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Thread: Whatever Happened To The Audiophile?

  1. #1
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Whatever Happened To The Audiophile?

    .
    http://www.npr.org/2011/03/05/134256...the-audiophile

    "There are still people willing to drop a large chunk of their income on the best audio equipment available, says music professor Mark Katz. "That said," he adds, "the landscape — or perhaps soundscape — has changed."

    Then came the barbaric revolution.

    Loudness became more important than clarity. The richness and warmth of a recording was replaced by tinniness and splash.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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    Obsolete
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    Thanks for the link. Interesting comments.

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    Senior Member pyonc's Avatar
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    Thanks for the link. Very interesting.
    Most of the forum members here are definitely audiophiles...

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    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    My contribution to the NPR thread

    I have learned from these comments that there are many NPR fans who can think for themselves. Nice range of comments. A few of mine...

    It seems the multitasking lifestyle, that is not sitting down and listening to music by itself, does narrow the demographic for high fidelity music enjoyment. You don't need hifi for background music.

    You also don't need it to reproduce junk carefully. It speaks volumes that the industry was astonished when a lot of frequently downloaded music started to cost something and sales vanished. People will eat a so-so meal for free but won't pay restaurant prices for it, if they know anything about their choices.

    The loudness war sure demonstrates the lack of knowledge and experience among listeners. No one cares when no one knows the difference.

    Analogue, it should be remembered, is equivalent to about 13 bit resolution. It has its charms, but GOOD well done digital has much more potential. I too lament the apparent death of the technology behind SACD, the Sony DSD system that Telarc was using. Megahertz capture beats analogue tape every time. For a system that came about as a response to theft it sure sounds nice.
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


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    RIP 2013 Rolf's Avatar
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    Very interesting indeed. The audiophiles still exists, but most are "under ground". In the 60's, 70's and 80's the audiophiles was "shining from a mountain top" for everybody to see. Now days the "crowd" has to dig to find them (us) that still listen to music on 2 channel in a quiet room.

    My thoughts.

    Quote Originally Posted by pyonc View Post
    Thanks for the link. Very interesting.
    Most of the forum members here are definitely audiophiles...

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    CarStereo

    Don't forget the rattling tags... on that Toyota
    Big Subs are at large out there ...and the Auto
    Cars Stereo thing has created a HUGE industry
    all by itself...gives the Street Guy a BIG Sound image...

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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Thanks 'Wolf... very interesting.

    I do think it odd that so many on this Forum consider "Audiophile" a derogatory term. The point of our hobby is generally centered around the enjoyment of music. The fact that many of us have at least briefly lost sight of that at one time or another doesn't decrease our love of music. Regardless, the passion for recreating high quality musical events in our homes, or places of business, is absolutely the definition of being an "Audiophile". You don't have to worship at the alter of expensive audio bling to be an "Audiophile".

    This link is somewhat related and also interesting. I Am an Audiophile.


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    Senior Member grumpy's Avatar
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    You don't have to worship at the alter of expensive audio bling to be an "Audiophile".
    And yet that is the stereotype (pun intended). It is somewhat rare
    to find an audiophile that doesn't have at least a mild case of
    equipment-philia... or isn't in pursuit of what a former forumite
    referred to as the gonadotropic effect; subconsciously or not.

    I prefer an active pursuit of satisfaction and enjoyment, vs. a
    pursuit of perfection (doomed to failure and disappointment).
    ...which, perhaps not so surprisingly, happens to support my
    fondness for both new and old

    Wishing all the best for 2012!

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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpy View Post
    And yet that is the stereotype (pun intended). It is somewhat rare
    to find an audiophile that doesn't have at least a mild case of
    equipment-philia...
    I think the perception of the audiophile by the uninitiated is a guy who isn't particularly successful with members of the fairer sex who listens to reel to reel tapes and big speakers... I don't think most "normal" people are even aware of speaker wire elevators and $1K interconnects.

    As for getting caught up in the gear... you bet, but that gear can be stacked Advents just as easily as a pair of glossy Wilsons.


