What is an audiophile ?

[wolfshead]

I would say an audiophile is someone who is passionate about music to the point where the quality of sound has an unusually high impact on how much it touches their soul. Now how one acts upon that impact is another thing altogether- I'm quite certain there are many out there who can afford and own some of the best gear available but do not have the same soul touching experience.

I may not be able to afford, or willing to spend obscene amounts of money on my gear, but that does not lessen my appreciation and drive for ever increasing amounts of hi-fidelity music reproduction. I've listened to a cassette boombox from KMart near tears over a song, but have also had the (mis)fortune of a few hours with the Everest2 and 100K worth of supporting electronics and painfully comprehend how close to heaven that is.....and I'll add that I spent an hour with a 30K set of Wilson Puppys a few hours prior and they were laughable compared to the E2, from a soul-touching perspective that is

I agree , it is one thing to own another to appreciate.
As for as the soul is concern , I stay out of religious discussions. My experience has been that audiophiles were looking for the perfect reproduction , as close to live music as possible produced by electronic
equipment.

As in anything it all depends on exposure. It all also depends on one's values. Porsches promotions are that to own a Porsche is like nothing else in the world ! There may be some truth in that.

I would add that to own a superior audio system is also like nothing in the world. One cannot be concern with price in my opinion.

Your reference point is the Everest 2 , mine is a little broader. Again exposure.
I respect your opinions.

Much like travel , it is said every man should visit Paris before he dies,
Some might disagree some agree. Paris is a great city I prefer new York
but than again my wife Paris.

[wolfshead]

People refer to me sometimes as an audiophile - especially my neighbors. But honestly, I don't have really expensive equipment or speakers. I have just found what works for me and what sounds right for me.

I dislike the term as well, but I don't think a lot of people understand how the sound of music has changed with the advent of new systems and digital music. I am into an 'old sound' and my preference for the old sound came from when I was growing up with my fathers system. And with that older sound, comes older equipment that looks a lot different than a new receiver with an iPod hooked to it.

A lot of people that come to my house can't comprehend that the music they are listening to is coming out of a 45 year old Mc amp that is still going strong. With this older equipment there is more of a personal romantic relationship that some people don't understand or have gotten to yet or really don't care about. I like to learn the history of great pioneers and hear what Muddy Waters or Pete Fountain sounds like on a Mc tube system vs. solid state.

Personally I like most old JBLs and quite a few new ones (especially from the 1990's, which is an era that a lot of people loathe).

I buy more music than equipment, and actually don't buy much equipment anymore. I am no longer looking for the 'sound' or the end-all-be-all or audio nirvana. It's all about the music for me for sure.

Does this make me an audiophile? In my eyes I don't think so, but if it does then I am OK with it.

Most people like you love music, an audiophile loves audio equipment and is searching for that perfect audio system. the one that is indistinguishable from live sound. A never ending search for that "sound"
Music is only a vehicle used in that search.

pre 1980's there were many audiophiles , music changed and so did the audiophiles , many aged , lost interest and passed on. Today is very different.

One example is when I first joined the Porsche club in 1972 , the members loved their Porsches ,they didn't have much money , working class people.
Today working class people cannot afford Porsches. So most of those who
can afford Porsches buy them for other reasons ,image . being one.
There are fewer Porschephiles today. Same applies to audiophiles.

[CountD]

I really don't think there as 'less' -philes of anything today, I would say there are more. I believe -phile added to any word is an old term. Today we use the word enthusiast.

Working class people can afford Porsches, as a new Boxster is less money in 2010 dollars than a 911 was in 1972. In 1972 when you joined the club there were only two Porsches you could buy - a 914 and a 911. Now there are at least four or five different models. You can't label everyone who is buying a Porsche today as just an 'image' decision.

I bet when you joined the club in 1972 not all those people had new cars. Here in San Diego you can buy a nice Boxster for less than half the price of a new Accord - just like you can find lots of different audio equipment at different prices.

And what is a 'working class' person now? Times have changed. I think you are using old terminology in a world that has gotten more complex, distracting, and much smaller.

[scott fitlin]

I really don't think there as 'less' -philes of anything today, I would say there are more. I believe -phile added to any word is an old term. Today we use the word enthusiast.

Working class people can afford Porsches, as a new Boxster is less money in 2010 dollars than a 911 was in 1972. In 1972 when you joined the club there were only two Porsches you could buy - a 914 and a 911. Now there are at least four or five different models. You can't label everyone who is buying a Porsche today as just an 'image' decision.

I bet when you joined the club in 1972 not all those people had new cars. Here in San Diego you can buy a nice Boxster for less than half the price of a new Accord - just like you can find lots of different audio equipment at different prices.

And what is a 'working class' person now? Times have changed. I think you are using old terminology in a world that has gotten more complex, distracting, and much smaller.

Very well said, and I completely agree.

[laurie]

What an interesting term - "Audiophile", its not a phrase I see in British magazines.

In my case, the older I get, the less fussed I've actually become about trying to get the best sound, if I found a component I like, I stick with it for years. I enjoy reading the magazine called Hi-Fi World but I never read about any of the products and feel I must go out and replace what I've got because we are in 2010 and everything now is better than 5 or 10 years ago (plus often more expensive). I'm not prepared to fall into that trap and dream about things I don't need or can't afford.

