Hi Oren,
It is great to see you here - thank you for going straight to the core of being an AKSAphile.........
This short film from Ken Barnes, which I urge all present to view from Oren's weblink, raises so many issues and prompts so many emotions that I am drawn to comment. The Jacqueline Dupres Elgar Cello Concerto really did it for me; one of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings of all time. But my comments are so dissonant, so evidently conflicting, that I will put 'em down in bullet form.
1. Being an audiophile is about confusing, blurring and rejoicing in aural perception and reality.
2. In its extreme form, it is like all other human addictions. The addiction comes to dominate, protecting itself at the host's expense. It won't kill, like opiate or amphetamine addiction, but it does deprive the wife of many pleasant shopping sprees and could thwart the educational opportunities of any children.
3. This is a film about great passion, both in art and technology. I am too mean to spend 250,000 euros on a system because I was born into a straitened rural situation, but I can understand rich and successful people spending this money because they have the means. Excellence is its own reward.
4. All excessive behaviour is superficially easy to ridicule. But I would suggest that the only behaviour which cannot be ridiculed is passion. 'Of Human Bondage' by Somerset Maugham is a good example of this. Who is to say unbridled passion is wrong? For those living it, this is logical.......
5. The world is filled with followers, but only one or two percent are leaders. There is a small group who are neither followers nor leaders, who often follow their passions. I have done this with my love of audio technology, and will go on doing it because it's 'right' for me. I'm not concerned what others say in denigration of this journey; it's what I do, and I urge anyone with passion about anything to follow it through. We are a long time dead!
6. It is never the destination, though one must keep sight of it to stay motivated. It's the journey. We are dead long before we arrive!!
Oren, beautiful work you have done on your AKSA, and a most thought-provoking post. Thank you.
Cheers,
Hugh
