Hardware or software, what's more important to you?

TONEPUB · « **on:** 12 Feb 2007, 04:17 pm »

Do you have a bigger investment in hardware or software?
What do you find more important? Are you planning on buying
a lot more records/cd's in the future or is your music collection
status quo for now?

AB · « **Reply #1 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 05:03 pm »

I have a $100 per month music budget.

What's my equipment budget?
Per year it's substantially more than $1.2k.

sts9fan · « **Reply #2 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 05:21 pm »

Hardware is 100% meaningless without the music. If I was only able to spend $1-2k a year on all audio i would never upgrade my gear and just get more musical goodness.

ted_b · « **Reply #3 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 05:52 pm »

Theoretically, software is he only thing that's important; hardware is just a necessity. But in the real world, they are intertwined. Better hardware makes software sound its best....or worst (depending on the recording). Let's assume the finest recording of the finest music is the goal. Then without decent hardware, that goal is that much more difficult to reach. As far as budget goes, the hardware is wayyyyyyyyyyyy more expensive than the software, assuming goal attainment. The good news: the journey is fun, regardless. Good music, whether its on the car radio or through DartZell/MBL/Accustic Art equipment, is good music.

To answer the questions specifically: my hardware spending will be much larger than software. I plan on buying some new software each month, but also to rediscover what I already own.

R_burke · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 08:21 pm »

I have about $10 - $15K invested in H/W, some of which is "extra" and not currently used.

On the other hand I have more than 4,000 CDs so in my case the s/w is more important in terms of what I spend on.

Of course it's easier to spend <$20 on a new CD compared to >$500.00 on a new piece of hardware. None the less I truly believe that the music is more important than what it is played on.

I'd rather hear great music played on a mediocre system than bad music played on an exceptional system.

TONEPUB · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 08:26 pm »

Good to hear. I know for me, it's all over the board. Some months I spend a lot of
money on records, tapes and CD's and sometimes I don't.

My favorite time to buy music is right after the issue is done!

tex-amp · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 08:48 pm »

Software!

At one of the first audio get togethers I went to an enthusiast 30-40 years my senior told me, "In this hobby, there are those that love music and those who love how their system makes music sound." I still consider that the best observation/advise I've gotten from anyone about audio.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 09:12 pm »

Quote from: R_burke on 12 Feb 2007, 08:21 pm

I'd rather hear great music played on a mediocre system than bad music played on an exceptional system.

I totally agree. That reminds me of the 1980's when many people bought expensive "audiophile recordings" of music they did not enjoy. I use to own a lot of crap like that. It almost seemed like the ownership of certain records was prerequisite for being into audio. However I cannot enjoy music I don’t like no matter how excellent the recording. That's why I chucked all my Diana Krall and Norah Jones.

John

TONEPUB · « **Reply #8 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 09:15 pm »

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 12 Feb 2007, 09:12 pm

Quote from: R_burke on 12 Feb 2007, 08:21 pm
I'd rather hear great music played on a mediocre system than bad music played on an exceptional system.

That's why I chucked all my Diana Krall and Norah Jones.

John

Good for you!!

Gordy · « **Reply #9 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 09:30 pm »

Quote from: R_burke on 12 Feb 2007, 08:21 pm

I'd rather hear great music played on a mediocre system than bad music played on an exceptional system.

So true!

A quick tally using $15 for the price of a cd, my music collection is worth a little over 3 times that of my equipment but, I have gone more towards diy in recent years... not that that means much

eric the red · « **Reply #10 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 09:46 pm »

Quote from: tex-amp on 12 Feb 2007, 08:48 pm

Software!

At one of the first audio get togethers I went to an enthusiast 30-40 years my senior told me, "In this hobby, there are those that love music and those who love how their system makes music sound." I still consider that the best observation/advise I've gotten from anyone about audio.

That's a great quote. I went from being a 16 year old lover of music with a low end poorly set up rig and 100s of records to spending 30 years chasing the audiophile thing back to collecting records and spinning vinyl and cds on a (in our world) low budget simple rig once again. One of my best friends has 1000s of LPs and listens to them with a Radio Shack receiver and an ancient Dual TT through some speakers I sold him for $100.00 and music at his house sounds just fine and spins all the time.

launche · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 10:18 pm »

We should listen to our elders.

