[decal]

You know who I'm talking about,the guys that just have to have the next best,bigger,more expensive piece of equipment or (especially)tweek.They don't wait to hear what one thing does before they go and get something else they read about in a magazine or on a forum.What's up with this need to have everything they hear about?Let me make this perfectly clear,I am in no way trying to belittle anyone that exhibits this type of behavior,I'm just curious as to why they do it.Any thoughts?

[JackD201]

There should be more of them. Without 'em we don't get the trickle down technology from flagship and halo products.

[srb]

Or all that great gear on the used market at half price.
 
Steve

[satfrat]

You know who I'm talking about,the guys that just have to have the next best,bigger,more expensive piece of equipment or (especially)tweek.They don't wait to hear what one thing does before they go and get something else they read about in a magazine or on a forum.What's up with this need to have everything they hear about?Let me make this perfectly clear,I am in no way trying to belittle anyone that exhibits this type of behavior,I'm just curious as to why they do it.Any thoughts?

Gee,, maybe because there are folks who consider audio reproduction as a hobby and want to explore all the endless possibilities of creating audio that exists in this hobbyland of ours. I'm just taking a wild leap here,,,,, 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[JackD201]

Or all that great gear on the used market at half price.
 
Steve

YEAH!!!!!!!

[sts9fan]

I can get the urge for this.  I don't judge them but I do get skeptical when the "next" is always better.  When every stupid tweak works.  Sometimes things are just different and tweaks don't do crap.

[lcrim]

The Head-Fi guys seem to change DACs weekly which would be a good thing for others except they expect to get nearly the new price for their used stuff.  They are a great source of info though on new products.

[decal]

Ditto on the used equipment market these guys produce.I'm not talking about the guy who upgrades when it produces a significant change in his system,just the guys that grab up anything,new or old,every time they read or hear about something.I'm just wondering what causes this behavior.Is it obsessive/compulsive disorder,the Napoleon complex,the I've got lots of money and want to flaunt it complex,the mine is bigger than yours complex or something else?Again,I'm just curious about this,I find it kind of interesting.Happy __________(insert holiday greeting of your choice)to all.

[JackD201]

Could be all, none or some of the above. Throw in the possibility of addictive personalities even. Still makes no difference to me. I'm a distributor with a whole lot of products that get good press. If someone wants to indent an item that I have myself not yet heard and thus can't personally recommend, I'm not going to question the clients motives. I will however point out any possible mismatches that the spec sheets show.

I do have clients that move upwards, downwards or sideways. None seem to have any psychological problems. Most are just curious and just happen to be able to afford to satisfy their curiosities. They move their equipment casually and with no airs always with a bunch of "keepers" waiting in the wings. The guys I work with usually only dispose of their old gear when they are in their own experiences "bettered" so don't suffer from trade remorse.

What I don't get is the folks who sell their current gear to buy something they haven't heard yet. Now THAT is a practice that will leave scars sooner or later.

[*Scotty*]

I suspect there are a lot of factors contributing to this behavior, having some disposable income figures into it. A psychiatrist would say that in a lot of cases they are trying scratch a non-physical itch or that they are in the process of working something out. I think a major driving force of new sales is technological naiveté or outright ignorance of electronics or electrical theory. Every new product offered for sale is not based on a revolutionary undiscovered ground breaking technology, despite marketing claims to the contrary.There would also be considerably more resistance to bunko artists selling tweaks if the marketplace had a higher level technological sophistication. A good course in high school physics or electronics combined with some common sense would probably be enough to put most of these people out of business. I am always amazed by people who will part with large amounts of money for tweaks which the manufacturer has provided no measurements or proof of actual effectiveness. The fact that a better result can be had from investing the same amount of money in equipment with better sounding circuitry as is frequently spent on expensive tweaks is a fine irony.  The old saying, "a fool and his money are soon parted" is still true today.
Scotty

[rollo]

 IMO it boils down to ones personality. I've noticed that my type "A" friends are prone to this "gotta have it now" syndrome. Now of course there is always the "show off" but that can be said for anything material in nature. Then there is the competitive type who has to have it before everyone else or has to have "the best" system" At least better than his buddies.
   Then there is the newbie with plenty of money. Ah the dealers dream. comes in drops $50,000 no problem. Listens to the salesman like a kid on the knee of Santa. Buys a Audio rag and goes back to get more.
  Who are we to judge anyone. It is their money, their life. live and let live, right ? No no we must intrude with "our" opinions and educate the person wether they want it or not. Standing on their high horses dictating their opinions and insults.
   So what someone has to have it now. Instead people might consider the joy one has for whatever reason. Progressive thinking ? No ! It is intrusion into ones life and choice. They will learn from their mistakes. That is how we learn the lesson of life.
    Sorry for the rant but really LIVE and LET LIVE.


charles

[decal]

charles....No one,especially me, is judging anyone.I made that perfectly clear.

[Wayner]

One product that I jumped on instantly was the Mini-disc. I bought Sony's ES deck, which is awesome, and a portable Mini-disc recorder, and a portable player. I have about 100 Mini-discs with music that I recorded. At the time, it was better then anything out there, but it had a short life and the success here in the States was nowhere near what happened in Japan, where the Mini-disc was a huge success. Lessons learned for this boy. Not the same as a new DAC or something like that, but a new media is perhaps something to be gun-shy of.

Wayner 

[JakeJ]

It's called "fashion" and it's been around since man walked upright.

[Quiet Earth]

I think some of it has to do with the instant gratification world that we live in. We are surrounded by it.  Deeply saturated in an ocean of me too and now its my turn.

But it is unsustainable. Just look around you now. Nice looking economy we got there, eh? Debt? What debt?

We're all gonna have to pay someday . . . . or our kids will.