Gear Swapping vs. Gear Hugging

mep

mep

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I didn't want to derail the "Monday Morning Musings" thread so I thought I would start a new thread to discuss "Gear Swapping vs. Gear Hugging." I confess I never heard of those two terms the way they were meant when I read them in the "Musings" thread. I confess that I never spent anytime before asking myself what camp I'm in. If you asked my wife, she would tell you that I swap gear so fast that it looks like a David Copperfield illusion. Compared to some of you guys, I hug gear so tight you would think it was some long lost love.

As for Mike's comment about our hobby being a journey and not a destination, I couldn't agree more and even people who would be considered gear huggers in comparison to some others would agree to some extent I would think. I know that I always want to make my system better and over the years have invested what I could afford to bring about what I hoped would be improvements to my system. And anyone who says they have never bought a piece of gear that was worse or no better than the gear it replaced is either lucky, lying, deaf, or delusional.

I think the rub for some people with regards to gear swappers (past the jealousy part of some people having the disposable income to buy pretty much anything they want anytime they want) is how quickly gear is being bought and sold. I've read more than a few comments on AS from people who said they can't keep up with how fast some guys are buying and selling gear. And these comments aren't said in a mean-spirited way, they are just telling the truth. It does seem like sometimes you are just saying "congrats" and before you blink an eye you are saying "GLWS" which I confess I never saw that acronym before I came to AS.

For many people, the key to hopefully semi-long-term satisfaction is building a system in steps where you keep trying to build on the strengths of your system. If you are constantly swapping out all of your gear, you truly have no reference system. You can call it a reference system because it's made up of reference caliber components, but you haven't had all of the gear together long enough to understand what each piece is bringing to the table before you are selling it and starting over again. It's hard to figure out how you can make rational judgements about how a new component sounds when it is surrounded by a bunch of other new components that haven't had time to even break in yet let alone let you form definitive opinions about how they sound. It's not too much different than me going to an audio show and sitting down and passing judgement on a bunch of gear I know little about-especially when put together as a system.

When Mike said that selling gear is no fun, that was the understatement of the century and you don't even have to be a gear swapper to understand that. Taking pictures of the gear, accurately describing the condition in order to keep anal retentive types happy, packing it up, shipping it after the sale, taking a beating on the price unless you are buying at accommodation prices and then dumping it on the used market, and paying all of the fees is no fun. If you are shipping large/heavy items, multiply the pain in the ass factor by 10. Due to an accident at Fed Ex, I ruptured a bicep tendon when I sold an ARC amp. Talk about no fun...

I recently (for me) bought a brand new ARC Ref 5SE and Ref 75 (March 2014). I also bought a pair of Nola KOs in March, but I have not received them yet which is another story. Those are 3 big building blocks of any system. I have no plans to dump my ARC gear anytime in the near future. I haven't had a chance to listen to all of the gear together yet, but I certainly hope I feel the same way about the KOs when they arrive and break in. Does that mean that down the road I won't be buying other gear? Absolutely not. But I guess I'm going to hug it for awhile. Unlike what Jax said, I don't believe the purpose of this hobby is to constantly swap gear and never truly have a reference system to enjoy your music with. I think the purpose of the hobby is to build a system that allows you to enjoy your music collection. Improvements in audio gear don't come with breakneck speed with the exception of DACs. All other electronics and speakers come with a much slower trend line for meaningful improvements IMO. Gear swapping is a hobby unto itself, and a damn expensive one at that.
 
Great post. Basically agree with everything you said. There's no question that gear can sometimes be swapped way too quickly. It is fun to buy new stuff. There is adrenaline involved. It can be addictive. I agree that buying just for the thrill of getting something new is not a good practice. I tend to keep most gear 3 to 6 months before turning it over. But I am guilty of selling fast if I've got two of something and one is the clear winner. Two things help me from going over board. One, I can't afford to have 3 of everything. I can really only afford one "mid-price" system. And Two, I'm a minimalist by nature. I can't stand redundancy. So having a preamp just sitting in the back of my listening room unused bugs me. So I will sell it.

Extremes in all things should be avoided. Gear swapping is no exception.
 
Amen mep,

But color me a gear hugger by choice, as I'd much rather spend my time understanding the strengths and weaknesses of any given component before moving onto something else, regardless of price, and for me it's more or less as you've said - if " my system " moves me emotionally, and allows me to thrown any genre of music at it, and play it all extremely well to " my ears ", why then change a thing?, either one buys components to move them without doubt?, or one seems in constant search of the illusion of TAS!, and can't admit to themselves, all components have comprises, it's merely a matter of re-learning how to focus ones attention upon the music, as opposed to the sound of the boxes/components in question.


I mean has the sound changed that much from someone's once beloved purchase over the course of a mere few weeks/months, before it's sold?, and replaced with something's that's hopefully better?, which should've been heard in their systems to begin with!, all to often some merely get bored with things faster then some, and it's nice if you're able to afford it and all, but in reality it also shows you didn't know what to listen for?, or how the pieces were meant to be put together in any given room, with room being the main objective here, as I've seen plenty of my wealthier friends just purchase items they felt would fit into this or that room, but to my mind, should've been allowed near their neighborhood, not along their listening space.