I got the same advise many years ago from a music lover. I remember visiting him and he had records laying everywhere. His system I can't recall but it was older stuff and I remember initially thinking that he needed to update his gear and organize his music for goodness sake.

He never asked me what my system was, just asked if I liked jazz, if I liked records and if I played any instruments. I recall attempting to size his system up and he got a read on me real quick and said:

"You can chase the music or the machines. This is the same stuff I've had for ?? years so I can't help you about systems but I've got lots of tunes whenever you want to come by and listen, you should come by more often."

That's the exact quote less the years he owned his gear.
I'll never forget it because I felt a little embarrassed and out of my element. What can I say I was young and naive. I'm older now and only slightly less naive.

Thebiker · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Feb 2007, 02:58 pm »

For me, it is all about the music. Without the software, the hardware is just so many expensive paper weights. Yeah, I want great sound, which is why I spent all those shekels, but it is the music that takes me to a place that I can't go without it.

craig223 · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Feb 2007, 03:22 pm »

TheBiker has it right. I only really care about the music. Wish that cheap hardware sounded better!

woodsyi · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Feb 2007, 03:30 pm »

Hardware! Who cares about software. I will listens to a tone test CD for hours knowing that I got beautiful flat response and my gear looks very impressive on Audiogon virtual system page!

Baba O Riley · « **Reply #15 on:** 3 May 2007, 09:22 pm »

Software!
For years I bought so much CDs I didn't have the $ for a better system. Now I have a great (imo) system and
I'm not thinking about upgrading for years to come, only more music

TONEPUB · « **Reply #16 on:** 4 May 2007, 06:54 am »

For me, it's been a cycle.

The more music I get the more I listen.
The more I listen, the more I think "maybe this system could sound
a little better" which leads to better hardware.

Then I think, "man I gotta get some more records, this sounds so good!"

And on it goes....

Imperial · « **Reply #17 on:** 7 Jun 2007, 12:50 pm »

I believe that to enjoy the music, the setting and the surrounding also has to be there in equal measure.
I can listen to music on the bus, in the car and in the street, or out walking.
Those moments are when the quality of the playback chain dont really matter, it's a situation of sharing the music with someone or like that. Then there is the moments when you attend a concert, that is a higher lever of sharing the music I believe, It an immersive sharing of the music, where you can enjoy the music in solitude, but also in good company at the same time (An empty room and just the band and it would not be the same!!), It's also a sort of a connection with the artist.

This leads to the final stage or step on the musical journey for me...
The playback in my own system... Where I sort of re-live those moments, or try to really
find new ones in the music of an artist I only ever hear in my system...

Then the Software is made real by the Hardware, and the need for quality is rising, to fully recreate..
It's what we could call
musically fulfilling moments (that is what I seek with my system).

So, there are some steps on the way from pure software to pure hardware for me, personally...
But they converge at some time, to become the artist that I am "enjoying"...

It's not really a separation for me... The most important thing is the artist. The music is only a vessel for that person, so is the hardware, a vessel for the software.

Imperial

nathanm · « **Reply #18 on:** 7 Jun 2007, 12:53 pm »

I choose a combination of the two worlds: firmware.

Turnandcough · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 Jun 2007, 01:23 pm »

It's a form of corruption. Once you get in to that HI-FI thing you're not listening to the music anymore you're critically analyzing your system. When a song sounds really good on your system you're happy even if it's not your favorite music. When a song sounds shi**y you tend not to play it anymore even if it's a good song. Case in point - I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers on an Craposonic CD player in my car and love it. When I get home I find myself listening to Patricia Barber, Vivaldi and Christina Pluhar on my "audiophile" system because those recordings are what sound best.
It's like all those people who own big home theater systems - they don't watch B&W movies or movies that "tell a story" anymore they spend hours tweaking their system and then watch "check your brain at the door" blockbusters with tons of explosions, swirling surround sound and special effects. Because those movies look and sound good on their megabuck system.