Are you too old to be an audiophile?

Like I said in the original disclaimer I meant no offense to anyone. The title was just to draw attention. Obviously I do not discriminate against the opinions of the "elders" in these forums.. I come here looking for that advice, after all. I have no doubt that experience is much more inportant than ones ability to hear above 14khz. It was just something that o had wondered and thought it would be an interesting discussion. Food for thought.

For me, what most impresses me about a system is imaging and soundstage but I do value the higher frequencies because I can't stand the muffled sound. When I first started looking for speakers I was looking at b&w. What I didn't like about several of their more conventional floor stander designs were that they sounded closed in and boxy to me. What attracted me to the gallo 3.1 which I own currently was the fact that they sounded so open and had a wide range in which the treble does not fall off. At least horizontally anyway.

One of the main reasons I even started the wondering that started this
Topic was my dad. I bought him some high end shure earbuds which I think are amazing for portable playback. He wasn't impressed by them. He didn't think they were any better than the other pair I'd bought him for
home listening which are the Sony 7506. He is not hearing impaired. He loves music. Why can't he hear the difference? That was my thought process. Now I don't want to get in to the models of headphones because that's not the point, but I have te shure e5c headphones and bought my dad the newer shure se530. I could hear the difference between these two and it's in the midrange. The 530 has a much much better midrange to the point I almost bought a pair for myself even though I already have the e5c. The e5c isn't bad but the 530 is amazing by comparison. Why can't he hear this? Granted he isn't impressed by the e5c, and he is just one man. Could be that it's because he doesn't listen as closely as I do but I find that odd because he prefers headphone listening to
Speakers because he says he can hear tiny details on headphones. Anyway that's just what got me thinking down this road we are all on. Thanks for all the responses. Hope no one was too offended because that was not the point and I'm sure I could use all of your help in bettering my system. Even the deaf old guys. :)

** typed on an iPhone so forgive any typos or random capital letters please

Don't get me wrong, Farjamed, you asked a good question and it's prompted an interesting discussion. You have nothing to apologize for and I didn't really see you being offensive to anyone. Certainly no offense taken on my end. As far as your dad and the differences in what you hear, who knows. Just out of curiosity, have both of you actually tested your hearing to see if that is actually something that might be at play, or are you just assuming that because of the difference in your ages. If so, check out this article in the NY Times. And another fluff piece on CBS News here. It's not just older folks who are vulnerable to hearing loss.

I am reminded of a recent audition I was doing of two headphone amps. I have headphones that are a bit challenging to amp well, and certain amps do a better job than others. I was trying two of the amps that are reputed to do a very good job with these particular cans (and indeed they do). I'd made my own assessments of the two amps. Then a good friend who is also a music-lover/audiophile with many years of experience came to visit. He's another person I've shared plenty of listening sessions with in various places and we actually have pretty similar tastes, but are not always right in line with each others preferences. He listened and gave his assessment. He preferred a different amp for different reasons and did not echo many of the ways I was hearing the two. Then a third person came by who was picking up one of the two amps which I was borrowing. He is a headphone buff (honestly I don't know what his experience has been but his musical preferences are in another world from mine). He also listened using his music (as I said, very different from what my friend and I listen to). He had entirely different things to say about the two amps. Who's right? Which amp is better? Should you pay attention to any of the three of our different opinions based upon age...musical preference...experience...a hearing test....or?

Another example...over the years I've had many musicians come by and, usually in passing, hear my system (I never actually invite people to listen unless I know it's an activity they enjoy), whatever form it may take at the time. My wife's family has two musicians and my wife's degree is in music performance. Now a few musicians have stopped and listened in awe and have made some very vivid observations about what they were hearing, but many...no most, just get into the music and basically shrug off any appreciation for how it was being presented. My wife's family all know what's up with my system, but none of them really get it, and their few observations would not at all indicate they are listening from the same standpoint I am, or have the same appreciation of what's going on. I know none of them have the same priorities in assembling a system, and none really care about the same things I do. Who's right? Which approach is "better"? Are they deaf, or is their hearing otherwise impaired? Don't think so, and in many ways, musically they are far more sensitive to some aspects of presentation than I am. Still, they just don't care whether the music is coming out of a boom box or a thoughtfully assembled system that cost as much as a car. Who should you listen to for advice and on the basis of what? It's a valid question you ask about hearing. I don't know that the answer is so simple, except to say that ultimately you're the best judge of what sounds right to you.

BTW, I love the illusion of soundstage (with a 2-channel speaker system) as well, so we're on the same page there. There are plenty of folks who feel it's way overrated, but it does thrill me.

ok, have fun, kids.

Hey, who you callin' a kid?! I turn 51 on Friday my friend. Over half a century of valuable experiences up for grabs...what a valuable resource...get it while you still can. This is a limited time offer. In a few more years I'll be partially deaf and poppin' pills to raise the family flag. I'll have to turn in my Audiophile Decoder Ring and ID badge. Between the pension from Audiogon and selling off the system to some young buck who can better appreciate it, I'll have enough to buy me a Bose Wave, a years supply of Depends™, and a hearing aid. Maybe the government will have implemented the Soylent Green program by then and I'll have that to look forward to instead.

Well, you may not be a kid, Jax2, but you're a bunch younger than my son. BTW, I just bought a new cart and a spare armtube for my JMW 10.5i arm today.