Bored with Hifi...

Farmitou

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About 12 months ago I got the Hifi bug pretty bad and at the time had a good budget to get a good middle level sytem. After auditioning too many systems to mention I ended up with a system that in my listening room blows the socks off everything else I considered, others whom have heard it agree the components and upgrades make for a superb sound that replicated everything effortlessly and very linear, spacious.

So there I was happy as can be, hair standing up on the back of my neck at every listening session. Happy days.

Now however as I work from home with the system going all day, it has become backround noise. I'm so used to the superb sound and detail that even in a dedicated listening session it simply doesn't impress or give me the same level of enjoyment as it should. I've tried all different recordings and I'm now simply not getting the enjoyment I should.

So a word of warning... if you do buy your dream system, treat it as a luxury item... listen to it as a dedicated pleasure and keep a lower level system for the background workalong sound.
 

Frank Harvey

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That is the drawback of having access to a top system 24 hours a day. Many will use the upgrading thing as an argument against high end components, saying you'll never be happy, but it is genuinely that some people want an improvement because they've grown used to their system.
 

DandyCobalt

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Take a complete break from it, then come back in say a month....it's just like an unlimited buffet on a cruise (I hear). But don't sell - you will probably regret.
 
Farmitou said:
About 12 months ago I got the Hifi bug pretty bad and at the time had a good budget to get a good middle level sytem. After auditioning too many systems to mention I ended up with a system that in my listening room blows the socks off everything else I considered, others whom have heard it agree the components and upgrades make for a superb sound that replicated everything effortlessly and very linear, spacious.

So there I was happy as can be, hair standing up on the back of my neck at every listening session. Happy days.

Now however as I work from home with the system going all day, it has become backround noise. I'm so used to the superb sound and detail that even in a dedicated listening session it simply doesn't impress or give me the same level of enjoyment as it should. I've tried all different recordings and I'm now simply not getting the enjoyment I should.

So a word of warning... if you do buy your dream system, treat it as a luxury item... listen to it as a dedicated pleasure and keep a lower level system for the background workalong sound.

I've suffered from hi-fi overload. The trick is to unplug the system for a week or two, as I did, and eventually the enthusiasm gradually returns.
 

Farmitou

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I'm not going to sell (as the amps still keep the room warm even on the coldest days lol). I'm thinking of getting a decent switch made and having some cheaper speakers as the day ones, I have some blue room mini pods as the back speakers on a surround sound system in the living room, they should be crap enough... or shall I devorce the wife, forget a new car and get some Wilsons instead :p
 
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Anonymous

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I can understand where the OP's coming from

I'm not bored with hifi per say but I am bored with the constant temptation of upgraditis and swapping bits round/over & over again.

It's getting on my wick a bit lately and I know for a FACT it does the wifes head in!!! :?

This is one of the main reasons I'm tempted by active/powered speakers and the lack of amp, source and speaker upgrades etc...
 

relocated

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Nad_fanatic said:
I can understand where the OP's coming from

I'm not bored with hifi per say but I am bored with the constant temptation of upgraditis and swapping bits round/over & over again.

It's getting on my wick a bit lately and I know for a FACT it does the wifes head in!!! :?

This is one of the main reasons I'm tempted by active/powered speakers and the lack of amp, source and speaker upgrades etc...

Going active, in my case AVI ADM 9T, has certainly cured me of upgraditus AND tweaking, which I NEVER thought would ever happen. Give yourself a break and go active.

:shifty:
 

Frank Harvey

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Nad_fanatic said:
I'm not bored with hifi per say but I am bored with the constant temptation of upgraditis and swapping bits round/over & over again.

It's getting on my wick a bit lately and I know for a FACT it does the wifes head in!!! :?

It depends on your reason for wanting to change. Do you have a past of upgrading? If so, you might be e type of person who will upgrade at some point regardless of what you have :)

What happens when you want to upgrade your little active standmounts?
 
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Anonymous

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FrankHarveyHiFi said:
Nad_fanatic said:
I'm not bored with hifi per say but I am bored with the constant temptation of upgraditis and swapping bits round/over & over again.

It's getting on my wick a bit lately and I know for a FACT it does the wifes head in!!! :?

