[jrtrent]

A couple quotes by Watercourse, taken out of context, made an impression on me in this thread:

. . . it's less about pristine audio quality and more about the music and discovery. . .

. . . enjoy the musicians' contributions rather than the playback system's

I think that's part of what I lost starting about 4 years ago when pieces of my mid-1980's all-Linn system started to die.  Buying a new system was in part spurred on by the plea for stimulus spending by our President, but also because I was curious about products that were supposedly better at imaging.  I ended up with a new Well Tempered Record Player, Grado phono stage and cartridge, Audio by Van Alstine preamp and amp (well, the preamp I already had since it had replaced the first of my Linn pieces to die, the LK1), and Vandersteen speakers.  Nice little system, nothing wrong with it at all, but I found myself worried more about how the system sounded than appreciating what the musicians were doing, and appreciating records more for their sonics (imaging, instrumental timbre, detail, tonality, etc.) than for the message in the music.

I want to stress that this was an operator fault, not a system fault, but last summer I started getting rid of lots of "things," not just audio equipment, but any excess accumulation of stuff around the home (cameras, kitchen gadgets, furniture, excess dishes, glasses, old clothes, etc.).  For audio, I bought a Bose Wave music system with soundlink adapter, and later added the cheap Denon DP-300F turntable with built-in phono stage (after selling the WTRP, I went back to the LP12 running through the Van Alstine preamp; now even the LP12 is gone).  And you know, I'm back to just enjoying the records I play.  I don't think about how they sound, I think about what the musicians are doing, what the lyrics are saying, and maybe about the life and times of the composer and what might have impelled him to write this particular piece of music. 

On another thread, mikecole had said, "When you listen to music on less than capable equipment, you end up listening to the music, not the equipment."  I don't intend this to be my last system; I'm saving funds and expect to enjoy the process of building a new system this summer, but hopefully I won't lose sight of the music in pursuit of a higher level of playback fidelity.

[Russell Dawkins]

This discussion reminds me of "Holt's Law" (J. Gordon Holt, the founder of Stereophile).

"The better the recording, the worse the musical performance - and vice-versa."

Some of my favorite recordings are very much in spite of their sound.

[doug s.]

i still love to listen to music.  it's always on.  i gave up tv over 40 years ago.  and, i was always wanting to improve the quality of my audio gear, even when i was a young teenager.  what has changed is the internet.  now, it's sensory overload - it's so easy to become overwhelmed w/the simple quantity of different stuff out there.  one could become obsessed w/wanting the latest and greatest.  fortunately, i only became obsessed w/wanting to try out every decent wintage fm tuna ever made.   

but, the real issue is the internet itself, and not yust the access to info about all the gear - it's how much time to we spend on line talking about it instead of simply doing it?  and not yust the gear, but the music itself - everyone posting and reading "what have you listened to lately?"  i am as guilty as anyone regarding wasting time at the computer.  the music is on, but am i listening? 

doug s.

[DaveyW]

Good Points Doug 

TV is a rare occurrence for me too, any spare down time is vinyl time 

If it wasn't for my I-phone I'd definitely be posting up a lot less, especially in the listening now thread.
After 5 days a week mostly sat in front of a PC, it's the last thing I want to boot up when back home, but the ever online phone is a different matter.
It's so easy to pick up, link to an image of the disc off the web (or take a snap) and post up a comment while listening.
Most of my AC posts are made on the phone, usually while spinning.

After many years of upgrades I'm now pretty much set on my two primary vinyl rigs, now my focus is much more on the listening to and buying of more vinyl.
The "Listening To Now" and "Catch of the Day" threads are my principal inputs and I very much appreciate all those who contribute - It continues to amaze me how little I really do know and am yet to appreciate.
These drive my cyber "Want List" on DISCOGS and once again I'm back to the internet.

So yes the internet - Good and Bad - But for me, Good definitely prevails 

Saying this am planning to swing by a Record Fair in the lovely Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday - let's see what the traditional non-internet buying approach can unearth 

[michaelhigh]

I miss the quality of music produced nowadays, as opposed to the quality of the gear. If I could afford the pricier gear that's out now I would stock up. If older vintage gear wasn't worth refurbing I'd be hard pressed to save for months on end to buy adequate gear. Since vintage gear is readily available at good prices and really works and sounds as good as it does when refurbed, I opt for the older stuff knowing it's been abandoned by sticklers for the modern stuff. The gratification is immediate as opposed to waiting and saving for months on end. It's also fun to see what combos have synergy and what individual components offer in the way of contributions to the overall presentation. I know that if things go as they have till now, 20 years from now I'll have the best of what's available now that meets my budgetary criteria and aesthetic requirements. It's more fun to do it this way, for me, and I still find cheap and cheerful deals.