John Frum
New member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2013
- Messages
- 1
- Thread Author
- #1
Hello folks!
I'm new to Audio Shark, but not necessarily new to audio. I'm 30 and my fascination with audio equipment developed about eight years ago, and grew out of being a music nerd since I was a teenager and spending close to a decade behind the counter at record stores.
I don't know if I'm going to fit in well here because I'm an unrepentant scrounger. I've never had any disposable income to speak of, and all the really fine gear I've owned, I got cheap and had to move along when times got tough.
I tend to gravitate towards vintage gear, partly because I'm frugal, and partly because vintage/used is so much a part of my lifestyle otherwise. I can't afford to go out and buy the things I'd like to own new, and I'm a big fan of both mid-century aesthetics and the souls of used items.
I think of myself as a modern-day cargo cultist (hence the screen name). If I live my life right, desirable and useful goods will come to me.
I spent a few years working in various positions for a well-known mail order electronics business, and know a thing or two about modern gear and how the audio industry operates. I am not predisposed against new or high-end audio by any means, but I can't afford to dabble much and have a very low tolerance for snakeoil.
If it sounds like I'm a prime candidate for another well-known, well-established audio forum, you'd be right. I've been a member for seven years and have 3000+ posts under my belt. I've seen that community change drastically in that time, and anymore, my feelings about it are deeply conflicted. On one hand, I enjoy that it's such a vast repository of knowledge and nearly any question I have can be answered. On the other hand, so many questions have been asked and answered so many times, and the community has grown so large, that it's hard to wade through the BS.
I can see how, at the other forum, the anti-snobbery and opposition to anything that isn't a 100+ wpc vintage receiver gets old for those with the means to move beyond them. I plan to stay at that other forum, because I see the value in what it does offer, but I'm a lot less enthusiastic about investing my time and money in their community. A lot of the people I used to connect with or respect on that forum have either moved along by choice, been banned, or been banned by choice. Some of them are here, and one recent defection in particular (shout-out to JohnVF and his spectacular farewell) was the catalyst for my looking for a new place to hang my audio hat.
I hope you won't mind if I don't have a lot of interest in (by my own standards) spendy gear. You'll never see me bristle at cost alone, though, because nice things tend to be expensive. By the same token, I hope you'll be able to see the value in what I bring to the table, and understand I may not share your priorities in gear, by choice or necessity.
I look forward to getting to know you all better, and I already like the friendly, close atmosphere here.
I'm a little taken aback by the "sexy" avatars, and see them as sort of unfriendly in and of themselves. I think I've got a tarted-up version of mine here somewhere, though...
I'm new to Audio Shark, but not necessarily new to audio. I'm 30 and my fascination with audio equipment developed about eight years ago, and grew out of being a music nerd since I was a teenager and spending close to a decade behind the counter at record stores.
I don't know if I'm going to fit in well here because I'm an unrepentant scrounger. I've never had any disposable income to speak of, and all the really fine gear I've owned, I got cheap and had to move along when times got tough.
I tend to gravitate towards vintage gear, partly because I'm frugal, and partly because vintage/used is so much a part of my lifestyle otherwise. I can't afford to go out and buy the things I'd like to own new, and I'm a big fan of both mid-century aesthetics and the souls of used items.
I think of myself as a modern-day cargo cultist (hence the screen name). If I live my life right, desirable and useful goods will come to me.
I spent a few years working in various positions for a well-known mail order electronics business, and know a thing or two about modern gear and how the audio industry operates. I am not predisposed against new or high-end audio by any means, but I can't afford to dabble much and have a very low tolerance for snakeoil.
If it sounds like I'm a prime candidate for another well-known, well-established audio forum, you'd be right. I've been a member for seven years and have 3000+ posts under my belt. I've seen that community change drastically in that time, and anymore, my feelings about it are deeply conflicted. On one hand, I enjoy that it's such a vast repository of knowledge and nearly any question I have can be answered. On the other hand, so many questions have been asked and answered so many times, and the community has grown so large, that it's hard to wade through the BS.
I can see how, at the other forum, the anti-snobbery and opposition to anything that isn't a 100+ wpc vintage receiver gets old for those with the means to move beyond them. I plan to stay at that other forum, because I see the value in what it does offer, but I'm a lot less enthusiastic about investing my time and money in their community. A lot of the people I used to connect with or respect on that forum have either moved along by choice, been banned, or been banned by choice. Some of them are here, and one recent defection in particular (shout-out to JohnVF and his spectacular farewell) was the catalyst for my looking for a new place to hang my audio hat.
I hope you won't mind if I don't have a lot of interest in (by my own standards) spendy gear. You'll never see me bristle at cost alone, though, because nice things tend to be expensive. By the same token, I hope you'll be able to see the value in what I bring to the table, and understand I may not share your priorities in gear, by choice or necessity.
I look forward to getting to know you all better, and I already like the friendly, close atmosphere here.
I'm a little taken aback by the "sexy" avatars, and see them as sort of unfriendly in and of themselves. I think I've got a tarted-up version of mine here somewhere, though...
