The road to nirvana

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Finally...

My audio nirvana! After years of auditioning and DIY to find the musical satisfaction, I finally achieved it. Read the details.

Is there such a thing?

I've known a couple of people who have changed gears frequently in search of the "perfect sound forever" (pun intended) and I would say that I'm guilty as well.

When I'm in the office I am amazed by my staff who enjoys music from ripped sound files on her computer, played over the lousy speakers of the Acer 17" LCD monitor she uses. But what makes me envious me is that she really enjoys it.

It really sounded like shit, but who cares?

I think it's about how that sound moves you, how it makes you emotionally attached to the music. Lucky are those people who does not have to spend much on audio equipment and not to be obsessed with such gears.

I often wonder why I never cared nor go crazy about the iPod. I've always been satisfied with the sound quality of my Sony Ericsson K750i. I like it playing music through its bundled headphone, or through its built-in speakers. Heck, the built-in speakers sounds good in our toilet (seriously) as long as it's placed face up and speakers near the edge of the glass shelf.

In the car, I never bothered changing the stock Kenwood head unit of my CR-V (by the way, Honda Makati service sucks) and the only "upgrade" was to replace the front speakers from the built-in Kenwood to JBL which I got from Circuit City when I was in San Francisco.

At home, it's a totally different story, as you will see if you click on the Evolution link. My gears changed quite a bit from what it used to be. Some people call it a "disease", they call it "audiophilia". Some call it "upgrade-itis" and makes me wonder why there are a lot of doctors who are audiophiles :-)

You start with an "entry level" system probably costing P50,000 and then end up in a million-Peso system (some even more) and still not be contented. It's a journey often associated with costly trial-and-error processes wherein the goal is to get the "purest" sound from an audio signal, with the realism of the singer "being there."

So this is my story...

1st Philippine Hi-Fi Show coverage by Digital Tour on YouTube

I have a short interview here, along with colleagues.

Random ramblings

I've been compiling a few good and bad experiences related to services and customer service. If you'd like to know what I think of Banco de Oro, now known as BDO, read this.