I get the attitude about hifi from family and some friends. The ones who don’t have a hifi themselves. I’ve come up with a very good response to the “are you hifi poor” statement. Several of them have made it easy to fire back.
I just ask them how much they spent on that car? A lot of them are driving Volvos. Very nice cars but they start at 65-70K maybe higher recently. I just looked at a Ford Bronco that was 50K. So I point out that they most likely will not own that car in perfect working condition in 30 years. Most of my cables, my amp and speakers are over thirty years old, and all still pristine. I’ll be replacing that amp and speakers soon and I won’t be spending 65k on them. The old kit will be retired to my studio.
It’s been my experience over around 50 years of buying audio/hi-fi equipment that most people just don’t “get it”. My best mate through my teens and 20’s never did. He accepted it and didn’t make disparaging comments about my purchases but even though he had some interest in music he could never understand why I would want to spend so much money on this stuff. He listened to my system many times and thought it sounded great, but still thought I was off my rocker for spending so much.
Non-audiophiles tend to regard us as hopeless eccentrics who are to be derided and pitied. We don’t help our case by spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on things like racks, cables and mains blocks. Any non-sudiophile would regard the purchase of a £2K mains block as being grounds for needing psychiatric attention. Many audiophiles would too if truth be told. I’ve spent far more than that on my mains blocks. Despite loving what they do, even I sometimes think it’s all a bit OTT. So I do actually sympathise with non-audiophiles and their views. Still, many of these would probably think nothing of blowing really big money on a luxury holiday which for me is just a complete waste. Each to their own.
I’ve been lucky in that I found ProMusica in Chicago over 30 years ago. I’ve purchased all my gear from them. Because they are honest and have good ears. One of them (Ken) was a recording engineer for Naim. What that’s done for me is I haven’t had to take chances with my purchases. They do all the work for you and you can get a great hifi without spending enormous amounts of money. I’ve never been disappointed with any of their suggestions.
Three years ago I replaced my cd player and DAc. I picked up the Naim core and a Questyle 15 DAc. I just contacted them about new interconnects, amp, and speakers as they are 30 years old. I told them I have a 20k budget. They came back with suggestions that are under 10k, enough said!
Many many years ago this is how it used to be for the Naim and Linn ranges. When those were very much simpler than now. The next step up the ladder was obvious and didn’t require any thought. If you were a believer that is. So if you had a 42/110 for example you would be aspiring to a 32/Hicap/250. Maybe via a 160. If you had Kans then you would be aiming for Saras or Isobariks. All this assuming you had an LP12/Ittok/Asak already. No thought required and the only obstacle was money - or rather the lack of it. So simple back then.
It was simple and it still is providing you’re the kind of person who enjoys music on vinyl & can exercise self control. Digits complicate things a little bit I guess (obsolescence) but the Linn/Naim/Linn system from the 80s still plays beautiful music. What more would anyone want?
Add: these remain the best speakers I’ve ever heard. They may not be the best, given a lot of water has passed under the bridge since I heard a pair, but in my mind they are. Would love a pair but they’ve never been a practical option so they remain a fond memory.
I once had quite a long listening session with the ESL 57’s. I thought they were absolutely striking in some ways, mainly being the complete lack of any box type colouration which in comparison makes every box speaker I’ve ever heard sound broken. Despite this I don’t think I could live with them. They appealed more to my head than my heart. Much like the LS3/5a, I greatly admired them for their obvious very fine qualities but they failed to really engage me with the music. A superb hi-fi speaker for sure, but to me, not really a music speaker. I know that won’t make sense to a lot of people, but I know what I mean and hopefully so at least do some others here.
Makes considerable sense to me. About 2 years ago a fellow audiophile I met on a forum invited me for a day of listening at their place. An ordinary suburban semi revealed itself to be as a hiding place for lots interesting kit. Out came the 57s.
I can’t really say I “got it” at first but the more we moved them into the room the more they made sense. They did so much stuff better than anything else I’d heard. They were astonishing. I became even more enamoured when we moved from EL84s to EL34s and then 2A3s. In many ways you could see exactly why people clamour after them etc.
On the other hand, as enjoyable and obviously accurate as they were, it struck me after a few hours that they allowed you a profound insight into the music and how it was put together but didn’t entirely engage you.
Totem speakers & specifically the Model One. I went to a Heathrow hi fi show when they were held there in the 80’s and discovered a smallish room with a guy called Vince Bruzzese pretty much on his own playing music to show off the speakers. To say I was transfixed was putting it mildly and I didn’t leave the room for quite some time with Vince just playing music. Awesome speakers with a great sound signature for its relatively small size - I can’t remember the amplification unfortunately. I still have the itch.
My AR-XA which was the first good table I ever had. It was “74” I think and I was in high school. Had a Stanton 621EEE or 681EEE? on it. I must have player Dark side of the Moon, Barnstorm, and Eat a Peach about a million times on that table. I don’t know why I sold it. I moved away and lived in Chicago for forty years. After I retired I moved back and one day I saw one for sale locally. I went and bought it even though I’d probably get a Rega if I got serious about having a table again, ( j have vinyl ripped hires to my server). I just like it siting there where I can see it. I payed more for this one than I did mine new!
