Summit-Fi Random Thoughts

Apr 30, 2025 at 2:28 PM Post #1,051 of 1,066
Yea I think this is highly personal. I think for some people, buying new gear is the biggest reward of the hobby that primarily drives them. The only issue with this is finite funds and the fact that new gear that's transformative takes time to be developed and released. It really is most beneficial to get to a place where you can value the music sessions above all.
I totally get the drive for new gear and I think many of us are in the same boat. For me it lasted for years — both when I had a stereo and now, with my headphone rig. But (and this is totally personal) when I get to a place where I feel the system is sounding better than ever, has incredible synergy, and most importantly, I'm totally content with it, upgradeitis wanes as there is not much else I can think of logically needing to upgrade without major expense. And of course, the music sounds fantastic.

It's a really good place to be.

I love this forum and how engaged, helpful, knowledgable and passionate the members are here.
 
Apr 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM Post #1,052 of 1,066
I totally get the drive for new gear and I think many of us are in the same boat. For me it lasted for years — both when I had a stereo and now, with my headphone rig. But (and this is totally personal) when I get to a place where I feel the system is sounding better than ever, has incredible synergy, and most importantly, I'm totally content with it, upgradeitis wanes as there is not much else I can think of logically needing to upgrade without major expense. And of course, the music sounds fantastic.

I meant to also convey, but didn't, that the addictive aspect of trying new gear is totally natural in my original post. It's a big reason I still try new gear even if I don't think it'll surpass my current gear. It's also helped me uncover the huge hidden gym of gear swaps and loans, which is a life saver and helps drive other long term purchases.

I love this forum and how engaged, helpful, knowledgable and passionate the members are here.

+1. The engagement with such folks here is at times more enjoyable than the gear and sometimes even the music honestly.
 
Apr 30, 2025 at 5:57 PM Post #1,053 of 1,066
I still cruise used sales daily, on here, USAM, Audiogon etc. I'm always looking because I really love gear. I'm just a point where I don't feel I need anything, but the curiosity will always be there. We're all gearheads in this hobby. But at the moment, any upgrade for me will likely be a major expense, so I'm trying to remain content with what I have and for the most part I really am. It's also nice to get to this spot :)
 
Apr 30, 2025 at 9:08 PM Post #1,054 of 1,066
The engagement with such folks here is at times more enjoyable than the gear and sometimes even the music honestly.

I think it happens with a lot of hobbies and sometimes people even spend more time researching, learning, watching engineering and review videos and admiring other peoples photos more than the time spent enjoying the actual hobby for themselves.

Just think of the amount of people that only listen to headphones while they are on headfi, i bet its quite a lot.
 
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Apr 30, 2025 at 11:57 PM Post #1,055 of 1,066
I think it happens with a lot of hobbies and sometimes people even spend more time researching, learning, watching engineering and review videos and admiring other peoples photos more than the time spent enjoying the actual hobby for themselves.
Maybe low to mid-fi?

Just think of the amount of people that only listen to headphones while they are on headfi, i bet its quite a lot.

Nah, headphones first, head-fi second. Head fi is cool to cruise while you're listening, but it's music and gear first. Posts and pics are definitely cool though!
 
May 1, 2025 at 12:35 AM Post #1,056 of 1,066
Nah, headphones first, head-fi second. Head fi is cool to cruise while you're listening, but it's music and gear first.

You'd be surprised, a lot of audiophiles only like to do its as background music listening. there is a small percentage of course that does sit alone with eyes closed with nothing but the headphones.
 
May 1, 2025 at 1:12 AM Post #1,057 of 1,066
You'd be surprised, a lot of audiophiles only like to do its as background music listening. there is a small percentage of course that does sit alone with eyes closed with nothing but the headphones.
I wouldn't know tbh. I'm engaged when I listen
 
May 2, 2025 at 9:54 AM Post #1,058 of 1,066
I think it happens with a lot of hobbies and sometimes people even spend more time researching, learning, watching engineering and review videos and admiring other peoples photos more than the time spent enjoying the actual hobby for themselves.

