A toss-up

There are people walking into any store, picking up anything they like with no regard to the asking price.  Anything, I mean anything. Ultra high net worth, some people are born with a silver spoon, others are really good in making money, fate is something you don't question. These people don't have to worry a thing about money. It's about their fulfillment of life. It's about living the moment. Their needs are different from the working class people, food, shelter and love.

In all fairness, the smarter guys should be wealthier. But I think the rich guys are getting richer because of their business acumen. The smarter guys are well to do but rarely rich. Business guys are natural high in emotional intelligence that helps them to close deals. Inequality global wealth is a disturbing sign, the Guardian reported that the richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth in 2015. We witnessed Occupy Wall Street 2008, citing Wall Street crash is the outcome of the endless greed, sending the financial shocks to worldwide. As the result, the working class people lost their home and jobs, the Wall Street people who created the mess are off the hook unpunished, walking away with millions of dollar. The government stepped in to bail out troubled institution by Quantitiative Easing. The believed the Keynsian economy will restore orders back into the economy, again, I have my doubts. I have doubts on the money without the gold backing. It is our confidence on the money note. As long as the public don't suffer the loss in money note confidence, everything will work out fine. Shouldn't Venezuela a living model, its inflation rate is set to hit 1600% in 2017 according to Wall Street Journal. Venezuelan Bolivar does not hold up the value, the Venezuelan government is on the brink of collapse. The whole world is now everything but an inclusive society. Honestly, I do not and will not see a change in the system. The power seize will not stop, the one stay in power will not give the power up easily. And the situation isn't improving any sooner. With power, comes money. The widening of income gap will and definitely get worst. Perhaps we will not see World War III but a global financial meltdown.

Look, 500,000 USD a piece audio equipment is unheard of until now. This is absolute madness nevertheless, some on the opposite of the fence applause for such offering for the sake of exclusivity. Finally, a product is made for them! A fulfillment of self-esteem. No offense, there is no wrong in it, after all nobody is committing any crime. Throw your personal value out of the window, it need not apply. It's their money and they're free to spend where they see fit. A piece of an audio jewel of an insane asking price carries a statement stature that bespeaks the eliteness of the owner. We should sit tight to see how far they stretch the magnitude of fidelity with cost no object.

Hard to deny, high-end audio is a lucrative market. It serves as a strong magnet to attract attention. Realizing the supply void, the shrewd businessmen are quick to respond to the call of the demand. Need not look far, take the reinvention of the prestigious Swiss horology as a case study. The Japanese digital watch assault had made them stronger, and today, they have grown from strength to strength. The luxury finds its meaning, the bespoke intrinsic value.

Isn't the flood of high-end system pictures onto the Facebook is all about? They are promoting a culture of wealth showing, with no sound to be heard, is this the true spirit of high fidelity? Observe closely, the advertising is slowly planting the seed of want. A serial advertisement is more effective than a one-off advertisement. It isn't hard to see high-end audio is dominated by the big companies that have the financial might to sustain a year-long advertising and road shows. Moving forward, reading audio mags is self-motivated to upgrade. Fascinating stories motivate you upgrade. Trust me, the acoustic and power stories are academic and dry, these materials can't sell mag copies, unfortunately. You must develop the skill to read between the lines to avoid to be the prey.

I confessed that I sometimes take thing a little too complacently. Laziness is human nature, we tend to make a quick assumption from the opinions of others that reinforce our thought, thoughts that are totally created from the thin air. Similarly, young adults absorb everything on the internet with little care on the authenticity of the story, for the internet can be very manipulative sometimes. Many times it's the individual personality that irks you, it could be due to the brand fondness, past experience and grapevine that contributed your views. Stop the misleading audio gutter, say what you truly knew and experienced.

Mostly I'm caught in a toss-up between under tuned and over tuned. Neither situation you do not want to be. It is like dialing into your favorite radio station on a meter-less analog radio. No such thing as getting it right the first time. Admittedly, I over tuned my system. I gained in roomless-ness and resolution in the expense of rawness and grandiose. So, it is becoming a repetitive exercise.

Tonal balance, details and bass in general, get the most attention from the audiophiles. Nothing wrong with that because these elements are apparent. moving forward, tonal density and tonal weight come forward. Personally, I listen to the naturalness and the room interference, if only you know what I mean. For instance, the plucking of guitar produces the turbulence at the hole or the blowing air from the sax mouth or the reverberation of drum skins, these phenomena give an insight if your room acoustics plaguing the sound. Do not expect a live performance like because the electrical noise, the recording and right down to your system have added their share of "contributions". The absolute transparency, so pure and so articulate is only present in a dream. No adds on, no tainted sound.

But wanting more than that, I went the distance to feel the music. You know that music is not dead air, instead, the acoustic energy whirls. the air after the music pause. The more you stuff things in your audio room, lesser space, sound requires space to work. A strike of balance, it is not easy but takes time and patience. Before you start jabbing me, replace a three seater to a single seater in your room, no obstruction. Listen and you will get what I mean. You will be greeted by the airiness and lightness, wrapping you like a blanket. The harmonious relationship between the soundwaves and room replicates the live experience better. Submerse yourself in a musical illusion, be fascinated by the vast amount of details, depth and emotive of the music. Enjoy.