bluegrassphile
Member
- Thread Author
- #1
Just curious if there has ever been a thread posted here about audio psychology? It seems to me it would be a very broad and rich topic for learning about the psychology of high end audio. It's also a very complex topic. Many books have been authored about acoustic psychology. But to narrow things down a might I'm thinking more along the lines of the psychology of choosing audio components.
To me it's a very interesting topic for discussion. Especially as I'm just now sifting through voluminous bits of information so as to be able to make good choices regarding components. I do this trying very hard to keep as much of an open mind as possible. However, that keeping an open mind part can be very difficult. I've read through threads where I felt the poster/s had researched their information very well and made wise choices. I've read through others where I had a strong suspicion that the poster had let biases enter into their choices. I'm not interested in citing any posts or coming down on specific people for allowing bias to enter into their decisions. Why? Because at one time or another I've been that person.
It applies to all kinds of products from guitars to amps, cars motorcycles, you name it. I've let bias influence my decisions. Over the years I would like to say that I've gotten better at gathering information and sussing out BS. I think I have with most things. Not so much with others. It's really all about not letting emotions enter into your decisions. As a bluegrass guitar/banjo/mandolin player and band member I've had to sift through lots of information, study the forums, and play a lot of top notch instruments to make sound (no pun intended) choices for instruments.
The "fanboy effect". We've all seen it. There are different versions. There was a time when I thought Martin guitars were the best and nobody was going to convince me otherwise. Over time I found other builders were making guitars just as well if not better. But it was initially very difficult to admit that to myself. For many years, if it didn't have "Martin" on the headstock I wasn't interested in it. I've seen this phenomena with all kinds of products. From effects pedals for guitars to guitar strings. At times I failed miserably at being objective. With acoustic guitars, I was very "protective" of my purchases. IOW, sometimes I would simply dismiss other's choices as inferior without ever hearing or playing their choice of instrument myself. I soon found out that when I decided to try their brand I often preferred it.
We all want to believe our choices are the best, even superior. Over the decades I've learned to keep my emotions and sense of brand loyalty out of my decisions and I've made much better choices because of it. So now I find myself in the process of sifting through volumes of information so I can make good, solid, wise, choices regarding high end audio components.
I've been able to ID some of the fanboys and perhaps less objective posters. I still don't just dismiss posters I think are not being objective about their choices. I can still learn from them. I feel that objectivity is a matter of degree. Most of us, at our best, are not 100% objective. But, with the sheer numbers of top notch components it's actually difficult to make really bad decisions. Because a person doesn't like a certain component doesn't make it a bad component. For example, whether a person likes the DeVore 096 speaker or not, it's a top notch piece of equipment any way you cut it.
And brand loyalty is not necessarily a bad thing. If you've purchased Brand X and you've had consistently great luck with it there's certainly nothing wrong with staying with that brand. Some people even have systems where every single component is the same brand.
Anyway, the psychology of sound has always interested me. And, after returning to the high end audio hobby from a 40+ year hiatus I'm learning all kinds of information from forums such as this one (especially this one). I come by this interest in audio psychology "honestly" as I have a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters degree in counseling. I also have a doctor of dental surgery degree and 23 years of private practice experience as a general practitioner which presents it's own psychology. I'm now in my fourth year of retirement.
But I've not seen a forum or thread addressing the psychology of the high end audio hobby. Perhaps there indeed have been? I'm just not aware of it.
To me it's a very interesting topic for discussion. Especially as I'm just now sifting through voluminous bits of information so as to be able to make good choices regarding components. I do this trying very hard to keep as much of an open mind as possible. However, that keeping an open mind part can be very difficult. I've read through threads where I felt the poster/s had researched their information very well and made wise choices. I've read through others where I had a strong suspicion that the poster had let biases enter into their choices. I'm not interested in citing any posts or coming down on specific people for allowing bias to enter into their decisions. Why? Because at one time or another I've been that person.
It applies to all kinds of products from guitars to amps, cars motorcycles, you name it. I've let bias influence my decisions. Over the years I would like to say that I've gotten better at gathering information and sussing out BS. I think I have with most things. Not so much with others. It's really all about not letting emotions enter into your decisions. As a bluegrass guitar/banjo/mandolin player and band member I've had to sift through lots of information, study the forums, and play a lot of top notch instruments to make sound (no pun intended) choices for instruments.
The "fanboy effect". We've all seen it. There are different versions. There was a time when I thought Martin guitars were the best and nobody was going to convince me otherwise. Over time I found other builders were making guitars just as well if not better. But it was initially very difficult to admit that to myself. For many years, if it didn't have "Martin" on the headstock I wasn't interested in it. I've seen this phenomena with all kinds of products. From effects pedals for guitars to guitar strings. At times I failed miserably at being objective. With acoustic guitars, I was very "protective" of my purchases. IOW, sometimes I would simply dismiss other's choices as inferior without ever hearing or playing their choice of instrument myself. I soon found out that when I decided to try their brand I often preferred it.
We all want to believe our choices are the best, even superior. Over the decades I've learned to keep my emotions and sense of brand loyalty out of my decisions and I've made much better choices because of it. So now I find myself in the process of sifting through volumes of information so I can make good, solid, wise, choices regarding high end audio components.
I've been able to ID some of the fanboys and perhaps less objective posters. I still don't just dismiss posters I think are not being objective about their choices. I can still learn from them. I feel that objectivity is a matter of degree. Most of us, at our best, are not 100% objective. But, with the sheer numbers of top notch components it's actually difficult to make really bad decisions. Because a person doesn't like a certain component doesn't make it a bad component. For example, whether a person likes the DeVore 096 speaker or not, it's a top notch piece of equipment any way you cut it.
And brand loyalty is not necessarily a bad thing. If you've purchased Brand X and you've had consistently great luck with it there's certainly nothing wrong with staying with that brand. Some people even have systems where every single component is the same brand.
Anyway, the psychology of sound has always interested me. And, after returning to the high end audio hobby from a 40+ year hiatus I'm learning all kinds of information from forums such as this one (especially this one). I come by this interest in audio psychology "honestly" as I have a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters degree in counseling. I also have a doctor of dental surgery degree and 23 years of private practice experience as a general practitioner which presents it's own psychology. I'm now in my fourth year of retirement.
But I've not seen a forum or thread addressing the psychology of the high end audio hobby. Perhaps there indeed have been? I'm just not aware of it.
but we all love music and the journey to personal enjoyment.