It depends on your reason for wanting to change. Do you have a past of upgrading? If so, you might be e type of person who will upgrade at some point regardless of what you have :)

What happens when you want to upgrade your little active standmounts?

Yeah; swapped system or speakers or amp at least twice a year etc...

As I also work from home the system has become more background based as I've Audioengine A2's on my desk.

This is why I want to get a basic but good powered/active system for the living room as Radio 1 gets played loud on Friday nights; Radio 2 nice and gentle on Saturday mornings and then whatever on a Sunday etc... During the week the system is on low with various Internet radio stations (Planet Rock, Martini in the Morning; Afterbeat Electronica etc...) and gathers dust at the same time.

A lot of decent system/money doing not that much!
 

idc

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Two suggestions

1 - try lots of new music and try and find a new genre you love. Spotify lead me to the world of Scandinavian prog rock and Post Rock. I was bored with the music I had on itunes and found what I needed was a change, and you know what they about a change...

2 -get some headphones and enjoy a completely different listening experience. Even a decent budget pair of cans can dig out details you have not properly heard before. That way you can rediscover your music.
 

Kevin Stephens

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Maybe you're bored of Musac rather than your hifi. I work from home too but can't "listen" to music while my mind is on something else. Turn if off untill you can give your full attention that the musicians, recording engineers and hifi designers deserve.
 

Sliced Bread

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Definition of Normalization:
A gradual process that makes awesome sounding kit, seem run-of-the-mill. Often results in excessive expenditure on new equipment.

Go to and listen to sine if.your favourite cd's an a rubush system for a few weeks. You'll probably love it again after that :) it works both ways.

I also find a renewed love if I've been away for a few weeks with work or on holiday.
 

bluebrazil

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you could buy a cheap tuner and listen to more radio through the day, this would let you enjoy listening to your playlists and cd's when you can give them a little more attention.
 

DandyCobalt

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If you don't already, try to learn to play an instrument.

It will give you a different perspective on what you are listening to, and appreciate the personal skills of the performers as well as the sound waves they produce that are so well processed by your good kit.
 

crusaderlord

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I really agree with your experience.

I am fortunate in that i work in London, have a relatively long commute too so by the time i get some listening at late evening i really appreciate what i hear.

Also i dont work in an environment where music is played at all during the day - this also can be really offputting as a radio on all day does not make you want to go home a listen to more music. I experienced this many years ago when i worked during a summer in a place where the radio played constantly.

As i am on a PC all day i find the one thing that can frustrate me is having to try sort out a PC issue on our home computer (usually created by my 9 year old) when i get home.

I think that anything you have too much off moves out of the enjoyment bracket. Surely the answer is just not to work with music going on all day but work in a quieter environment.
 
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Anonymous

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I too work from home and enjoy a half decent system.

My recipe for success is 6 music as background until after lunch, then my stuff, louder and with more attention. That said I never do much pm anyway!
 

CJSF

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I used to drive for a living, retired now. So could have music all day if I wanted it. I found Radio 4 or 5 much more pleasurable, turning it off for an hour in the morning and in the afternoon. This bit of silence was a pleasure, often forgetting to turn it back on in the pm break.

I was fresh for a listen to my music in the evening for an hour, again turn off at dinner time, sit and watch some TV with Hazel my partner. Then another hour or so 'Horlicks time' befor bed. This keeps me fresh, even though I'm retired and at home all day now, the music is still in bite size chunks . . . ?

I still listen to the radio during the day but pick and choose, via BBC iPlayer, so it fits my life patern.

CJSF
 

whiskywheels

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Turn it off!

Really, I love music, I'm a musician, I love listening to music, but there's too much so called music everywhere, all the time. Shops, TV progs, adverts, waiting rooms, passing cars and so on. Turn it off! If you want background, run a generator.

Meanwhile, from time to time as the mood takes you, sit back, choose your music, and listen to it through your magnificent hifi.
 
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Anonymous

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Sell it on ebay.

Once it's gone you'll yearn for it like you'd never believe I'm sure!

Trying to be less facetious, best advice as others have said is if you really want background noise during the day put News 24 or the radio on. Treat your hi-fi as the special piece of kit it is and listen to that only when you can give it much more attention.

Enjoy.
 

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