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    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    Thanks 'Wolf... very interesting.

    I do think it odd that so many on this Forum consider "Audiophile" a derogatory term. The point of our hobby is generally centered around the enjoyment of music. The fact that many of us have at least briefly lost sight of that at one time or another doesn't decrease our love of music. Regardless, the passion for recreating high quality musical events in our homes, or places of business, is absolutely the definition of being an "Audiophile". You don't have to worship at the alter of expensive audio bling to be an "Audiophile".

    This link is somewhat related and also interesting. I Am an Audiophile.


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    I like to be considered a music apprecianado -

    tho Steve Vollmer has us local folks building altars of Audiophilia ...
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hjames View Post
    I like to be considered a music apprecianado -
    Of course you do... most of us would prefer to be thought of that way. The fact is some of us are... and are also "audiophiles". If you were only a music lover, you'd be content with an iPod, earbuds, and an endless stream if music.


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    Senior Member grumpy's Avatar
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    ... I don't think most "normal" people are even aware of speaker wire elevators and $1K interconnects.
    As it should be (IMO).

    Stacked Advents or Wilson's? Yep ... I am not free from
    "guilt" in this regard

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    As for getting caught up in the gear... you bet, but that gear can be stacked Advents just as easily as a pair of glossy Wilsons.
    Widget
    I could get caught up in it if there were stacked Wilsons or a pair of glossy Advents..
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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    I do think it odd that so many on this Forum consider "Audiophile" a derogatory term.
    I think that depends on who is making the statement and why?

    For example a dealer or someone wanting to turnover hfi stock will refer to someone as an audiophile if they visit their store or even hangout as a window shopper.

    I agree with one of the comments in that the article is removed from reality in as much that if frequency of usage and equipment change over was an indicator then diy audio buff maybe the core at the moment.

    In the cold winters there are literally thousands of hot soldering irons on of an evening building amps.

    A lot of people who aspire to good sound are building amps and speakers these days.

    As Rolf says a lot of it is underground now and its demographic specific.Of course technology has tickled down and spread over a broader market today in as much that pre 1980 hifi was a very specific category with relatively few manufacurers and very expensive and was seen as elitist.

    Whereas today there is a much broader range of very good sound quality equipment that is far better then the pre 1980 equipment and then there is ultra expensive Hi end where the law of diminishing returns prevail.Has anyone listened to a Leak or Quad value amp kit recently?Back in the 70s marketing was much more prolific when Dolby was a buzz word and everyone aspired to a Tandberg reel to reel machine.

    Interestingly at least in Australia there has been a growing presence of hifi class sound equipment in shops in the past 18 months and I hope that continues.

    So what are we doing here? Well I think the conventional audiophile would call us Hoons or the Harley Davidson end of audiophilia.
    Last edited by Ian Mackenzie; 12-28-2011 at 06:31 AM. Reason: edit

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    I often wonder why an old thread like this gets resurrected. It sits dormant for months, falling further and further down from the active threads, and then it pops back up in an odd fashion. I guess it's the title or a keyword that someone is looking for, or maybe folks really do use the search engine or plod through all the threads to see what's down "in the basement" so to speak?

    This thread lasted slightly less than three days way back in March... and here it is!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In any event, when self-describing I like the term "audio enthusiast" borrowed from the descriptors offered over at audioreview.com just below audiophile. Truth be told, I do consider myself an audiophile in the original sense of "lover of audio," which I am. Of course, I'm as much a lover of audio listening to my iPod through my car as I am listening to Performance Series or the K2s, because it is, after all, the music that matters.

    Nonetheless, I am also a bit of a technophile, a lover of technology. So I'm constantly looking at new tech and improved gear. I'm not induced to buy the prettiest, most expensive, or even the absolute best (does it exist?) in an orgy of accumulation, but I am interested in the best return on investment. How far can I go and not end up in the "now you're wasting money" category?

    I'll bow in Zich's direction and liberate his econo philosophy from DIY and tech stuff in general.

    I'm an audio-techno-econophile.
    Out.

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