What do you consider the best and worst things about HiFi?
For me the best thing is the worst thing; Variety. No matter what you believe, whether it is based on pure Vulcan logic or so nutty that squirrels horde it, you can find HiFi to fit those beliefs.
If you believe all modern tech is about convenience and not sound quality, you can put together a system with a reel to reel tape, SET amp and corner loaded horn speakers. If you want to obsess over whether your AC sockets are preventing you from hearing the separation between the notes, you can buy audiophile approved replacement sockets. If you believe active speakers are just inherently superior to passives, you can buy actives and join forums devoted to talking about them.
If you believe that what is written in a HiFi mag is gospel, then you can put together a system comprised solely of the latest awards winners from the magazine of your choice. If you believe all mags are slaves to their advertisers, then you can easily find dozens of boutiques brands that refuse to ‘sell out’ by advertising, and you can even join their forums and high five other persons with your ‘superior tastes’.
If you believe that FLAC files sound better than ALAC or that WAV is the only way to go, then you can save all your music that way and debate the sound quality endlessly on the forum of your choice. If you believe that the only way to judge whether you like a product is through a hundred rounds of DBT, then you are free to do so and can find likeminded individuals to cheer you on.
If you believe that putting a $50 fuse in a $500 Amp will make it sound like a $5000 one, then you can easily do so. If you want a tiny all in one system that you control from your phone, you can get one. But if you want a system with dozens of separate parts and speakers that look like garage doors, you can do that too. And if you just want to start pretentious, long winded threads to amuse yourself on a HiFi forum, you can (as long as the spam filter doesn’t trigger).
So to me the best thing is the awesome variety in this hobby. You really can find just about anything you want and people to chat about it with. The worst part is all the endless bickering about which personal preference is better than the other. So what are your best and worst things about HiFi?
For me the best thing is the worst thing; Variety. No matter what you believe, whether it is based on pure Vulcan logic or so nutty that squirrels horde it, you can find HiFi to fit those beliefs.
If you believe all modern tech is about convenience and not sound quality, you can put together a system with a reel to reel tape, SET amp and corner loaded horn speakers. If you want to obsess over whether your AC sockets are preventing you from hearing the separation between the notes, you can buy audiophile approved replacement sockets. If you believe active speakers are just inherently superior to passives, you can buy actives and join forums devoted to talking about them.
If you believe that what is written in a HiFi mag is gospel, then you can put together a system comprised solely of the latest awards winners from the magazine of your choice. If you believe all mags are slaves to their advertisers, then you can easily find dozens of boutiques brands that refuse to ‘sell out’ by advertising, and you can even join their forums and high five other persons with your ‘superior tastes’.
If you believe that FLAC files sound better than ALAC or that WAV is the only way to go, then you can save all your music that way and debate the sound quality endlessly on the forum of your choice. If you believe that the only way to judge whether you like a product is through a hundred rounds of DBT, then you are free to do so and can find likeminded individuals to cheer you on.
If you believe that putting a $50 fuse in a $500 Amp will make it sound like a $5000 one, then you can easily do so. If you want a tiny all in one system that you control from your phone, you can get one. But if you want a system with dozens of separate parts and speakers that look like garage doors, you can do that too. And if you just want to start pretentious, long winded threads to amuse yourself on a HiFi forum, you can (as long as the spam filter doesn’t trigger).
So to me the best thing is the awesome variety in this hobby. You really can find just about anything you want and people to chat about it with. The worst part is all the endless bickering about which personal preference is better than the other. So what are your best and worst things about HiFi?