In our “Opinion Series” within the Alpha Audio Academy, we want to offer you some insights and tools to enjoy the hobby with common sense. A hobby where fun, sharing knowledge and enjoying music are paramount. And where prejudice, self-righteousness and snobbery can go out the window! Snobbism? Yes… let’s clarify that.
Snobs are annoying. Snobs take all the fun out of a hobby. They pretend to know everything better and look down on people who don’t meet their standards. Now that’s not good by definition and it happens in almost all hobby sectors, but within the hi-fi hobby it somehow seems worse than elsewhere. Although that assumption is not based on anything.
What am I talking about? Let’s give an example:
A system under 10,000 euros can never ever sound great. Because for really good sound, are at least a 10.000 euro amp per channel is necessary (of course). Ow: and you don’t have QuantumGate’s silver speaker cables yet? Well… you should; only then it sounds really great. That provides air and power in the bass. Also buy the new power-cables of SystemUltimate. They only cost 1300 euro each. Top of the line. Lifts your set to a whole new level. Really!
And then we find it crazy that people call audio enthusiasts mostly AudioFools. A great pity … because it doesn’t make sense and is also unnecessary.
What is it really about?
People who only look at the ultimate and think the rest is garbage, do not understand what it is all about.
Hifi is a luxury product intended for people who enjoy music. And enjoying music can be done in many ways. Even with a pair of in-ears from the Aldi. Or a car radio in a 20 year old Suzuki Alto. Emotion cannot be captured in an amount. Emotion is… emotion. It’s the music that moves you. Not the value of the system.
The other side of the spectrum, by the way, is at least as bad: the techies and pseudo-techies who only want to see measurements and blind tests. And don’t believe anything in advance. Audiophile switches? Cables? All nonsense. Because it is not measurable. And so it can’t be true.
In a sense, this is also snobbish behavior, because anyone who does not understand their technical jargon, does not belong and is too stupid to practice the hobby at their set level. And that is also the only good level.
Don’t listen!
Okay… so those are annoying groups with big mouths. But we don’t have to listen to them. And that’s exactly what I – we at Alpha Audio – recommend. Follow your own path. Enjoy music. And trust your own ears. HiFi – and High End – is not about bringing the most expensive of the most expensive into your home. Yes: there are insanely beautiful, priceless systems on this planet. But that is not a ticket to audio heaven.
In fact: you’re probably going to be looking for even more. Because the higher you go, the more factors come into play. And that is a guaranteed ticket to audio-nervousness… And if you don’t want to end up somewhere, that’s where it is..
What else?
In the coming – weekly – episodes we will give you some handles to stay away from the “Dark Side” of our beautiful hi-fi hobby. Welcome to the Alpha Audio Academy.
