At age 50…I’m here finally at a stage of my life that more things make less and less sense to me. I’ve been driving in this direction for a while now. But after the magically year of 50, things got a little more real. I have less years in front of me than I’ve lived and life is being counted more precious than ever before. You start to focus on what matters more and more, and you start to see where life is being wasted. And one of the easiest areas to see this in is your hobbies. Most of us in hobbies buy out of getting more, not out of true need. The word “hobby” itself, denotes such a followed state of mind in a lot of cases.
So after getting the amazing Meze 109 Pros for my 50th birthday and picking up the matching color of the EF499 balance DAC/AMP system, it began to settle on my head, and heart, that my journey in this hobby is coming to a end over listening to the set up. The 109’s , (headphones of year multiple years straight) are absolutely as beautiful and natural in sound as it’s looks. Pairing this with a R2R DAC like the 499, which brings out even more natural and warmth in the musicality, just puts things on a plain most people would never experience in music in their life. The details, vocals, timbre, soundstage, and even the mids and highs are so perfectly done with this combo.
I have even have amazing IEMs like the Oracle mk3 endgamers. Having experienced $2000 IEMs I can tell you that sound and deminishng returns in this hobby truly make things more irrelevant than you really understand. My $500 IEMs are just as good as $1000 IEM if not better and $2000+ IEM aren’t but minor steps ahead of it. The bottom line is that I’m getting too old to chase 5% goals. I’ve been feeling this way for a while but it’s more apparent at this age. I need more meaningful pursuits of life experiences moving forward. And this part of my life is complete and I’m thankful for it. Even yesterday, after seeing the new topping all and one that is coming out, would have jumped to buy it. But that’s when this all hit me more and more and was the fuel of this article. I didn’t buy it, and only appreciated my setup even more.
There was no need not met by setup now. It’s efficient, powerful, streamlined, and high quality with tons of headroom. Even my 109 are so well built perfectly sounding, and trusted that I plan on leaving them for my Son when I do eventually pass on. That’s how much I think of the 109’s. This has finally truly reached its conclusion and it’s as satisfying as it is scary but I know it’s needed. And if this is it…Ive searched all the way up to $2000 for headphones and DAC/amps….and there is nothing I wanted more than the Oracle mk3, 109, and 499 to close out my audiophile wired collection moving forward in my life. And unless something is no more, I choose to move on with my life to find more important things and enjoy the rest of my life with what I have today instead of spending my life looking at what others have or trying to compare them with mine. THE END!
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