hi-fi+ Global Network Magazine

Listening to a really good audio system for the first time can be a transformational experience. Almost everyone reading this will have, at some formative point in their lives, heard what a really good stereo system can do and was instantly hooked. Sure, for some that becomes a lifelong obsession, and for others it’s a ‘dip in/dip out’ punctuated equilibrium. But equally, there are some for whom that listening experience leaves them non-plussed.

Why?

I don’t think either the ‘they weren’t discerning enough’, ‘they don’t like music enough’ or ‘they weren’t rich enough to afford these sorts of system’ arguments hold water. I’ve met people of great discernment in other fields, who are left cold by good audio. Similarly, I know people who buy album after album and are always gig-hopping, but have a distinctly ho-hum system. And as for the ‘not rich enough’ argument... many of us developed an interest in this hobby in our teens, and we pawed the magazines and pressed our noses against shop windows with no possible way of affording what we dreamed of. That would come later.

Sometimes, it’s as difficult for an enthusiast not to share their passion as it is for them to come to terms with people who just don’t get it. And sometimes we can be remarkably myopic about our own interests. But think of it this way; someone you know has a passion that you don’t share. It might be collecting clocks, playing chess, a love of fine dining, maybe even building up the ultimate collection of beer mats from 1954-58. You share their passion for things, just not in the same way......