Tell us what you love about hi-fi!

[admin_exported]

We need your help! We want you tell us what you love about your hi-fi system: why you bought it, how much enjoyment it gives you and what you love to play on it.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a relative novice or a dyed-in-the-wool hi-fi enthusiast: all we want to know is why you chose to spend your hard-earned money on hi-fi, and how pleased you are with what you’ve bought. Please feel free to tell us the music you love to play, how often you use your system and any other details you think we need to know about.

Aside from (hopefully) making for an interesting thread, we’ll also print quotes taken from the best posts in the next issue of the Ultimate Guide to Hi-Fi, on sale April 10th.

Cheers, Andy

 

[d_a_n1979]

Hi-Fi, to me, is all about enjoyment

Just like owning a nice car, a big house that you can do plenty of DIY in or whether you a fisherman or sportsman, hifi gives its own pleasure and enjoyment.

Most of us, who work all week and relax at the weekends (if possible) enjoy all of the above along with good food and wine! Where some people go to the cinema to relax and watch a good film, us hi-fi'ers love to listen to good music and wind down that way.

I work Monday to Friday, train at the gym and other places 4 times a week so when i'm home i just want to wind down and slob! The hifi for me provides the 1st element of winding down, relaxation. Listneing to good music, whether its on low and just there for background noise whilst reading a good book or on the sofa just relaxing, is great. But, on the other hand, if i'm doing the house work, cooking, cleaning, hoovering, ironing (yes im a bloke and im domesticated) then having the hifi cranked up a bit with a good CD playing so that you can 'feel' it as well as enjoying the music, is great!!!

The only niggle i have with Hifi is 'upgradeitus'. Its a clinically proven disease. I have spoken to my Doc about it and he's confirmed it (well he hasnt really he just gave me a funny look, but i didnt tell my girlfriend that...). I love my hifi and im always looking to upgrade (apart from my speakers) but different amps and CD players are always of interest to me. It's just a shame that my budget is usually limited so im always abusing Ebay and seeing what deals are on there!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Whoo, chance of fame and fortune!!!

So far, chuffed to bits with my current system. I love music and my hifi just encourages me to dig out more and more albums, both from my collection and new!

 

[Anonymous]

right, here goes:
I love my "Hi-Fi" because i love music. when im not listening to music im making music with my bass guitar. Hi-Fi to me represents the deserved outlet for the music i love to listen to. So much time, effort, money and talent go into recording this music that it really deserves to be played on a decent system. I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from being able to listen to my cd collection through decent kit. Hearing all of what each band member is doing is for me what Hi-Fi is about. Sometimes it will just be something to listen to whilst on the PC. Other times it will have all of my attention while listen to and analyze each recording and piece of music. Of course there are also times when you just have to crank up the volume and feel the lower register!

 

[Clare Newsome]

As someone who loves, shall we say, 'vintage' music, i'm never going to get the chance to see the acts I love live, but good hi-fi gets me closer to the experience.

You know you've got a great system combination when it sounds like Sinatra's serenading you, Ella's up on stage or Elvis Presley most definitely has NOT left the building. Goosebump-inducing stuff!

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="Andy Kerr"]why you chose to spend your hard-earned money on hi-fi[/quote]

I love listen to music but then £50 Aiwa midi would play a very reasonable tune! so it's not that even if it should be what HiFi are all about!

Because it is one form of ADDICTION! Some people smoke Cig, Some people go to their Local to have 2 pints every night....I just simply like MATCHING different hifi components to see how do they gel together..... and then try to better it!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

[quote user="Thaiman"]Because it is one form of ADDICTION![/quote]

Thaiman, you have hit on an element of truth there. I have heard the phrase "audioholic" which I actually prefer to audiophile to describe us hifi people. The phrase audiophile describes someone with an unnatural (some would say perverse) interest in audio, whereas audioholic tends to describe someone who can't do without their fix of hifi!!!

Either way, I wouldn't want to go cold turkey...!

 

[JoelSim]

'Closing your eyes and dissolving in the music'

 

[JoelSim]

[quote user="Clare Newsome"]
As someone who loves, shall we say, 'vintage' music, i'm never going to get the chance to see the acts I love live, but good hi-fi gets me closer to the experience.

You know you've got a great system combination when it sounds like Sinatra's serenading you, Ella's up on stage or Elvis Presley most definitely has NOT left the building. Goosebump-inducing stuff!

[/quote]

I'm afraid Elvis left the building years ago, and I would sell my hifi if that was the only music I could listen to.

Rock and Roll is dreadful, awful, tuneless rubbish that just makes me want to scream...

 

[Clare Newsome]

I believe the title of the thread is 'what you love about hi-fi', not what you hate about other peoples' choice.

I'd rather eat my own arm than listen to a lot of modern music, but I totally respect others' love for it.

 

[Anonymous]

Music is many things to me. From simple fun to relaxation to meditation to dance to rejuvenate to shop to show-off to experiment to look at it and smile with satisfaction.

Believe it or not, once I had a splitting headache. I put my cans on and blasted away to ear splitting levels. When I took them off, I wasn't feeling the pain anymore. Placebo effect?