Just think of the amount of people that only listen to headphones while they are on headfi, i bet its quite a lot.

Yup, I fall into this camp, although I would reword my original post.. I thoroughly enjoy the music and the gear, but I also very much enjoy the community and research aspect of the hobby tied to this site. Also, I don't find just sitting and listening to music only for hours as highly enjoyable. The only time I'm *only* listening to music is when I'm doing intentional A/B'ing for impressions I want to share, or making decisions about gear. I'm usually doing some reading on various things and a good amount of it does come down to these boards and the hobby. Every now and then, particularly if I'm tired I'll lay in my lounge chair and just listen, but it's more rare. Same with my speaker set up, I'm usually either reading, working, cleaning or cooking.

Imo there is no right or wrong way to go about it, you just do what works for you and what you enjoy best.
 
May 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM Post #1,059 of 1,066
So, an update on me. I'm going to rehab Monday. I have a very expensive, water cooled, PC coming this week, but my girl can sign for it. My drinking has been outta control, and it's affecting my liver again. I need to go. I'll be gone for like a week. They'll probably want me to stay longer, like a month, but it's too pricey. Rehab is not cheap :deadhorse:

As for head-fi, I'm still considering selling my Immanis. I listen to it, and like it, but it's not giving me 1266 TC bass. I can only listen to specific genres with it. The TCs, I can listen to everything with them. I dunno, I may sell the Immanis, but I'll wait until after rehab to figure that out. Or maybe I can just sell this VM-1a and use the 2nd gen WA33. They have an upgrade option for $8k for the EE JPS, but I don't know how it affects planars. That's still an unknown. @number1sixerfan said the ribbon portion sounded very good on the 2nd gen, and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's the way to go. I just really wanna know what the new transformers do with planars, like my 1266 TCs. I guess we'll just see...

But, I'm trying to get healthy again. I don't want to die, and if I continue on this current path, I'm gonna die. I mean everybody dies, but I don't want to die early. This rehab will be good for me. I might lose my job over it, but my health is more important. There are always other jobs to get. 🤷‍♂️
 
May 4, 2025 at 1:31 PM Post #1,060 of 1,066
So, an update on me. I'm going to rehab Monday. I have a very expensive, water cooled, PC coming this week, but my girl can sign for it. My drinking has been outta control, and it's affecting my liver again. I need to go. I'll be gone for like a week. They'll probably want me to stay longer, like a month, but it's too pricey. Rehab is not cheap :deadhorse:

As for head-fi, I'm still considering selling my Immanis. I listen to it, and like it, but it's not giving me 1266 TC bass. I can only listen to specific genres with it. The TCs, I can listen to everything with them. I dunno, I may sell the Immanis, but I'll wait until after rehab to figure that out. Or maybe I can just sell this VM-1a and use the 2nd gen WA33. They have an upgrade option for $8k for the EE JPS, but I don't know how it affects planars. That's still an unknown. @number1sixerfan said the ribbon portion sounded very good on the 2nd gen, and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's the way to go. I just really wanna know what the new transformers do with planars, like my 1266 TCs. I guess we'll just see...

But, I'm trying to get healthy again. I don't want to die, and if I continue on this current path, I'm gonna die. I mean everybody dies, but I don't want to die early. This rehab will be good for me. I might lose my job over it, but my health is more important. There are always other jobs to get. 🤷‍♂️

Chase, take care of yourself and get yourself right, brother. We’re here for you! Alcoholism is no joke… sorry you’ve got that monstrous demon constantly on your shoulders.
 
May 4, 2025 at 1:31 PM Post #1,061 of 1,066
So, an update on me. I'm going to rehab Monday. I have a very expensive, water cooled, PC coming this week, but my girl can sign for it. My drinking has been outta control, and it's affecting my liver again. I need to go. I'll be gone for like a week. They'll probably want me to stay longer, like a month, but it's too pricey. Rehab is not cheap :deadhorse:

As for head-fi, I'm still considering selling my Immanis. I listen to it, and like it, but it's not giving me 1266 TC bass. I can only listen to specific genres with it. The TCs, I can listen to everything with them. I dunno, I may sell the Immanis, but I'll wait until after rehab to figure that out. Or maybe I can just sell this VM-1a and use the 2nd gen WA33. They have an upgrade option for $8k for the EE JPS, but I don't know how it affects planars. That's still an unknown. @number1sixerfan said the ribbon portion sounded very good on the 2nd gen, and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's the way to go. I just really wanna know what the new transformers do with planars, like my 1266 TCs. I guess we'll just see...

