The Vinyl Anachronist: Getting off the merry-go-round

By Marc Phillips

April 2008

As Zippy the Pinhead used to ask, “Are we having fun yet?” When it comes to the world of high-end audio, I truly wonder if anyone is enjoying themselves these days.

Over the last two years, I've had hands-on experience with an exceptionally large variety of high-end gear, from a vintage pairs of Celestion SL600s and Rogers LS3/5as to a Continuum Criterion turntable mated with a Dynavector XV-1 cartridge. Since January I've listened to speakers such as the Wilson X-2 Alexandrias, GamuT LS-9s and Sonicweld Pulserods, all of which cost much more than US$100,000 per pair. I've owned a 2 watt-per-channel SET amplifier, and I've had a 250 watt-per-channel solid state amp on extended loan for a few months.

If you had told me two years ago that I'd have the opportunity to not only listen, but use and even own some of this equipment, I would have been ecstatic. Now that I have what we reviewers call “seat time,” however, I'm wondering why I'm not more impressed.

In my early days as an audiophile, I could only imagine what this gear sounded like. I'd read the audio magazine reviews, I'd see the photographs, I'd read the specs, and I'd close my eyes actually imagine how a familiar piece of music would sound through these components. It was a little sad and obsessive, now that I think about it, but it was actually fun. Now that my imaginary system has been replaced with a real system that is very impressive in many ways, I don't have to wonder any longer. That incredible sound I'd always dreamed about is in my living room, right now, and I can sit down and listen to it anytime I want. Life is good.

I do wonder constantly, however, if life was better when I coveted desperately, and I wasted countless hours planning my next audio upgrade. One of the concepts I've been pushing on my fellow audiophiles over the last few months is that the journey is most of the fun in this hobby, and that you shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes along the way. I've mentioned this before, but I constantly get e-mails from novice audiophiles that want to get it right the first time. They've worked hard, they've made a bit of money, and now it's time to get that audio system they've always dreamed about. So they placate their significant others with a sparkly piece of jewelry, and the research begins.

There's really nothing wrong with this approach. These people aren't true hobbyists like many of us. They just like music and want to have an awesome-sounding system now. They'll just never know the fun of slowly building a system over the years, of occasionally purchasing a clunker, and then wheeling and dealing for another piece of gear that gets it right. They'll never know the joy off adding that one piece of gear that finally elevates the performance of your system to the point where you might be really satisfied for the first time.

Auld lang syne

For instance, I meet more and more audiophiles who wax rhapsodic about systems they used to own. They lament the gear they've traded in over the years. They speak of that one component that they wished they had held onto. For me, it's an AR ES-1 turntable and a Naim NAIT 2 integrated. I also constantly think about my 1993 system… that NAIT, a Rega Planar3 with a Bias cartridge, a Creek CD60 CD player and a pair of Spendor S20 speakers (which I still own). It was detailed, transparent and natural. It was also bass-shy, and the soundstage collapsed whenever the music got loud (which is what happens when you pair 84 dB sensitive speakers with an 18wpc amp). But I loved that system with all my heart. It was my first real taste of the high-end.

I also hear audiophiles talking about “getting off the merry-go-round.” I recently heard a system that included Air-Tight amplification, a TC Acustics Raven AC turntable with a Schroder tonearm and a Lyra cartridge, and a pair of Quad ESL-2805 speakers. This was not a dynamic system with a huge, effortless soundstage. It was quiet, dignified and calming. I told the owner that this was the type of system that I'd want when I'm done with this whole audiophile deal, when I just want to fade into the sunset while listening to my favorite music. The owner nodded knowingly.

I am getting to that point. I think more and more about that new LFD Integrated Zero LE III amp I reviewed a couple of months ago. It had everything I needed (except for a remote), and it was reasonably priced. I've recently fell in love with the ProAc Response D 2 monitors, another small British speaker that does almost everything right. Again, it's not cheap, but it's not crazy money either. And the more I hear that new Rega P3-24, the more I realize just how special it is. I won't even bother with a CD player. I'll just toy around with some of the newer technologies, such as wireless servers and iPod docks, most of which cost just a few hundred dollars.

Those are the people I believe are having fun right now in audio, the ones embracing and fiddling with these new ultra-convenient and flexible technologies. A couple of years ago, I thought it was the audiophiles who listened to tubed amplification and vinyl, or dabbled in the DIY world. Now it these young guys who have turned their laptops into their source components, and are discovering all the crazy ways to listen to music.

No one is twisting your arm to buy this stuff

Another reason to jump off the audio merry-go-round is the negative feelings that surround the high-end. I have to tell you that I'm utterly bored with the so-called objectivists who decry certain technologies as snake oil when they have no hands-on experience with these products. Over the last few months, I've argued with strangers on the Internet about the benefits of demagnetizing LPs (it works because some dyes used in vinyl and labels are magnetic), cryogenic treatments (if a cryogenically-treated precision drill bit can last four times as long as its conventional counterpart, why can't the process change the sound of cables?), and power cords (the very thought of which makes some people's heads explode).

I actually know a few engineers in the “real world,” and when told about these types of products, they immediate start to think about why they would work. They say things like “I'd really like to test this stuff to see what I find.” They never say, “Snake oil!” They never call people fools for hearing differences in components such as power conditioners and cable elevators and the like… unless, of course they've actually done the research. I have really lost my patience with these Internet pseudo-engineers who use terms like “audiophools” to describe people who are having more fun than they are. They're really sucking the fun out of the hobby.

If you're at the point where the bloom is coming off the rose where this hobby is concerned, maybe it's time to get off the merry-go-round. Maybe it's time to downgrade and have fun again. I'm ready to take the plunge… how about you?

Marc Phillips has been writing about hi-fi and music under the Vinyl Anachronist banner since 1998. His earlier columns can be found on the Perfect Sound Forever website. You can discuss vinyl with Marc at Vinylanach@aol.com