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Getting out of hifi


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I realise this is an old thread now but wanted to say that the era of children changes so quickly - first 2 years are a fog and of course a hifi is a very expensive thing to have laying around unused most of the time.  But suddenly they are 6 and want to rock out with you and they really appreciate a great system (well at least mine do).  Buying back in again is probably fine but if you have a great setup now and really happy with it, then I'd keep it unless you really need the cash.  Whenever I have sold out of hobbies that I truly love and had to buy back in again later its always costed me more.  

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@mrbrown66, to share your love of music with your kids is a very special thing. Their appreciation of music will last them a life time, it’s a special thing to share with them.

Way back in the late eighties, I used to sit with my eldest daughter for hours (she was about 8 at the time) watching James Taylor, Queen etc on VHS via the audio system. 

When Mum would come in to explain it was bedtime, she would always ask for one more. She was killed when she was ten, and thinking of that sharing time with her still tugs at me. But she got her love of music from me. So do spend time with your little ones with music, it’s a beautiful thing to share!

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Take them to live concerts, preferably ones where they use minimal amplification. Go to music festivals (I know most are amplified), outdoor concerts, get outside your comfort zone (musically) as you never know what your kids might enjoy. Seeing and hearing live music is a huge step up from any home HiFi / HT no matter how good it is. 

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7 hours ago, Mr 57 said:

@mrbrown66, to share your love of music with your kids is a very special thing. Their appreciation of music will last them a life time, it’s a special thing to share with them.

Way back in the late eighties, I used to sit with my eldest daughter for hours (she was about 8 at the time) watching James Taylor, Queen etc on VHS via the audio system. 

When Mum would come in to explain it was bedtime, she would always ask for one more. She was killed when she was ten, and thinking of that sharing time with her still tugs at me. But she got her love of music from me. So do spend time with your little ones with music, it’s a beautiful thing to share!

 

I received the gift of love for music from my dad, although he doesn't agree with my taste, he's still proud I get so much enjoyment from something he introduced me to.  I now have two 17 month old daughters and I can't wait to attempt to do the same.  Right now they get into my turntable when my back is turned, having cost me a new cartridge two months after buying a new one, but that's okay, the effort will be worth it...

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7 hours ago, frankn said:

Take them to live concerts, preferably ones where they use minimal amplification. Go to music festivals (I know most are amplified), outdoor concerts, get outside your comfort zone (musically) as you never know what your kids might enjoy. Seeing and hearing live music is a huge step up from any home HiFi / HT no matter how good it is. 

 

We're off to the Wiggles concert in November.  It will be their first, but most certainly not their last.  They'll love it, so it's a good starting point...

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On 01/09/2018 at 10:16 AM, JSBach said:

I suddenly lost most of the hearing in my left ear earlier this year caused by a random virus. I’ve been into hi fi since the mid 80’s. Now I have almost zero stereo perception and have lost all interest in good quality sound. I’m about to put all my gear up for sale, and have only kept my Mac mini plugged straight into some Logitech speakers from Officeworks. I still like music, but have no need for the finesse in reproduction that expensive hifi components can bring.

Why don't you work to your strengths and set up a mind blowing mono hifi? There was good sound well before the marketing department (of what will one day become the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation) decided that they could double their income by selling customers TWO speakers instead of one, the Quad ESL 57for example. A whole new adventure awaits if only you move to grasp it.

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On 1 September 2018 at 10:16 AM, JSBach said:

I suddenly lost most of the hearing in my left ear earlier this year caused by a random virus. I’ve been into hi fi since the mid 80’s. Now I have almost zero stereo perception and have lost all interest in good quality sound. I’m about to put all my gear up for sale, and have only kept my Mac mini plugged straight into some Logitech speakers from Officeworks. I still like music, but have no need for the finesse in reproduction that expensive hifi components can bring.

Sorry to hear this.

 

regards 

Terry

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On 01/09/2018 at 11:17 AM, JSBach said:

Thank you very much for your thoughts. I thought I would hold off at first but have been thinking it over for months now. For the first time since forever I don’t enjoy sound. Not just music, but sound and the knowledge and experience of acoustics in general. Now it’s just irritating. I know how music is meant to sound but can’t hear it.
There’s some technology that’s coming out in about a decade from now supposedly which can regenerate the audio nerves in the inner ear, but that’s a long time to let my gear attract dust and depreciate. I think that if that is ever possible I’ll jump back in. I’ve let this decision rest on the back burner so I know it’s not just an emotional day my spit, but the sensible thing to do.

Have you seen a specialist about this?

 

Maybe something like a cochlear implant may help?

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I did see the ear nose and throat specialist. The audiologist is in the same clinic so they both have the same info. They talked about hearing aids but I’m not interested. It won’t make music sound like it should. Maybe when I’m 64!

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6 hours ago, JukKluk2 said:

Why don't you work to your strengths and set up a mind blowing mono hifi? There was good sound well before the marketing department (of what will one day become the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation) decided that they could double their income by selling customers TWO speakers instead of one, the Quad ESL 57for example. A whole new adventure awaits if only you move to grasp it.

How could I listen to Lark’s Tongues in Aspic in mono?? I still have terrible tinnitus in my left ear all the time and the whole enjoyment of sound is just not there anymore. But I do appreciate your suggestion. Thank you.

Funny, I was just speaking to a fellow SNA member on the phone today and he suggested going mono too. I will just get by with my $169 Logitech speakers fed by the Mac mini from here on in. 

