Hobby or Endgame?

[Psittac]

Sound off if you're in the audio field for an endgame solution or a hobby?  I guess if you're in here for endgame you aren't sure yet, but if you're a regular you are in it for the hobby.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

5 minutes ago, Psittac said:

Sound off if you're in the audio field for an endgame solution or a hobby?  I guess if you're in here for endgame you aren't sure yet, but if you're a regular you are in it for the hobby.

hobby definitely

[it_dont_work]

12 years as a sound recordist and studio engineer, mostly film and live sound (mostly theatre) music production hear and there when work was light. Left the industry 8ish years ago 

 

Lost count of the amount of equipment stored in my shed, mostly sold it off over the years to young people with too much money 

[kasugatei]

I personally design, develop and integrate  broadcast grade hardware and software. Both video and audio. When it comes to recording that is strictly personal (hobby). I don’t have nerves to work with half baked cheapskate “musicians” which “are going to be the next great thing” and being paid “in exposure”. I prefer my engineering salary and way of work any day of the week. 

[Psittac]

Myself, I have an amount into this that I could have a helluva end game solution.  But I didn't know anything when I started and my wallet could have never allowed for all of it at once.  Instead I started with one piece or maybe two that was reviewed by more than one person, then I listened to what these people said about it.  Then I could understand the buzz words that they used and that expanded each time I got a new piece of hardware.

 

Today I have found what would be my endgame hardware for a given price point, however I would be at a net loss if I sold everything else.  Not just financially but experience wise.  I couldn't have found what I love without dabbling and even then..... I find myself wanting to change it up from time to time.

[it_dont_work]

3 minutes ago, Niksa said:

. I don’t have nerves to work with half baked cheapskate “musicians” which “are going to be the next great thing” and being paid “in exposure”.

 

This is why I worked mostly in film and theatre, most musicians piss off pretty quickly when they see how much studio hire and a session engineer actually cost. Given the do it at home option is way more accessible then when I was in the industry  

[H713]

First, you'd have to define "end game". For pleasure listening, there is no right or wrong solution, and lots of people will have differing opinions on what "end game" means. That's why the 845, which for most purposes is a shitty and useless tube, has reached such insane values on eBay.

 

Me? My hobby is analog audio equipment. There is always a new circuit to try, some obscure tube to play with, or a way to get the performance just a little better. At the same time, I collect and service equipment that I consider special for some reason. By modern standards, a Phase Linear 700 is not a great amplifier, but to me it is historically significant and worth saving. A BSS EPC780 has cooling fans as loud as a server, but in my mind it is also the most beautifully engineered amplifiers ever built.

 

I have learned more about analog electrical engineering from working on and studying the designs by companies like BSS, Harrison, Crest, MC2 and Midas than I have through a 4-year degree program. I wouldn't be where I am today if this equipment didn't exist, so I feel a strong responsibility to keep as many of these analog masterpieces in service as I can. 

 

For me, listening to music is really only one part of the hobby.

[The Flying Sloth]

I'll never stop buying new audio gear I find cool so I suppose that excludes me from the endgame category. My exposure to audio gear is through the eyes of a recording engineer, I'm not a pro by any standard, It's just something I enjoy doing in my spare time and an excuse to claim business expenses for all the things I end up buying. Personally I like helping others wherever I can, hence the guide I made here and the investment/budgeting tools I've released in more finance-oriented places to help people into the things I find fun in a way that leaves them informed enough to make their own decisions.

[kasugatei]

3 hours ago, it_dont_work said:

 

This is why I worked mostly in film and theatre, most musicians piss off pretty quickly when they see how much studio hire and a session engineer actually cost. Given the do it at home option is way more accessible then when I was in the industry  

I agree. For example lots of Chinese cheap gear can produce great results so it is possible to make small home studio for making decent recordings without going bankrupt which was almost impossible 15-20 years ago when you had to invest significant amount just for basic hardware. 

Personally, if I wanted to record something which is not demo, I would find local studio which can produce wanted results and just pay them the asking price. 

[CTR640]

For me, probably both. Hobby is easier than endgame headphones because that's a pretty damn long road.

But in the end, I finally got my headphones and earphones for all my needs. If desktop use, I pick up the headphone depending on my mood and content and if for in bed while placing the side of my head, I have the Airpods 2 because I can't feel any of the earbuds which is extremely damn well. My other earphones have less bass or hurts after a while.

 

I'm not a audiophile but I do appreciate great sound but that's extremely subjective. The designs is also what makes them enticing to me. I don't want boring or ugly looking headphones despites the good sounds. But that's me.

[Derkoli]

I've pretty much hit Endgame with my headphones. HD800's, LCD-24's and Abyss AB1266 Phi TC's are my 3 endgame headphones. I will never need anything more than these.

 

As for speakers, I will likely never hit an endgame. I thought my PMC Fact Fenestria's were it, then I heard my current MBL's. I'll likely hear something one day in the future which I like even more, and then the cycle will continue. I'm already planning my next speaker purchase, and I haven't actually owned my MBL's for more than 6 months yet. But they are subwoofers though, so aren't exactly replacing my MBL's.

 

I see audio from 3 main angles.

 

Full-on Audiophile.

 

Theatre Sound Tech, with some Sound Design thrown in.

 

Mastering Engineer.

 

Each one obviously has different views of everything. My main job is doing Mastering now, but I also teach Live Events at a local College, in which I have to basically know a bit about everything. Being an Audiophile is more of a fun thing for me, but I very much enjoy music. As does any Audiophile.

[CTR640]

2 hours ago, Superbatninja said:

How is the Audeze LCD-4 for gaming, if you've tried it that is. When does it get uncomfortable to wear, and how does it compare to hd800s in gaming? I already know how it compares in music so you don't need to say.

Lol, 735gr is not something you want on your head because of neck complaints. From what I've read, the HD800S has the most wide soundstage and soundstage is pretty important.