One Audiophile's Journey
By
jeff n kalina
Posted: 2024-05-31T06:04:00Z
Article enhanced by OpenIA ChatGPT (GPT-3.5)
Who else feels the urge for a fresh pursuit, a new direction, or an alternate outlet approximately every seven years? In 2017, I revisited the realm of two-channel audio after around two decades of reveling in the realm of surround sound. Was it a return to euphoria or an encounter with "stuporia"? My journey spanned from Pioneer to HH Scott 350 to Cary 120 Mk2 to Pass Labs INT25 to Coda Continuum TS V3 in the power domain. Meanwhile, in the DAC landscape, I journeyed from Oppo to Denafrips Ares to Denafrips Pontus to Audio Mirror Termador to the ANK 4.1X. And for speakers, my path wandered from Macke to Klipsch Chorus to Altec Maestro to Tannoy FSMs to Fritz Carerra 7 BEs to Sanders Sound 12Es.
The pivotal question remains: Have these endeavors yielded a substantial enhancement in sound quality that justifies the investment of time and resources? The candid response must be a tentative "perhaps." Initially exploring turntables, streamers, and DVD players as sources, I eventually gravitated toward streaming, parting ways with the turntable but retaining the DVD player. It's a decision that raises eyebrows, given the widely acknowledged superiority of vinyl sound. So, am I not a genuine audiophile? Is my appreciation for music somehow inferior, unworthy, or unabashedly impure?
The cold opening approaches...
The conclusion I've drawn is that, thanks to the wonders of Roon and Qobuz, I derive more satisfaction from discovering exceptional music than I ever did from tinkering with a tonearm. So, who among us is without sin to cast the first stone?
The ultimate query I pose is this: Who embodies the essence of a true music aficionado and audiophile? Is it the individual meticulously fine-tuning their $20K turntable, or the one relishing the vast expanse of the world's music at their fingertips?
I've found my answer. What about you?