
I wonder—do you think about the hifi hobby beyond your hifi? I would imagine the answer is Yes for many/most people reading this, which is a good thing and possibly not such a good thing.

I have to give credit where it’s due—I received an email from my friend and colleague John Darko asking if I’d read Art Dudley’s “Listening #196” which recently went online on Stereophile‘s website. As it happens I hadn’t but now I have. So you can blame Art (not really) for these scattered thoughts, some having mulled their way to mush in my brain due to lack of oxygen.
Fifteen (random) Thoughts for Thursday
- It’s time to stop being surprised by the bass performance of small speakers.
- Everything sounds the same if you don’t listen.
- There are only two kinds of music. Good and bad. And no one is in a position to dictate those terms to others. Sorry Duke.
- When it comes to things that do not hurt others, what people choose to spend their money on is none of anyone’s business.
- Many of my closest friends are audiophiles.
- My closest friends have many interests.
- Talking about things other than hifi in a hifi publication is perfectly reasonable. After all, audiophiles are people too.
- One way to grow our hobby is to stop asking each other how we can grow our hobby.
- Listening to music is not a test.
- Listening to music is not a competition.
- The best hifi is the one that’s used most often.
- A bad hifi is better than a good weapon.
- For a hobby that requires copious amounts of leisure time, you have to wonder why so many people are so angry.
- Listlessness is the cause of much of the anger online.
- Listening to music on the hifi is a) great fun, b) a luxury, and c) an activity that can be richly rewarding if one’s focus is music.
The opening image is a shot of the KEF LS50 that are in for review. For a small speaker, they offer a surprising amount of bass. Review coming soon.