[baskingshark]

Hi friends, hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these difficult times.

Anyways, as per the title, do you feel sometimes that we may be too fixated with our audio gear (eg source, transducer types, even cables/tips and music remastering type)? Rather than just sitting back and chilling to the music? I admit I'm guilty of that sometimes. I'm trying to tell myself at the end of the day, it is about the music, but now it seems like the tail is wagging the dog haha.

Sometimes I even define an audiophile as someone who buys audio gear to listen to the music. Rather than buying music to listen with our gear. Any thoughts/opinions??

 

[Krassi]

Totally agree (listening cheap koss kph30i on my hiby r3 while typing)
Whats so absurd especially in places like this is that you are constantly told that what you like is actually crap

You need to hit the brake sometimes to see that the best thing is what you have and not what you dondt have

 

[SilverEars]

I do this due to the way headphones express sounds differently. I have a setup that does electronic real well and tend to listen to electeonic a lot with it. Another for jazz. Another for pop and bass heavy music. So, the headphones causes what you listen to more of due to they way the headphone presents music.

But in general, vocals is important across the board. If vocal sounds crappy, I will likely not keep the headphone.

I find it's impoetant to have a headphone that makes your favorite artists and genre sound it's best.

 

[SilverEars]

Totally agree (listening cheap koss kph30i on my hiby r3 while typing)
Whats so absurd especially in places like this is that you are constantly told that what you like is actually crap

You need to hit the brake sometimes to see that the best thing is what you have and not what you dondt have

Yes, listen to what makes your head bob or what energizes you, not what you sjould listen to. There is no wrong music, but just what one likes.

For the most part, we will naturally listen to what we like.

 

[baskingshark]

I do this due to the way headphones express sounds differently. I have a setup that does electronic real well and tend to listen to electeonic a lot with it. Another for jazz. Another for pop and bass heavy music. So, the headphones causes what you listen to more of due to they way the headphone presents music.

But in general, vocals is important across the board. If vocal sounds crappy, I will likely not keep the headphone.

I find it's impoetant to have a headphone that makes your favorite artists and genre sound it's best.

Agreed, I have a few IEMs for different music genres and moods. Also have some for home use (poorer isolation or maybe need amping) and some that do better with isolation for transit use.

 

[FastAndClean]

yes

 

[redrol]

As soon as it happens to me, I stop and forget the gear for awhile. Collect some new music. Rock out.

 

[Sam L]

it may certainly feel like the gear takes the focus, instead of the music, but in the end we're in the pursuit of perfection in sound and so our wallet's suffering is unending. I'm big on equalizing my gear because I like consistency between my desktop and phones. That primarily is centered on making sure my music is being honored first and foremost. I keep adding earphones (mainly buds, nowadays) because even if I try to shape the graph to my preference, there is still plenty of variation in sound to warrant the pursuit of snapping up items. and it helps that buds are, in general, cheap!

 

[maira]

Well, this forum is about gear, not music....

 

[jwbrent]

Only when I’m reviewing do I put my critical cap on, otherwise, I sit back and enjoy the music.

 

[kumar402]

It's the Synergy that matters. Try listening to ZMF or Senns on THX789 vs a good tube amp. So sometime hardware makes a headphone excel and make music more engaging. Also there are music first audiophile and then there are gear first audiophile who are always on quest for gear synergy or mod.

 

[MrDelicious]

I don't see why you can't do both. I acquire and listen to IEM's as a hobby so evaluating those is in itself fun. And sometimes I'll listen to music and not think about the hardware at all.

It's kinda like how I enjoy doing a sex at my wife but sometimes I like watching porn as well. You know?

 

[ChrisHeld1989]

In my case i listen more to the gear than the music. I can't enjoy music in the same way as other peoples does. They listen to the music and enjoy the beat, the lyrics, the emotions in somebodys voice and so on. My brain always try to analyse every note, tone, frequency, echo, delay and so on. I can only enjoy music when all that things sound absolutely correct and my brain tells me there is no error. I can only enjoy music, when i have the "perfect" gear. Sometimes i wish i could enjoy music as other people, get sucked in into the sounds, dream and dance to that.

 

[SilverEars]

In my case i listen more to the gear than the music. I can't enjoy music in the same way as other peoples does. They listen to the music and enjoy the beat, the lyrics, the emotions in somebodys voice and so on. My brain always try to analyse every note, tone, frequency, echo, delay and so on. I can only enjoy music when all that things sound absolutely correct and my brain tells me there is no error. I can only enjoy music, when i have the "perfect" gear. Sometimes i wish i could enjoy music as other people, get sucked in into the sounds, dream and dance to that.

I can understand how that is like. I'm like that in a certain way. I probably have some sort of ADD that I do not concentrate on the narrative or lyrical content, but the other extraneous stuff, particularly how my OLED presents in quality or how various amps and headphones present the quality, and tend to listen more to genres that the quality is presented superbly. So, my mind tend to be attentive on sound qualities, not the content.

But also I am more of an artistic type so I pay attention much to beauty of how it's done, beauty of the design or how the sound was mastered. Once again, not the content. Lol

So, a vocal artist's expression I pay attent to, not the content. Also, melody of thr tracks I tend to appreciate,m along with vocal talent. So, in this respect, the artisric expression must be something I csn get into.

Our minds are finite, and we cannot be attentive to everything. So, we all have certain aspects of the world we are attentive to. It could be unsophisticated to those think they appreciate higher art, but I may find qualities I like in it(the melody, composition, vocal qualities). So, what you like cannot be wrong.

I think scientifically, our tastes in styles depends on exposures of styles during our development cycle, and we all don't get exposed to similar stuff,but different due to various backgrounds.

I was one of those kids that would drift off and think about of stuff while somebody is lecturing. Lol

 

[Ryokan]

When you've found gear that pairs really well together, enjoy, don't fall into the trap of thinking you can do even better (unless you're rich or work in a hi-fi store)