained in new forums reading as much as possible. Im new to this crazy hobby and absolutely love it.
In a nutshell, there is that element of *Curiosity* and *Exploration*.
I consider myself curious and I like to explore. So buying new gear can be a vehicle for that.
But to be honest, I rarely listen to my audio system nowadays because I’m having fun on my guitar and plan on buying some more expensive high end guitars. To me, sound is more fun in the musicians gear world.
Yeah, I think the hobby attract types that mainly start with 'I' and what you state. I'm one of those people that dig into the internets for things and find things people wouldn't normally find. Audio is an indoor activity and individual, that's where the 'I' comes from.
We're particular types of explorers with curiosity. I'm open minded, and like to try new things. I get bored easily. My attention span sucks, and I can't focus on things I have no interest in. I find stuff not typical to be interesting. I use the word cliche a lot when talking about movies.
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