It’s the time of year for saving money!
Last week I tore apart and re-assembled my desktop Computer audio system three times. Now I realize that for some audiophiles tearing apart and re-assembling their systems is the high point of their week, but for me it’s part of my job, and not necessarily the part I like the best.
The great portrait photographer Arnold Newman is credited with the truism, “Photography is 1% inspiration and 99% moving furniture.” The same can be said for audio journalism. Much of my time “reviewing” is spent breaking down, removing components, replacing them with other components, reassembling the whole system, then checking to make sure it’s all connected and working optimally. Oh, I almost forgot the tasks of unpacking new stuff and repacking already-reviewed stuff. I have running conversations with both the UPS and FED EX drivers who have my neighborhood as part of their beat. They see me a lot.
Hey, I’m not complaining. It’s just one more part of doing what I do. But sometimes, when I’m down on my hands and knees, under my desk, twisted sideways to clear the subwoofer so I can reach that AC cord way back in the darkest corner, I do wish that I were a bit more flexible…and smaller
Speaking of flexibility; there’s always a problem dealing cables and wire. Murphy’s law says whenever you need a cable, it’s always at the bottom of the pile, if anywhere. I have one special closet where I keep all the cables that are not currently in use. Sometimes I look through everything in the closet and still end up having to raid one of my three working systems to find the right cable, or double pair of right cables (for comparisons you do need to make sure that both sources are using the same brand and length of cable.)
I suppose some readers are thinking, “So?” My point is that the actual assembly and installation of an audio system isn’t elegant of glamorous, yet it takes up quite a bit of most audiophiles “hobby time.” Just like photography, much of the time audio is 1% inspiration, while the rest is spent moving and rearranging furniture…