What's life without music. Not much, if you ask me. It's a costly hobby for sure, but rewards are handsome.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

I also think that one of the most rewarding apsects of Hifi as a hobby, is that magical moment when you hear one of your favourite records on a new bit of kit, and hear things that you never realised were on the record/CD! The smile that creeps across my face whenever that happens stays for a long time!

 

[Anonymous]

What we love about hifi?

I suppose for me it comes down to one word........... 'Escapism'.

The ability for quality music to transport your mind away from the day-to-day stresses of life is what sums up the love of audio for me.

Just sit back, close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere else. For me, the better the quality of the audio, the easier it is for your mind to take you to that special place.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="Clare Newsome"]
I'd rather eat my own arm than listen to a lot of modern music, but I totally respect others' love for it.

[/quote]

LOveryL

That is a great way to put it and next time if you must listen to "Eminem" in review's room, just remember to take a sweet and sour sauce with you.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Ketch"]
What we love about hifi?

I suppose for me it comes down to one word........... 'Escapism'.

The ability for quality music to transport your mind away from the day-to-day stresses of life is what sums up the love of audio for me.

Just sit back, close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere else. For me, the better the quality of the audio, the easier it is for your mind to take you to that special place.
[/quote]

Now that 'er-indoors' isn't hovering behind me................. feel free to translate the above into "The louder the music, the less nagging I hear"! ;-)

 

[kitkat]

People do not realise how much real music is lost on a cheap all in one mass produced unit, on a hi-fi system you hear the passion and love comming from the singers voice like Katie Melua or Amy Macdonald a beautiful voice from a proper hi-fi can take you to heaven. I know in hi-fi terms my system is quite "basic" but I am more than happy with it you don't need to spend tens of thousands to start to enjoy hi-fi. As for what music I like, to many to mention but anything from r n b to modern pop, The Beautiful South, Queen etc.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JoelSim"][quote user="Clare Newsome"]
As someone who loves, shall we say, 'vintage' music, i'm never going to get the chance to see the acts I love live, but good hi-fi gets me closer to the experience.

You know you've got a great system combination when it sounds like Sinatra's serenading you, Ella's up on stage or Elvis Presley most definitely has NOT left the building. Goosebump-inducing stuff!

[/quote]

I'm afraid Elvis left the building years ago, and I would sell my hifi if that was the only music I could listen to.

Rock and Roll is dreadful, awful, tuneless rubbish that just makes me want to scream...[/quote]

what a complete waste of space your post is. not only are you not contibuting to the actual thread you are insulting others and making baseless generalisations. what was the point of your post?

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit"]Rock and Roll is dreadful, awful, tuneless rubbish that just makes me want to scream[/quote]

That is a general comment from Arcam user, don't worry about it mate.....Arcam couldn't keep up with a rock beat anyway

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="kitkat"]Amy Macdonald[/quote]

Did someone mention Aimi McDonald? Fine singer...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Clare Newsome"]

I believe the title of the thread is 'what you love about hi-fi', not what you hate about other peoples' choice.

I'd rather eat my own arm than listen to a lot of modern music, but I totally respect others' love for it.

[/quote]

Hooray!! I'm not alone in thinking like I do! Most of it sounds like squeaking from another planet, doesn't it?

Regards Ed.

 

[Simon Lucas]

"Bass and treble heal every hurt, there's a rebel in a nylon shirt

But the words are a mystery, I've heard, 'til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3

'Cos it helps with the elocution, corporations turn revolutions

45"

Elvis Costello said that and, God bless him, he's really on to something...

 

[Clare Newsome]

[quote user="Simon Lucas"]"Bass and treble heal every hurt, there's a rebel in a nylon shirt

But the words are a mystery, I've heard, 'til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3

'Cos it helps with the elocution, corporations turn revolutions

45"

Elvis Costello said that and, God bless him, he's really on to something...

[/quote]

I thought of Mr Diana Krall the other day, when Thatcher had her latest funny turn. Wondering if he still plans to carry out the heartfelt words of Tramp the Dirt Down...

 

[Simon Lucas]

[quote user="Clare Newsome"]
I thought of Mr Diana Krall the other day, when Thatcher had her latest funny turn. Wondering if he still plans to carry out the heartfelt words of Tramp the Dirt Down...
[/quote]

That occured to me too. I fully expect to bump into him on that national holiday - though the queue might be lengthy.

 

[Anonymous]

Why I listen to music is a topic that I could write a 1000 words on...
Why I love Hi-Fi is that it brings you close to that element of performance. Close you eye's and you can imagine Jimi Hendrix laying down a guitar over-dub at 1am in Olympic studios, 1968... what was he thinking at the time?... IT's MAGIC!jules.

 

[Anonymous]

Hifi is the means to deliver music to my ears in the best way I know of; other than live music. It puts me in touch with songs, symphonies, moods and feelings that I would never connect with otherwise. It lifts me up when I feel down and makes a difficult day better. Everytime I have upgraded (bar once) it has brought me closer to the music and enabled more diverse sorts of music to make sense to me. Everytime I turn my hifi on I am transported to my own little world.