Shivam
Well-Known Member
Stands are by Sound Foundations (Model: Grande Utopias). https://soundfoundations.in/products/grande-utopia/ The speakers shown on the stands in their gallery are mine (AP)
Anybody not upgrading? Share your stories of contentment
- Thread starter Analogous
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vinothkumar
Well-Known Member
Thats great to hear. Looking so good. Hoping they weigh more than 15kgs each.
As far as my thoughts go they resound with @drkrack. I do not have too much to contribute here but let me tell you a story - if you are interested.Today, I woke up thinking of the lowest 15 Hz (20-35 Hz) in the normal human audible range and how difficult it is to achieve quality low end. I then considered my old venerable REL subwoofer....One thought led to another... I then realised I have a problem.
Is contentment possible? Are there ways to achieve audio Nirvana without breaking the bank (or the marriage)?
I recalled a similar thread on the Naim community forum and thought of seeking experiences (or solace) from the HFV forum.
This may be the shortest thread in the history of this forum
Let the therapy begin.
On a ski trip a few years ago, I was walking back after a long day on the slopes to my hotel. It is a long walk to and fro and that is when I always listen to music. That fateful day however I wasn't listening to music as I found some people to walk back with and my earphones - a pair of Sennheiser IE80s (if I remember correctly) - they slipped out of my pocket. Imagine my plight when I realised later in the evening that I was stuck in a room with -8/-10 outside and no music and only my kindle for the next 15 days (I always carried my Westone UM Pro 3xs as a back up where ever I went, but this time I wanted to give IE80s a fair chance). I had curated the 128 GB memory card on my Sony NWA45 with some music I was really looking forward to listening. A couple days went by, the walks back and forth between the hotel and slopes got longer, nights were extremely boring and by the 5th day (I believe) I was staring at the walls to fall asleep. You can't look outside as the windows are frosted completely.
On the morning of the 6th day ( I believe) I asked the hotel if they can ask their guys to get a pair of earphones when they go to shop - ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING - from the nearest market. They got me a pair of philips earphones for around Rs. 400. With absolutely no joy and with the sting of losing my earphones and disliking what I had in hand I put them on at around 9 pm, which is when we generally finished the dinner and went back to our respective rooms. The first few songs were all about finding faults and issues and loathing them obviously. However somewhere by the half an hour mark, I forgot about hating them and started enjoying the songs. I remember periodically remembering to hate them and then forgetting about hating them and just enjoying my music. The hooks were mesmerising, the lyrics were engaging and the music in general was elating. The next few days, till I reached back home, it was all "audio nirvana" with few moments of remembering to hate them.
@chander thanks for sharing this evocative account. Losing your favorite headphones must have been traumatic!
But coming to terms with a replacement where your expectations were modest and then discovering bliss in the music is wonderful. There is a message for us all in this, I am struggling to get it….
So am I - I am far from the bliss world when it comes to audio. My obsession is portable audio though, so that is where my pain lies. I have made some compromises with the home audio, the HT room and my office stereo setup and I can live with those. Where I do obsess over my office stereo every once in a while, you must have seen a lot of posts from asking for SUB upgrade, to moving to actives - every day I think of upgrading/changing that setup. I am very happy with the HT though, I hardly spent 10% of what my actual budget was and I doubt I will upgrade unless I move to a new house and things change drastically. I was torn while buying them wondering if I should spend more, but I went with my gut and bought stocks with the rest of the money
. For the portable audio however, I am always looking and always buying and selling and always upgrading and getting sick of the hobby then going back into it with full gusto again and it is a vicious cycle. That never ends.
So, as the old saying goes “it’s more about the journey than the destination “So am I - I am far from the bliss world when it comes to audio. My obsession is portable audio though, so that is where my pain lies. I have made some compromises with the home audio, the HT room and my office stereo setup and I can live with those. Where I do obsess over my office stereo every once in a while, you must have seen a lot of posts from asking for SUB upgrade, to moving to actives - every day I think of upgrading/changing that setup. I am very happy with the HT though, I hardly spent 10% of what my actual budget was and I doubt I will upgrade unless I move to a new house and things change drastically. I was torn while buying them wondering if I should spend more, but I went with my gut and bought stocks with the rest of the money
For the portable audio however, I am always looking and always buying and selling and always upgrading and getting sick of the hobby then going back into it with full gusto again and it is a vicious cycle. That never ends.
And if we don’t really know or define the destination then it’s a never ending journey?
Yelamanchili manohar
Well-Known Member
The only way to force us into contentment in this hobby, is by sharing our bank transaction's SMS alerts with our wife's mobile number too 
Yelamanchili manohar
Well-Known Member
That sort of contentment will cause cancer
But seriously, I find myself enjoying a period of contentment with each step, then it slowly fades and helped along by the reviews and stuff I read and chats well meaning friends, FMs posts, I am off in a new quest that slowly becomes definite, purposeful and creates an impact on the bank balance.