But, I'm trying to get healthy again. I don't want to die, and if I continue on this current path, I'm gonna die. I mean everybody dies, but I don't want to die early. This rehab will be good for me. I might lose my job over it, but my health is more important. There are always other jobs to get. 🤷‍♂️

If your job gives you issues look into FEMLA, that law is for situations like this
 
May 4, 2025 at 1:38 PM Post #1,062 of 1,066
So, an update on me. I'm going to rehab Monday. I have a very expensive, water cooled, PC coming this week, but my girl can sign for it. My drinking has been outta control, and it's affecting my liver again. I need to go. I'll be gone for like a week. They'll probably want me to stay longer, like a month, but it's too pricey. Rehab is not cheap :deadhorse:

As for head-fi, I'm still considering selling my Immanis. I listen to it, and like it, but it's not giving me 1266 TC bass. I can only listen to specific genres with it. The TCs, I can listen to everything with them. I dunno, I may sell the Immanis, but I'll wait until after rehab to figure that out. Or maybe I can just sell this VM-1a and use the 2nd gen WA33. They have an upgrade option for $8k for the EE JPS, but I don't know how it affects planars. That's still an unknown. @number1sixerfan said the ribbon portion sounded very good on the 2nd gen, and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's the way to go. I just really wanna know what the new transformers do with planars, like my 1266 TCs. I guess we'll just see...

But, I'm trying to get healthy again. I don't want to die, and if I continue on this current path, I'm gonna die. I mean everybody dies, but I don't want to die early. This rehab will be good for me. I might lose my job over it, but my health is more important. There are always other jobs to get. 🤷‍♂️

The hobby is secondary man, take care of yourself. Honestly, since working in big tech I drink more than I should and am working to reduce considerably. That's a big reason I don't usually comment on your posts like this, I need to do better myself. Best of luck man.
 
May 4, 2025 at 3:48 PM Post #1,063 of 1,066
If your job gives you issues look into FEMLA, that law is for situations like this
Yep, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is worth looking at! Perhaps the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), too, but FMLA first. We'll be sending good vibes your way, Chase!
 
May 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM Post #1,064 of 1,066
So, an update on me. I'm going to rehab Monday. I have a very expensive, water cooled, PC coming this week, but my girl can sign for it. My drinking has been outta control, and it's affecting my liver again. I need to go. I'll be gone for like a week. They'll probably want me to stay longer, like a month, but it's too pricey. Rehab is not cheap :deadhorse:

As for head-fi, I'm still considering selling my Immanis. I listen to it, and like it, but it's not giving me 1266 TC bass. I can only listen to specific genres with it. The TCs, I can listen to everything with them. I dunno, I may sell the Immanis, but I'll wait until after rehab to figure that out. Or maybe I can just sell this VM-1a and use the 2nd gen WA33. They have an upgrade option for $8k for the EE JPS, but I don't know how it affects planars. That's still an unknown. @number1sixerfan said the ribbon portion sounded very good on the 2nd gen, and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's the way to go. I just really wanna know what the new transformers do with planars, like my 1266 TCs. I guess we'll just see...

But, I'm trying to get healthy again. I don't want to die, and if I continue on this current path, I'm gonna die. I mean everybody dies, but I don't want to die early. This rehab will be good for me. I might lose my job over it, but my health is more important. There are always other jobs to get. 🤷‍♂️
take care man!
 
May 11, 2025 at 9:47 PM Post #1,065 of 1,066
Been thinking of getting some high end closed back headphones for work.

Right now I have the AKG K371, which sound great and have good isolation. Been debating the Fostex TH900mk2 or something newer like the Dan Clark Noire X

Not sure what else to consider.
 

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