Pleasure

[jdandy]

It's all about pleasure. We constantly talk about audio components, cables, tweaks, speakers, acoustic treatments, isolation, digital, analog, and on and on. We boast of audible improvements as we advance our way through product after product in an unending search for audio nirvana. Ultimately though, it all boils down to one thing. It is pleasure we seek, that special feeling of happy satisfaction. It is the gratification and contentment we experience from our audio systems that drive us toward that ever elusive, nearly unobtainable goal of complete fulfillment. It isn't about better this or that, higher highs or lower lows, it is about pleasure, the ultimate end game of all our audio system endeavors.

Our sense of self-esteem is rewarded through our ears, eyes, touch, and emotions as we interact with our sound systems. The pleasure of this experience reinforces our sense of personal identity, thus pleasure is gained from recognition of one's achievement. Yes, we go on and on about the large, small, precise, even trivial details of our sound systems, but that is not the bottom line. It is the intense quest for pleasure that motivates us. The rest is just something for us to talk about.

 

[AJ Soundfield]

Including masochism?

 

[jdandy]

AJ.......Thanks for the chuckle. Yes, I think there's a dose of that in there, too.

 

[Mike]

It’s about the journey, not the destination.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mike Lavigne]

why do i spend time/enjoy/take pleasure sitting in my backyard garden watching the bees on my lavender on a warm afternoon? i seem to connect to something that brings good feelings.

it reminds me of my music listening.

and honestly, i really don't want to understand or define why i like to do either thing. i just absorb the moments.

 

[Randy Myers]

To me it is my relaxation... one of the most pleasurable ways to wash away the stress, trials, and tribulations of the day.

 

[LenWhite]

Listening to well reproduced music is one of life's great pleasures. Particularly when one doesn't have access to local live unamplified orchestral music very often.

 

[jdandy]

Listening to well reproduced music is one of life's great pleasures.

LenWhite.......I agree. Music is one of life's great pleasures. It is also universal across all cultures. When shared, music creates bonds between people. Music can make you smile, make you cry, and all the emotions in between. It is powerful and can instantly pull distant memories back into perfect focus like a bookmark. Whether live or reproduced, music captures our soul, grips us emotionally, and brings pleasure to our lives. I can't imagine the world without music.

Audiophiles, or audio enthusiasts if you prefer, are not so dissimilar to those who do not share our intense passion for lifelike, accurate audio reproduction in our homes. For many all it takes to get their foot tapping is something as simple as a tabletop or battery operated transistor radio, or ear buds and their smartphone. It is the music that moves us, all of us. As audio enthusiasts, we simply take reproduction of music more seriously, although I am not positive we are more fulfilled by the experience than those less committed to our obsession. The pleasure is in the music for all to share.

 

[joeinid]

Amen Dan, very well said.

 

[TheOctopus]

LenWhite.......I agree. Music is one of life's great pleasures. It is also universal across all cultures. When shared, music creates bonds between people. Music can make you smile, make you cry, and all the emotions in between. It is powerful and can instantly pull distant memories back into perfect focus like a bookmark. Whether live or reproduced, music captures your soul, grips us emotionally, and brings pleasure to our lives. I can't imagine the world without music.

Audiophiles, or audio enthusiasts if you prefer, are not so dissimilar to those who do not share our intense passion for lifelike, accurate audio reproduction in our homes. For many all it takes to get their foot tapping is something as simple as a tabletop or battery operated transistor radio, or ear buds and their smartphone. It is the music that moves us, all of us. As audio enthusiasts, we simply take reproduction of music more seriously, although I am not positive we are more fulfilled by the experience than those less committed to our obsession. The pleasure is in the music for all to share.

Well said Dan. I have to say that for me personally, the most "pleasurable" moments while listening to music did not necessarily involve a mega-buck investment.
I will never forget those magical listening sessions with a simple pair of Sennheiser 600 cans and an Earmax triode OTL with Telefunken tubes as a headphone amp.
I've never been so deeply moved to the core by those magical listening sessions well into the wee-hours of the morning. Maybe it was the younger age, maybe it was my beginning stages of appreciation for Jazz and Blues, perhaps something else. The point is, for me it wasn't always about the "gear", nor the quest for "better sound" but the Music itself. I did find myself chasing the elusive pinnacle of high end systems later in life but those magic listening sessions of a simple but "engaging" music reproduction system was all that was really needed in retrospect. No regrets but lesson learned, value of "pleasure" is not necessarily measured in dollars spent.

 

[Andik777]

To me it is my relaxation... one of the most pleasurable ways to wash away the stress, trials, and tribulations of the day.

+1

 

[UltraFast69]

Pleasure is Audio; just don’t lose site of the discipline of moderation!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jdandy]

Well said Dan. I have to say that for me personally, the most "pleasurable" moments while listening to music did not necessarily involve a mega-buck investment.

Serge.......I agree. I still fondly remember the many times I spent cleaning one of my motorcycles while enjoying music on a small Radio Shack transistor radio. Even though I have two excellent high-end systems in my home along with two vintage sound systems, and two separate 5.1 surround sound systems, I still enjoy working in the garage where I am entertained by my GE Super Radio. If you haven't heard that radio, it sounds great and is inexpensive. I don't even think about the radio when I am in the garage. I just enjoy the music. Like you said, listening to music does not necessarily involve a mega-buck investment.