By Juan C. Ayllon Boxing photos courtesy of DAZN; Lead Speaker closeup courtesy of Usher Audio In the aftermath of boxing superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez’s May 7th upset defeat by Dmitry Bivol for the latter’s WBA Lightheavyweight World Title, I watched former trainer and boxing analyst, Teddy Atlas, expound on reasons for his loss on a YouTube video. And in the midst of his bombastic diatribe, he uttered something profound: “There’s no Superman in real life,” he said. “No one has an ‘S’ painted on their chest.” I had an ominous “pride before the fall” sense after reading that Canelo recently proclaimed that he felt “unbeatable” and hearing one commentator say minutes before their fight that the pro-Canelo crowd seemed a bit subdued compared to his previous matches. It was almost as if their Cinco de Mayo euphoria was tinged with fear that their ginger-haired Mexican superhero might actually lose that night. And sure enough, Canelo did. Swinging with great might and flourish, he took the fight to his taller foe. But boxing carefully, Bivol jabbed, moved and weathered what blows landed for several rounds, then systematically turned Canelo’s cape into a diaper as he administered a tactical spanking for the remainder of their bout. Judges unanimously scored it a suspicious 115-113 for Bivol, prompting Atlas to suggest that an attempted fix was averted after Bivol dominated the deciding 12th round. Either way, the concept that there’s no superhero – or super fix – is equally applicable to other arenas of life, including audio. Cable Me Years ago, I had a friend who’d scrimped and saved for months, and finally purchased some very expensive and well marketed power cables. They were going to transform his system! After the initial elation of his treasures’ unboxing, I didn’t hear much from him after that. Seems like he lost the faith and slid into a morose depression. Room with a View One of the crazy-making things about this hobby is how the room affects the aural presentation. So often, a space with bad acoustics delivers mediocre to poor imaging. Yet, time and again, people keep purchasing an endless succession of speakers and components to fix a problem that might better be handled with acoustic treatments, such as acoustic absorption, diffusion, and better speaker or listener placement. And, if a room’s acoustics are really bad, nearfield listening might be the best option. Familiarity Breeding Contempt Sometimes, people spend too much time with their system and, regardless of tweaks employed, their satisfaction continues to diminish. Things normalize. What once was captivating is now the new normal and, gradually, boredom sets in. In that case, perhaps a break would be in order. Take a little time out. Pursue other hobbies, read a book, spend time with family or friends. Then, after several days, give it a listen again. With a fresh perspective, you just might be surprised with your levels of enjoyment! Balance Closely tied with the issue of overfamiliarity may be an overly dependent relationship on audio. It’s easy, in our zeal, to spend increasingly vast amounts of free time indulging in this hobby, but when it completely dominates our lives, that can be problematic for others and ourselves. There’s a certain addictiveness associated with audiophilia and its practitioners (myself included), and if it’s not kept in check, look out! Imagine Superman, having finally married his Lois Lane, getting fat spending evenings and weekends in front of his stereo—and if he’s not listening, he’s researching tweaks and new, expensive gear to purchase. Unless something changes, this may be the Kryptonite to their nuptials. Honestly, over-fixation with audio has been a huge issue for Belle and me. I’ve had to pull back and refocus some of my energy into serving her and our ever expanding family with new grandchildren popping out yearly. That’s been a joy. Moreover, in setting aside the music to chat and watch a movie, visit with the kids, or explore new vistas with her, things have gotten sweeter, and when I do come back for a listen, it’s more enjoyable. Speaking of which, I’ve put on a few pounds the last couple years, so this next week kicks off my big summer’s push to lose some weight. Towards that end, I am enlisting another audiophile friend to hold each other mutually accountable to get moving and get in shape! Our goal is to lose 40 lbs. In the coming months. Balance---it's good and it's healthy! Mix It Up
Now when it comes to listening, we can fall into ruts—same songs, same media every time. How about changing things up? For example, I was having issues with my Intel NUC server, which uses the Roon Labs ROCK (a stripped down OS software for running Roon's music server on Intel Nuc architecture) that I downloaded and installed, and it needed a missing codec for it to play internet radio. I had repeatedly tried to implement the online instructions to install those codecs, but kept failing. So I reached out to a publicist who works with Roon who, in turn, connected me to someone in technical support who gave me extra guidance. Now, in addition to streaming and listening to music files on my server, I can play various internet radio in real time, including stations from Ireland (where Belle was born), and WBEZ, the Chicago National Public Radio station I listened to for their social commentary, news and jazz back when I became an audiophile in the 90s. How fun! Additionally, as many who know me can testify, I primarily focus on digital media, however this summer as I review the Pass Labs XP-17 phono stage preamplifier, I plan to play more vinyl. The warm sound of polyvinyl chloride discs spinning on my VPI Prime Scout sounds amazing, so why not? Do yourself a favor: Shake things up in your listening routine and you just might breathe new life into your audio pleasures! Give It a Whirl Lastly, trying out new gear can be entertaining and help keep things fresh as you indulge your curiosity. Many stereo stores will allow you to audition equipment in your own home; just put a credit card down and you can try out new speakers or components and see if they mesh. If you like it and it fits your budget, there you go, and if not, simply return it. Keeping in mind that, despite marketing claims, no audio gear wears a red cape, there’s no magic bullet, but yet there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the real world.
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