I think the new Linn DS range is a good example of this - Linn have stopped making CD players because they claim CD players are so old hat and not that great sonically. Yet, Linn still need us to buy CDs to get the best out of the DS player - quite contradictory. There will be people out there trying to convince us Linn DS is the future and only way to go and there is no alternative.

http://www.linn.co.uk/what_is_linn_ds

[Allanvh5150]

I dont even like the term "Audiophile". It instanly conjours thought of people with far too much money spending it on wooden blocks, porcelain insulators, spikes and other esoteric items. As someone else pointed out they are more into the sound than the music. As a musician I am very much into music but I dont need an elaborate system to apreciate it. I hear music in colours, how notes sound together and the progression of intervals. It does not matter what instrument is playing, as long as it is not accordian or bagpipes.
However, I do have a very good system for playback, lots of power and lots of clarity. I would call my self an extreme hobyist that like to build things and tinker. Some of my friends say I am nuts and some like what I do. Each to thier own eh?


Allan.

[Mr. Widget]

I dont even like the term "Audiophile". It instanly conjours thought of people with far too much money spending it on wooden blocks, porcelain insulators, spikes and other esoteric items.

Whether spending a fortune on silly do dahs or twisting your own Cat5 speaker cables, it is all the same to me. I really couldn't care less if someone spends a few hundred grand or $500 on a system. If the reproduction matters to them then they are an audiophile, a hi-fi buff, an audio enthusiast, etc.

The system I have been listening to for the past month or so would make most audiophiles reasonably happy... especially if they couldn't see it, what with it's 16 ga. zip cord speaker wire and all. I am using an Apt Holman preamp (current used price value ~$250), a GAS Son of Ampzilla power amp (current used price value <$300), an old Sony DVP 9000ES (current used price value <$100), and a pair of ADS L910 speakers. (current used price value ~$500) With luck, you can get the whole system for far under $1000. I did. I do have a pile of other gear in the house and some of it cost me thousands of dollars, but this rather modest system from the late '70s and early '80s... electronics have all been refurbished, sounds quite fantastic, and with a better source, it sounds even better.

To be completely honest, for the most part I have not used that Sony player as an analog source, but rather as a digital transport feeding an outboard DAC. With the DAC, the sound is positively great. I can comfortably say that I am an audiophile, a hi-fi buff, an audio enthusiast, etc. I do not think that diminishs my appreciation of music, but high quality reproduction heightens my enjoyment and I am not ashamed to admit it.


Widget

[lansingfan]

That truly does say it all—and articulates my perspective as well.


Any chance we could lock this thread now and leave on a high note?

Harman/Kardon DVD-22 (factory re-furb) $40
Soundcraftsmen Pro-Control Four $125 (Ebay)
Soundcraftsmen Pro-EQ 44 $125 (E-pay)
Crown PS-400 $100 (Epay ex-local studio)
JBL L7 $200 (Craig's List from neighbor)
Total: $590

Audio File- Tool used to sharpen ones listening experience. Also, works on knives, scissors and swing blades.

[Titanium Dome]

So, we've been down this road before, and before, and before...

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ght=audiophile

Hopefully we all know what "audio" means, especially in the context of music and sound reproduction. As for "-phile" as a suffix, it comes from "philos", the second type of love, the others being eros and agape (a-gá-pē, not uh-gayp).

So you have oenophile (loves wine), arctophile (loves teddy bears), bibliophile (loves books), retrophile (loves things of the past), Francophile (loves things French), and disgusting forms too, like necrophile (loves corpses) and pedophile (loves children) as examples.

Audiophile is an innocuous enough word and concept. It is meant to be an inclusive and general term. Sadly, it has been misappropriated by segments of the audio community and forced into a narrow category.

Nonetheless, by definition, if you love audio, then you are an audiophile.

If you love your equipment more than audio per se, then you're really a technophile.

[rdgrimes]

If you love your equipment more than audio per se, then you're really a technophile.

You left out JBLophile.

[Mr. Widget]

You left out JBLophile.

That's because it is sometimes difficult to see one's self as we truly are.


TiDome, I am pretty sure all of the detractors of the term know what it actually means, but for some peculiar reason they choose to have it represent someone they can't relate too and therefore detest.


Widget

[Titanium Dome]

You left out JBLophile.

I guess the term doesn't apply to me, so I block it out. Mine is more like an obsession, and JBLaddict is already taken.

Seriously, I was looking around the garage yesterday while testing a JBL Synthesis® S650 amp I bought, and I thought am I doing? I already have too much of this stuff. I think I have a problem.

[jcrobso]

It refereed to people that were after good sound and were willing spend extra to get it and not just settle for the "boxed" record player console.
I was one of them, today I would call myself and enthusiast. I don't go way over board on wild things or exotic very BIG $$$$ items. There is a point of diminishing returns in everything. I stopped going to high end stores years ago. The is one in Hinsdale that you have to make an appointment to even be able to walk into the store, maybe this gives them time to ckeck your credit rating.

[Mr. Widget]

I think I have a problem.

Are you joking? ...that it has taken this long for you to realize it?

There is only one effective method of recovery. Send the SAMS to me, and all of the rest of your JBL stuff to others here on the forum.

Oh, you can keep a JBL iPod dock or headphones or something of that caliber to remind you how far you have gone.


Widget

[rdgrimes]

I think I have a problem.

No you don't. You can stop it any time you want. Really, you can.