Sure, but you get the same rush from almost any pricey luxury-good purchase, no? There are people who are addicted to acquiring camera gear, shoes, fountain pens, handbags, fine wines, rare watches, etc. What makes the pursuit on this forum any different?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, all those things get an emotional response. And, reality maybe distorted in perception there too? Also the collecting bug must have a book full of psychological insights.
We're concentrating on the impulse to acquire more gear, possibly more than is needed, and the methodology we judge ourselves and purchases by.
Mostly, understanding the buying curve is the first step to self control.IMO I feel many of us don't even know when we are in the buying curve and out of control of the billfold.
I used to sell super expensive stuff and we were able to break it down into a ten stage process. Each style of personality also has a slightly different process on the purchase path.
Most of us who have a problem actually delude ourselves and family members on the path to a big collection of gear. Understanding that even after heavy validation and product research the final purchase is still always an emotional task and not one based on facts and analysis.
Normally on big purchases it's always an emotional rollercoaster, unless the buyer is truly without the concept of concern.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, all those things get an emotional response. And, reality maybe distorted in perception there too? Also the collecting bug must have a book full of psychological insights.
We're concentrating on the impulse to acquire more gear, possibly more than is needed, and the methodology we judge ourselves and purchases by.
Mostly understanding the buying curve is the first step to self control.
I used to sell super expensive stuff and we were able to break it down into a ten stage process. Each style of personality also has a slightly different process on the purchase path.
Most of us who have a problem actually delude ourselves and family members on the path to a big collection of gear. Understanding that even after heavy validation and product research the final purchase is still always an emotional task and not one based on facts and analysis.
Normally on big purchases it's always an emotional rollercoaster, unless the buyer is truly without conceptions of concern.
First off there are four major personality groups.
Each group goes it's own way to completely fall upon a purchase.
1) Direct. Normally own their own company, don't like to be bossed around. They also contain a dominant personality. They only care about the end result. They ask short questions and like non BS answers, though they don't take offense to being lied to as much as an upcoming personality trait I'm going to list. They respect the results at any cost idea.
2) Ego. These types care about everyone getting along. They also are very concerned about how others perceive them. They are normally interested in rare and unique products which stand out and delineate who they think they are.
3) Paced. These consumers only purchase when the time is right. They are slower to buy and normally can't be pushed.
4) Structured. These are normally the information geeks. Nerds also fall into this slot. They have an outlandish and long buying curve. They need to collect facts about all products. They hate to be lied to.
The public is always a % of these traits mixed. Mostly it's 1 and 2 together and 3 and 4 together . But it is a percent. I'm about 70% number 1 and 30% number 2.
It's harder to tell when there is a mixture, and when someone is 90% a category it becomes entertaining how they act the role as we understand the personality to be.
So I'm not going to go into the exact ten steps I used as every product has it's own steps. Just remember that if the steps are correct there is a perfect order to them. One can not be passed till one ahead is finished. Understanding where the buyer is in the purchasing process is understanding the buying machine.
It is remarkable what one can learn on this forum. I'd like to thank the owner/moderator for all his efforts.
I'm wondering...do any of the members also participate in other forums, regardless of topic, that similarly provide such useful information and enjoyment? I'm a member of Network54 vintage baseball card forum which is a must for serious collectors. I'd post a link but am embarrassed to say I don't know how -- age (66) and mental block against new technology I guess. Easy enough to find website via Google.
Your posts are very captivating and definitely most accurate. Although I don't see myself deviating from the 4th group you mentioned because I'm definitely one of those insatiable information geeks as you eloquently put, I imagine that in theory a lot of people who are into this and other (relatively) expensive hobbies tend to shy away from the more conservative categories like 3 and 4 as they become progressively numb to the actual size of the numbers (be it money or collection size) they deal with - of course one's mileage will vary seeing as it depends on a lot of other factors obviously such as livelihood and (mostly financial) stability and personal endeavours in general but it's still interesting to see how it evolves (or devolves, depending on how you look at it right?) as someone's methods and values change.
It is remarkable what one can learn on this forum. I'd like to thank the owner/moderator for all his efforts.
I'm wondering...do any of the members also participate in other forums, regardless of topic, that similarly provide such useful information and enjoyment? I'm a member of Network54 vintage baseball card forum which is a must for serious collectors. I'd post a link but am embarrassed to say I don't know how -- age (66) and mental block against new technology I guess. Easy enough to find website via Google.
I'm sure many also participate in other forums, I have seen familiar names elsewhere be it other places related to audio in general, home cinema related websites, motor themed, etc. And I'm sure you'll enjoy your read here, there are many interesting users and topics to be discovered. As for the baseball card forums I'm assuming this is it? http://www.net54baseball.com/ - I'm not sure whether or not there is a minimum amount of posts required in order for one to be able to post links on here but either way highlighting the desired website's link along the search bar at the top of your browser and hitting the ctrl button on your keyboard + C will copy it, then you can just ctrl + V to paste the copied text onto the reply box here or wherever you wish to post it; it may not be hyperlinked directly by default but other users can then simply copy it themselves and get to it. I'm not entirely sure that was your query but I hope I could be of help, I can only dream of still being able to know how to deal with technology the way you are once I'm nearing your age.
