if loving you is wrong (i don't want to be right)

of late, i have had some interesting debates with a couple of my audiophile buddies. they think that i am over protective of certain brands i like dearly, like magneplanar and audio research. i think they grossly under-estimated my broad-mindedness and overlooked one important thing, that these brands are the ones that i can afford at this present financial state. i have never said they are the best in the audio universe. if i were to make such foolish claim, i would be the laughing stock because hifi is the the most subjective hobby in the world.

were i a multi-millionaire, i would like to play everything and anything that my bank accounts permit me to. but still, i would like to retain my maggie and ARC in one of my many dedicated rooms. i don't need to explain to anyone why i adore the maggie so much and why i think maggie and ARC make the perfect match. if you need to ask, you would never understand. did you tell your missus about your first love, that pure, untainted and bittersweet once-in-a-lifetime experience? see, love is selfish.

many like to compare hifi to cars and i find the comparison perfectly apt. my maggie is like a bentley cruising down the boulevard, letting me enjoy the gentle caress of cool breeze and the finer things in life. but there is a flip side of me that yearns for the stark rawness, ultimate sensation and unadulterated energy of a ferrari throttling down the race track, and in that aspect, a full, top-of-the-line naim system (pre-2003 production) fulfills my needs nicely. oh, btw, i don't like the new generation of naim - too sissy and audiophile-approved.

the beauty of a naim system is i don't need to analyze the tonal balance, the layering or the imaging or anything that's anal retentive to a pure rock music lover. i would just let the pulsating pace and rhythm takes over my aural senses. many systems can do bass, humongous amount of bass, but for pop/rock music, especially stadium rock, naim rules ok. oh, i have been to many live concerts than the average joe.

i know i am close to opening a can of worms but i am too blase with the typical audiophile mud-slinging cat fights. my buddy argues - "can't one system fulfills all your needs?" to some, yes. to me, no. maybe that's why all the millionaires in town are keeping more than a few cars in their garage, to suit different applications, different moods, different roads or even different girlfriends :-) but there is bound to be one car that they drive more often that the others, and gentlemen, that's the car that they have the most emotional attachment with. most likely too, it is not the most expensive car.

my buddy further argues - "but your music is pop/rock, just how can a maggie satisfy you completely? is it because you have made the successful step to make the maggie sound good that you can't forgo the pride and glory of being praised by others? then you are not honest to yourself as you only enjoy your music partially". my answer to this is, yes, the maggie cannot play my REM, radiohead, U2 convincingly and that's why i am reserving a "virtual" room for my roksan (turntable) and naim system in the future. however, for 80% of my musical diet, especially for nocturnal listening, the maggie is perfect.

he further retorts - "not just maggie can deliver, there are many systems that can fulfill your tastes in both genres of music. you haven't tried all yet". sure, i think apogee (now defunct), mbl radial speakers can please me too but can i afford them? again, he misses the point - i buy what i can afford. but i have yet to listen to a speaker that has the delicacy of a planar/ribbon and the awesome PRaT of a naim. if you think otherwise, congratulations to you.

variety is the spice of life. even if were to become rich one day and could afford top-of-the-line naim, krell, mbl, goldmund, i will still cherish the countless magical moments that my maggie + ARC has given me all these intervening years.

every self-contented, self-fulfilling audiophile has similar story to tell.

the first cut is the deepest. just make sure that you have been "cut" at least once in your lifetime.