Music lover or audiophile?


I think you have to decide, are you a music lover or audiophile?  I know the majority will say, both.
 I’m not so sure though. The nature of audiophilia is to get in there and fiddle with the tools, like any other hobbyist.  The difference in our hobby though is that presumably, our ultimate goal is to have the best musical experience we can get. The hobbyist is never really finished. The manipulation of the materials is the fun. The music lover, however, wants to get the most out of that esthetic experience.  
By continually plying materials, the audiophile is on an endless quest for better sound.
 After years of this quest, I’ve decided I can be a music lover or an audiophile.  I’m happy listening to my system now the way it is.  So, I’ve decided to be a music lover once again.
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No. Musicians are different. They hear and perform live music every day, they don't need and can't really tolerate hi-fi, I understand that.
Besides, one should not take what I say too literally. I also meant that any music lover should want decent sound too, good enough sound not spectacular.
The definition of an audiophile is: "A person who is especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction."

Is that a bad thing? I think not. I agree with many of the posters who see no issue with being a music lover and an audiophile; and, they understand that one is an extension of the other. I personally find it painful to listen to an MP3 thru a cheap boombox. 

I think the real issue is with the folks who inhabit the extremes of being a music lover or an audiophile. The extreme music lover becomes an obsessive collector who has to own everything ever released by their favorite artists, including boxed sets, remasters, colored vinyl and bootlegs. I have a couple of friends afflicted with this condition and they have massive credit card debt as a result. On the other hand, the extreme audiophile tends to own a turntable that is worth more than my entire audio system, car or even my house. I guess these folks have lost sight of the "law of diminishing returns." 
Thanks for the post. Here's my criteria. If you prefer live over recordings. If you'll listen to bootlegs to get the knowledge of the band. I've given copies of shows that were great performances or shows that person was at and they wouldn't listen to them because of the sound quality. Listening to a recording for a minute and deciding that it's no good just because of the sound quality. That's when I know where their heart is. Music's the best!
It's about the music first, then the system. The music is foundational, but hearing it better increases the enjoyment.
If I were to go broke tomorrow, I'd find a way to listen to music. The fidelity of my sound system would be missed, but having experienced quality sound, my mind would fill in the gaps.