How do you live with your system?

I’ll try and answer myself.

The first one can vary for me and I do go through periods where the hifi is on all day. In these spells, I don’t really do it’s my full attention to it. Then I get bored and it goes off. Most often though, I listen two or three times a week, unless I find a recording I really like, then it can be daily for a while

I would never use speakers in a location they wrperent bake to perform in. I have moved a helluva lot so this has often meant changing speakers. The other furniture usually has to fit around the hifi but it has to look good. On the odd occasion this has meant moving speakers when I want to listen, but this has usually frustrated me to the point where I stop listening or change speakers.

My systems definitely arent just a tool for music. I enjoy the gear as much or more than the music. I do form attachments to kit, but I usually take the view that selling something on is no big deal because you can always get another, if something is more rare, I am less likely to part with it. It’s usually my frequent home moves that have led to big changes in kit. If I ever end up with a big listening room atht I really feel comfortable on, I will buy the sort of system that can deliver the very best sound and scale. That will probably be a KSA50 or KMA100s and Apogess, I will still probably keep,the sort of system I have now in another room though, because I’ve already been there and a smaller scale system still has its place and delivers a different type of enjoyment.

I have the luxury of two systems. The main system is in a heavily furnished room, with bookshelves lining the walls, whilst the upstairs system is in a sparsely furnished room. Upstairs I sit very near the speakers, so placement isn't really an issue. Downstairs I faff about with the speakers more. I watch about an hour's worth of TV a week, so listen to music a lot. I can't read whilst listening, as I either don't hear the music or lose track of the book.

I'm not emotionally attached to my hifi (or any other material object) and wouldn't be too upset if I had to give it all away.

Thanks fior all the posts so far, it’s been really enlighening to read. I see Stu takes the same “order of preference” as me when setting up a room. A couple of 2nd systems in there. Jammy probs reducing the box count very soon too. I much prefer a couple of boxes to a stack. I wish I could lose my DAC and phono stage but they both add enough to earn their keep.

Interesting also to hear Stu gets lots of enjoyment out of a simpler system. I’ve had great fun from single source, shoebox amp and small speakers. It somehow seems even more attractive to me when I also have a bigger system too. Probably something subconscious going on, but not sure what,

You might have something there, having a small system on it’s own leads me to think I need to do “better”. Having it alongside a bigger one is different because it’s then an underdog in some ways. It’s simplicity also increases its appeal to me.

I think there may also be something real but hard to define about having lots of electronics in your environment. I’ve travelled in Greece to places with only the very basics. Somehow those spaces feel more serene and there just seems to be less going on. Less “noise and hash”. I feel far more at ease.

I rented a cabin in the hills of Cyprus for 3 months and it had almost nothing. Basic electrics off a generator and water from a spring. It was hard to leave.

Probably comes across as gibberish, but in my heart of hearts, I prefer the simplest system possible. My addition of two extra boxes has improved the sound but also made me feel less at home with the gear. Maybe I need to build it into one unit I can forget about. If only I stayed in one place long enough......

I'm pretty invested in my system. It's been a very busy road with many many pieces coming and not making the mark. I suppose my emotional investment comes from the time I've taken to actually get what sound I want. I'm talking about 10-15 phonostages, 7/8 turntables, 6/7 preamps, 10-15 pairs of speakers and about 20 cartridges. 10-20 pairs of cables etc.

I have a system, which when I switch it on, there's no more "wondering" really, just looking forward to putting a track on and enjoying.

There are only two bits in danger. One is the Kontrapunkt b. If I ever see a Vienna for sale, it will be purchased and the Kb will be relegated.

The other...... The speakers.

In my room they work well but if I were to get a bigger room, I'd go big. Really big if suitable. Talking huge JBL types.

Other than that, I have toake a set of SPOTFIRE cables for the amp and a power cable if I keep the Krell. That's it. No more for me.

Listening takes place everyday. If it's only a hour, it's a good quality hour. The kids might be on the pS4 and we'll take the dog out but I usually get an hour while they eat their tea and do their homework. It's generally on constantly when I'm home. Even if it's just quiet. I love it.

The room it's in came before the HiFi so I had to shuffle every thing around. It sounds good so I'm happy.

My only remaining pic of the Dynacos. I restored them cosmetically and they were beautiful. Sadly Photobucket robbed me of all the pics.

Yes, slightly. We've got a new sofa in the main listening room, which meant moving my chair nearer the centre of the room, and also changing the speaker placement. At first I was worried that the change had adversely affected the sound of the system, but then remembered that my amp allows subtle tone adjustments, so I boosted the treble a couple of notches, and it's sounding better than ever.