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Yelamanchili manohar
Well-Known Member
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
The journey is enjoying the music, in this case. Something most people on this forum have forgot.
The nature of sense organ is such that you will never reach contentment. The moment you have achieved that you feel like wanting even more. So you are always in the state of unhappiness after a while. That's the reason great sages of the ancient times have told us not to desire too much for comfort or contentment with the sense organs as it can be never achieved. Even much more dangerous is the desire to posses something better than what you already have. There is nothing wrong in possessing what you desired and get done with it rather than keep on desiring to posses as that desire can lead you to sinful activity if its not within your means.That sort of contentment will cause cancer
But seriously, I find myself enjoying a period of contentment with each step, then it slowly fades and helped along by the reviews and stuff I read and chats well meaning friends, FMs posts, I am off in a new quest that slowly becomes definite, purposeful and creates an impact on the bank balance.
Its really about realising whats missing in a system. The day one feels that he doesnt really miss anything more in a system and feels that no kind of upgrade will cause more happiness in him, that day is the day of contentment. Yes it can happen if you really love music (not sound), it requires lot of patience and effort on your part. A good system will go out of the picture the moment you play it and will offer you something to wow every time and it will make you listen and appreciate music. Each and every upcoming note and beat will make your heart dance more and more, you will find yourself constantly saying "kya bajta hai yaar" even for songs that are etched in your mind.
And the Pro's repeat the same mistake.The zero's don't matter ssf'ji
Yelamanchili manohar
Well-Known Member
I just came across this wicked idea , go DIY
You've just broken your back building a speaker, and it actually sucks. So choice is to break your back even more building an other one , or be content with your first project : D
You've just broken your back building a speaker, and it actually sucks. So choice is to break your back even more building an other one , or be content with your first project : D
One can be content with a system for life. And, finding and retaining that “end game” system is something we all look for. I’ve my own thoughts on this.
I’ve had the same speakers since I’ve ever started around six years. So, is the power amp and the headphones. There were minor changes to the pre-amp section due to a failure. Although, I have had some areas of discontentment, I’ve stayed off from upgrading. While my speakers remained the same, I did add an amplifier. This was supposed to be complimentary addition than a substitution. (An SS next to a tube). The new amplifier elevated the experience to a different level. I’ve realised what I’ve missed for so long.
One thing that helped me is that through experience, I’ve developed a sense of appreciation and of evaluating a system. And more importantly, I’ve a better clarity on what I’m looking for. I understood that certain systems have constraints and work for certain genre of music.
There is nothing wrong with upgrading a system. The key is moderation and everyone can set their own limits. I’d say 5 years is a good number.
At the beginning one might upgrade more often. With a set of upgrades, hopefully, one can arrive at that system they are content with. Moreover, after a point, there are diminishing returns.
Finding that “end game” system takes a series of experimentations. We learn to evaluate a system, appreciate music and understand what is lacking. Our tastes evolve as we age. New styles of music arrive. No single system can tick all the preferences, work with all genres.
One needs to have a good reason to upgrade and clarity on the requirement; rather than a vague “scratch the itch”.
I should say that I do explore new systems while being content. Personally, the journey of searching for an upgrade gives something to look for. It might be several years ahead but it keeps me optimistic and hopeful for the life ahead.
I’ve had the same speakers since I’ve ever started around six years. So, is the power amp and the headphones. There were minor changes to the pre-amp section due to a failure. Although, I have had some areas of discontentment, I’ve stayed off from upgrading. While my speakers remained the same, I did add an amplifier. This was supposed to be complimentary addition than a substitution. (An SS next to a tube). The new amplifier elevated the experience to a different level. I’ve realised what I’ve missed for so long.
One thing that helped me is that through experience, I’ve developed a sense of appreciation and of evaluating a system. And more importantly, I’ve a better clarity on what I’m looking for. I understood that certain systems have constraints and work for certain genre of music.
There is nothing wrong with upgrading a system. The key is moderation and everyone can set their own limits. I’d say 5 years is a good number.
At the beginning one might upgrade more often. With a set of upgrades, hopefully, one can arrive at that system they are content with. Moreover, after a point, there are diminishing returns.
Finding that “end game” system takes a series of experimentations. We learn to evaluate a system, appreciate music and understand what is lacking. Our tastes evolve as we age. New styles of music arrive. No single system can tick all the preferences, work with all genres.
One needs to have a good reason to upgrade and clarity on the requirement; rather than a vague “scratch the itch”.
I should say that I do explore new systems while being content. Personally, the journey of searching for an upgrade gives something to look for. It might be several years ahead but it keeps me optimistic and hopeful for the life ahead.
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