the contemporary shopping lifestyle

Guest post by author Robert Wayne

There is an old Latin saying, “musica delenit bestiam feram” we know this common saying better as “music soothes the savage beast.” Very few would deny this claim, and if, in fact, music can sooth the savage beast imagine what it can do for you. In the information age music is coursing through the veins of society with more intensity then nearly any period in human history, music is more readily available and more convenient then ever before. Compound that by social networking sites like myspace and facebook allowing unknown bands to promote themselves and feed their music to millions who would otherwise never heard of them or their music. While we’re on the subject of social networking sites, an interest in music is a recurring theme on virtually everyones profile. I think it’s safe to say that music plays an important part in all our lives, I’ve only met one person in my life who claimed he truly didn’t like music, though I found him happily bouncing around to a song on more then one occasion. Music can pump you up before or during a sporting event, it can calm you on a hectic day, it can add an extra dimension to a romantic encounter and it can comfort you when your heartbroken. The question I have for you, is are you getting enough enjoyment from your music? Yes, we all claim to love music and have favorite bands and performers, so why not take your enjoyment to the next level? Through out this article, and the series that are to follow, I will lay the foundation for you to take your enjoyment to another level and find your listening Nirvana.

I have been branded with the title as an Audiophile, one that I don’t particularly care for but I won’t deny it. More accurately I would label myself as a Musicphile, I love music and quality reproduction of the music only heightens my satisfaction. Many audiophiles lose track of this, they become so obsessed with the equipment and the journey that the forget why they are doing it and instead of creating a way to improve the quality of their musical satisfaction they create a shrine to their stereo equipment. I’m not saying they are wrong, but perhaps a little misguided, they have lost sight of what brought them down this path. I would encourage all of you to remember the music, the reason you build a nice stereo is to enjoy music. That is not to say that the journey can’t be fun or that the equipment has to be boring, in fact I feel that both can add to the whole experience, just don’t let them eclipse your goal.

Before you jump into auditioning equipment and deciding what will suit your requirements best you should know a few basic lessons. As an audiophile I wish someone sat me down 12 years ago, the time I first had an interest in audio, and shared this with me. It would have saved me a lot of money, and I would have been happier along the way. The first thing you must know, there is no right or wrong when it comes to selecting components or tweaks, what satisfies one listener may not satisfy another. No system is purchased all at one time, it develops over time and changes as your needs, wants and desires do. There is no shame in having a system under construction for years and years, chipping away as you are comfortable. Spending more does not always mean you are getting more, generally in life “you get what you pay for” but in audio that may not be true. The law of diminishing returns kicks in quickly in audio, as my mentor once told me the difference between good and great is not that big and costs around $100k. For those not familiar with the law of diminishing returns it is best described as a production system with fixed and variable inputs, beyond some point, each additional unit of variable input yields less and less additional output; in other words that last little bit costs exponentially more then everything leading up to that level. Most importantly, you have to be honest with yourself, while to many that is a foolish thing to have to say, many audiophiles can easily be swayed by pushy sales people and curt reviewers, remember you have to please yourself and no one else, do what makes you happiest.

In articles to come I’m going to break down a system into it’s core pieces in an effort to help you find what will fit best in your life, from cables, to sources, to TV’s, processors, amps and speakers. In the mean time I will leave you with some options and let them digest completely before you jump to any conclusions. Think about what your dream system would consist of, are you a two channel person or do you want the multi-channel/theater experience? Do you want a TV of some sort in the system? Large speakers or smaller speakers? What sources do you want, CD player, record player, tuner, music server, gaming systems? Before you just start purchasing components it’s best of have an idea of where you want to go, so you can have a game plan, even if only a mental one, of what order of purchasing would best suit you and to prevent any missteps. At first glance the realm of hi-fi can be overwhelming, don’t let it scare you, after you answer a few basic questions you can weed out over half the products without a second thought. After a few more details you can narrow it down to a small handful of serious options. Think about what you want a system to do and over the course of the next few weeks, as these articles continue to develop, you should have a much better idea of how to make it happen.

Part 2 is now posted:  Speakers, the Beginning of the Voyage