For the past month or so, I have came to realize that I might need to stop the quest for better audio or headphones in my case. So I have put a stop on acquiring more headphones or audio equipment. I was wondering if anyone else also have put a stop on getting more audio equipment, because it started to feel like it is getting a bit out of hand?
Basically with better headphone it will requires better sound source and better amp to drive it. So those cost all add up. Also I am not sure if a HD800 is really worth a few hundred bucks more than HD598. I mean sure there is more details and stuff, but really how much more does those details impact our enjoyment of music?
However last year I have acquired some broken and low cost headphone to mod or fix, so this should keep me busy for a while.
So I am wondering if anyone else also hit this wall and have determine that it is not worth it anymore?
I am there, but I hope that you note the irony, or I will be when I get my Violectric V800 to pair with my Violectric V200! And the sad thing is four years ago when I started this journey I was at the Camjam and spoke to Fried about his gear, but didn't understand his answers to my noob questions. If I could put time back I would have bought the V800 and V200, a pair of HE 500's, AKG K702's, Grado HiF1 2's and a pair of Foster T50's at that meet and saved myself a fortune.
But, would I have been satisfied without the journey.............I don't know!
I know I love music and I know that the gear mentioned above makes it sound fantastic and I know I have reached my end game
Your posts are very captivating and definitely most accurate. Although I don't see myself deviating from the 4th group you mentioned because I'm definitely one of those insatiable information geeks as you eloquently put, I imagine that in theory a lot of people who are into this and other (relatively) expensive hobbies tend to shy away from the more conservative categories like 3 and 4 as they become progressively numb to the actual size of the numbers (be it money or collection size) they deal with - of course one's mileage will vary seeing as it depends on a lot of other factors obviously such as livelihood and (mostly financial) stability and personal endeavours in general but it's still interesting to see how it evolves (or devolves, depending on how you look at it right?) as someone's methods and values change.
This forum maybe has a large number of group four. They gather information for information's sake. In my job the fours would have large binders collecting information. Being able to identify this personality type is important, if you come from the number one personality type. Number ones give sharp direct answers which can come off as rude to group three and four. Your right three and four are the conservative types. They most likely have a job working as a teacher or at the post office. They also do good as accountants. Company controllers are better if the are 50% number one and 50% number four, not only to they collect info and keep it all in perfect order, but they can explain the results in short fast answers that company owners love to hear.
But when you combine both a conservative spender with an information collector, you can see how the purchases are delayed. My personality buys fast, even before I learn about a product. There is not a perfect time to buy, I can buy anytime, now is always the perfect time. The ego section at 30% for me also has regard for the product being either rare, or special. I also only care about results so I'm a friendly buyer with very few questions.
You can completely tell the number by the car the public drives. Level 4 has an old import car, light brown, gold or white. The number four has a gas saving car and keeps it for a long time saving money between car purchases. The car also will have few options. Level two has a waxed up red car or yellow, better too if it is rare. There maybe something that stands out with them like a bright print shirt or noticeable hat. They like to talk about themselves, and will use up your time. The egos of level two makes friends fast and will express everything about their life if you listen well. They also normally don't ask hard questions as they like conversations to flow freely. Level one will have a nice car, he writes it off maybe as a company expense, but he has the money for a nice car. Level three may have a strange car, even a strange color, because they purchased it when the time was right. Thus the time was right because either it was an unwanted car that had a discount or a special introductory price. What ever it was the time was just right. Specials which seem to contain a large discount seem to sway these types. Sale price windows are also a prime motivator for the number three crowd.
That is untill you buy an IEM like a Shure SE846 that beats almost every full sized headphone on the market. Then you'll upgrade to headphones like the HD 800 S
I've spent a huge amount of money already just to be able to listen to music at work environment, on the go and when relaxing on days off. I recently just bought a LG V10 plus a
B&W P7 headphone and I loved it after listening to it in store on my playlist. But My coworkers still swear by the ATH-M50 after talking to them about trying other headphones.
I've moved on from the ATH-M50 and I think I will stick with B&W P7 headphones for a very long time. I love it so far.
But it's hard to say I won't be buying any new audio equipment in future. That DX200 and possibly better DACs that come out in future compared to my phone are something I'm looking at even though I'm satisfied with what I have. It's just hard to explain something like this.....
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, all those things get an emotional response. And, reality maybe distorted in perception there too? Also the collecting bug must have a book full of psychological insights.
We're concentrating on the impulse to acquire more gear, possibly more than is needed, and the methodology we judge ourselves and purchases by.
Mostly, understanding the buying curve is the first step to self control.IMO I feel many of us don't even know when we are in the buying curve and out of control of the billfold.
I used to sell super expensive stuff and we were able to break it down into a ten stage process. Each style of personality also has a slightly different process on the purchase path.
Most of us who have a problem actually delude ourselves and family members on the path to a big collection of gear. Understanding that even after heavy validation and product research the final purchase is still always an emotional task and not one based on facts and analysis.
Normally on big purchases it's always an emotional rollercoaster, unless the buyer is truly without the concept of concern.
I'm almost right back to the start in my journey. Finding myself using SHP9500 and Grado SR60e, just sold X2, K7XX and selling AD2000x and PM-3 too. Since I listen mainly to metal I think those are perfect. Keeping the TH-X00 though.
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