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3 minutes ago, JSBach said:

How could I listen to Lark’s Tongues in Aspic in mono?? I still have terrible tinnitus in my left ear all the time and the whole enjoyment of sound is just not there anymore. But I do appreciate your suggestion. Thank you.

Funny, I was just speaking to a fellow SNA member on the phone today and he suggested going mono too. I will just get by with my $169 Logitech speakers fed by the Mac mini from here on in. 

If the music still moves you, who cares. ?

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11 minutes ago, Darren69 said:

If the music still moves you, who cares. ?

That is exactly right! Although there were some sublime moments when it came through a system that was put together properly. Anyway, in the end we lose it all.

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1 hour ago, JSBach said:

How could I listen to Lark’s Tongues in Aspic in mono??

Unless you are a real obsessive I'd suggest that you have been listening to the music as you go about your every day tasks anyway, in and out of the lounge, the kitchen, bedrooms, in the loo, even whilst having a shower. As long as the music moves you it can still be enjoyed. Yes, it's better when you're in the sweet spot and all of the days irritations have gone off to annoy someone else and you have two functioning ears, but it can be enjoyed from anywhere really. I'm sitting in the room I call the office right now, as I type, listening to the music coming in from the vast expanse that is the lounge/dining area. With a finger covering one ear it's still enjoyable on an SQ basis and on a musical level.

Don't be hasty. Even with the amount of time that has elapsed from the hearing event you should still take more time before you commit yourself to a course of action that you may later regret.

How could you not listen to Lark's Tongues in Aspic?

Edited by JukKluk2
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On 01/09/2018 at 12:00 PM, JSBach said:

That’s exactly my thinking Alfred. There are many enjoyable things in life, and every now and then one of them is taken away, and one must learn to detach from this or that.

Mike/JS, I noted your loss when I looked at one of your ads out of curiosity.  I'm sorry to hear of your loss.  I recall when I was a teenager when I lost hearing in one ear for a few days (fortunately), I haven't forgotten how different my life felt.  I'm sure you are feeling the loss and your life has changed. 

 

However, I don't believe that we need to detach from loss.  I get the feeling that music has given you meaning and enjoyment in the past.  Although it has changed for you, I hope that at some stage in the future you may be able to accept it back into your life, albeit in a different form.  Many of us still enjoy music with tinnitus (tape hiss becomes a thing of the past), and Brian Wilson has done OK living in mono.  Now may not be the right time.  Music will always be there, please embrace it at the time you feel ready to do so. 

Edited by audiofeline
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Thanks for your thoughtful post.
I still love music; I just don’t need fine hi fi equipment to draw every drop of detail from a recording anymore. Cheap Logitech speakers on a benchtop in the living room is the whole system now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

dont worry, hifi unlike properties, hardly appreciate in value. and technology are getting better and cheaper. you will find something else sounding twice better at a fraction of the price in few years time... 

Edited by batou
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These threads always leave me a little dumfounded..

 

I can't see the sense in completely removing "hifi" from a house for kids. I grew up with music, and its because of this I love it. Theres plenty of ways to keep kids away from the gear until they can be trusted. It's one thing to simplify your system, i.e. Integrated rather than 10 box valve setup, so it's easier for everyone to use and safer (Ironic, as i'm about to do the exact opposite immediately before planning for kids haha) but if you love music, you should raise the little ones to do so as well.

 

And I agree its not long they're little for. It seems like only yesterday I was teaching my niece not to grab the "pretty lights" and now i'm teaching her to fire it all up and play.

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Guest Eggcup The Daft
43 minutes ago, Gremrock said:

These threads always leave me a little dumfounded..

 

I can't see the sense in completely removing "hifi" from a house for kids. I grew up with music, and its because of this I love it. Theres plenty of ways to keep kids away from the gear until they can be trusted. It's one thing to simplify your system, i.e. Integrated rather than 10 box valve setup, so it's easier for everyone to use and safer (Ironic, as i'm about to do the exact opposite immediately before planning for kids haha) but if you love music, you should raise the little ones to do so as well.

 

And I agree its not long they're little for. It seems like only yesterday I was teaching my niece not to grab the "pretty lights" and now i'm teaching her to fire it all up and play.

The thing to do is reduce/remove risk, sensibly. Speakers or racks likely to topple over? Hot surfaces? Valuable parts that can be easily damaged? cables where they can be tripped over, or at neck height for a two year old? Usually these things can be addressed.

 

I've been surprised by people who ditch hifi but keep all the OTHER risks like top heavy drawers and bookshelves, the 75" TV on its wobbly stand, heaters on the floor, and don't worry about them at all.

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23 minutes ago, Eggcup The Daft said:

The thing to do is reduce/remove risk, sensibly. Speakers or racks likely to topple over? Hot surfaces? Valuable parts that can be easily damaged? cables where they can be tripped over, or at neck height for a two year old? Usually these things can be addressed.

 

I've been surprised by people who ditch hifi but keep all the OTHER risks like top heavy drawers and bookshelves, the 75" TV on its wobbly stand, heaters on the floor, and don't worry about them at all.

I spoke with Andy on the weekend and he is not unhappy given his circumstances to have moved on from Hifi for now, its his decision and while a number of us tried to convince him not to the simple fact is he has and we should respect that. So the rest of this conversation is purely academic.

 

cheers Terry

Edited by TerryO
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