"It's more macho to have monoblocs..."
I have often considered when all of this becomes purely an exercise based in a vanity inspired obsession.
At the end of the day, do we really need this kind of audio equipment. Can we not get by with just a simple “Big Box Store” audio system for a few hundred dollars? At what point does “bragging rights” eclipse pure functionalism - truly a very fine line that I can no longer effectively differentiate.
A quote from the movie
Mission to Mars certainly comes to mind.
“To stand on a new world and look beyond it to the next one.”A quote that certainly applies to many of us in pursuit of audio nirvana, myself included. We bring home a most cherished audio component that we have saved for, we know it inside-out by the time we place it on the shelf as we have constantly reviewed its specifications, its aesthetics and its performance based on our numerous pilgrimages to our favourite audio store.
What happens next? After a little while, we start looking at the next model and easily find excuses’ to justify a new and improved upgrade, it all starts out so innocently - does it not? I have treaded on this slippery slope as I have found myself “innocently” looking at a pair of K2s now and then.
It does make sense to me when I sit in front of my audio gear, dim the lights, burn a few sticks of my favourite incense - press the play button, slowly close my eyes and be fully enveloped in my Xanadu. In these most delicate moments in time, however brief or fleeting that they may be, logic and reason are replaced by pure emotionalism - you escape as the roar subsides and a quieting of the mind ensues.
Do I need or do I want audio equipment such as this? At one point in time I would of replied that I
wanted - today, I no longer know the answer to this question.
Would this be considered personal acts of selfishness or vanity on my part? Perhaps it is.Time to dim the lights…
Be well…