But like you, I tend to live with things long enough to know what it's doing correctly, or not?, then decide only then which would be the logical route to pursue, it's not hard to know whether or not a combination of components sound like music or not!, it's just a matter of which compromises are we willing to live with long term?, much like our wives, as quiet as it's kept, didn't we select someone whom we felt connected to, more so then someone else whom might've made our lives a living hell?. Hence my rational thinking behind getting to know any said component or person before committing to them or something/someone else, you might actually end up doing worse. But those are the chances we all take in life as well as our shared hobby.
 
I really don't understand why how long someone hangs onto their gear even matters except some people have to be yentas.

It ain't Code Blue and people are in this hobby for many reasons. All that matters is that one is happy.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
I really don't understand why how long someone hangs onto their gear even matters except some people have to be yentas.

It ain't Code Blue and people are in this hobby for many reasons. All that matters is that one is happy.
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A hearty +1.
 
Wow! When I see it in black and white, it puts things into more perspective.

I love buying. Most of the time I hate selling gear (especially lately and definitely hate the thought of shipping speakers). I also don't like to see gear off to the side not being used. But when I get the itch, I hook it up for a change and all is forgotten.

I will confess that I don't think I can ever be happy with just one system, no matter how "perfect" it sounds. I do love the variety.

Knowing my Strads are on the way is enough to make me pause, however I do not plan on canceling my Harbeth 40.1's. I've heard the Strads enough to know they are my "destination" speakers. All the gear that I have now (and the one or two more in the future), I believe, will sound great on my Strads, each with a different flavor. In my case, that variety will keep me happy/occupied.

There is no doubt that the hunt for a new piece can be fun and the initial unboxing and setup very exciting. I think I listen to music differently than most members here. I love music playing virtually ALL the time. It is rare that I sit still, transfixed on every single note, obsessing about how "right, correct or live" my system sounds. All I ask is, do I love what I hear? Almost always, the answer is yes. Soon the answer will always be yes.

For the most part, my major purchases are done. Another amp (or two) very possible, another source most probably (the Lumin S1 is on the list), and better cables. :)

I'm turning the corner from gear swapper to gear hugger. It's all good.
 
Mark, that was a well written and thought out post, one of the best I've read in a long time !


I wonder what camp I'm in ............:D
 
MDP said:
Mark, that was a well written and thought out post, one of the best I've read in a long time !


I wonder what camp I'm in ............:D
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yo may be a hugger but since you just changed out alot of gear, im not so sure that applies anymore. :D

im a bargain swapper.lol. unlike most i love selling gear because that means im buying gear. i love to wheel and deal to better my system and try to do it with sales and as little cash in hand as possible. ive went backwards and forwards and sideways so many times i cant even count. some times it cost me money to fix a mistake. sometimes i better my setup and make a couple dollars in the process. its all in good fun and i wouldnt have it any other way. change is good, and even if i dont think the change is better than before its still different and i can respect that.
all in all i love the music and i love the gear.
my plan is almost done, a few more small things to get and adding a second pair of the right speakers and ill b happy for awhile and just stock up on records and tubes.
 
Petro85 said:
a few more small things to get and adding a second pair of the right speakers and ill b happy for awhile and just stock up on records and tubes.
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And that's another thing...gear swappers always think they're "almost done".

Let me state publicly, that I am NOT "almost done".
 
MDP said:
Mark, that was a well written and thought out post, one of the best I've read in a long time !


I wonder what camp I'm in ............:D
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Mark-Thanks for the kind words-I appreciate it.
 
I’m a music lover and audiophile equipment is a means to acquire that music nirvana which I have a pleasure to experience with my current selection of equipment and a dedicated listening room. I don’t see myself swapping out any equipment for a long time so I would have to say I’m a very HAPPY gear hugger and proud of it! :audiophile:
 
I'm not sure which side I fall on. I'm far more interested in the music and what I sense and feel when listening to it. If it sounds good don't fix it is my motto. In other words, if I'm feeling the music through listening then what I got is good enough and then some. By feeling, I do not mean bass or big beats through sub woofers (hate that), I mean how I listen to music personally. I don't just use my ears, I use my whole being.
On the other side I have a vintage system with 4 different receivers that I occasionally switch out and each has a very distinctive different sound. (My favorite is my Sansui). I don't swap any other gear and am certainly not into swapping like most other folks here. I don't have the facilities or money for that anyway and I am absolutely not into selling gear anymore. I did it for a little while when I got into vintage (you know buying one thing then turning around and selling it to get another thing), but those days are long done for me. It's gotten far too hostile these days for my taste.
Hmm, so I guess I come closer to Gear hugger and certainly appreciate what I have, but then again in general, while I appreciate the aesthetic value of some pieces and appreciate fabulous sounding and performing pieces and all, I'm just not into the gear itself. I'd rather hear and enjoy the music.
 
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