I consider myself a wannabe hi-fi audio enthusiast. I love collecting physical media (see Collection Keeper Pro) but I've always also been a fan of searching for the best possible sound quality within a reasonable budget.

Equipment

I was a big fan of the Pioneer Elite line of equipment—back before it was bought out by Onkyo—as a nice balance between price and performance.

The Surround Sound Format War No One Cared About

Today I have a special affinity for the period between 2000 and 2010 when there was a format war that no one cared about, where we were all excited for the promise of surround sound audio becoming mainstream. Much like 3D TVs, it never really worked out beyond enthusiast groups, but I still collect SACDs and DVD-Audio discs produced during this era. I not only enjoy the novelty of the 5.1 surround mixes, but I've found the quality of these mixes to sometimes be the best available.

Modern Audio

While Atmos is now king, along with systems that include a dozen or more speakers, these systems lack the simplicity of "insert disc and play" that the SACD/DVD-Audio days maintained. I appreciate that the industry keeps moving forward, but I'm still growing my collection of some of the best mastered albums I can find!