Robertdid - I'm not creating a divide, just curious as to what Audiogoners believe. Within the range of human hearing, vinyl delivers a CONTINUOUS stream of sound.
Tape/reel to reel is better - that's what they use to capture the music in the studio and it delivers a continuous stream of sound as well. I don't own one do to convenience, cost, etc. and I know that is a compromise. We compromise in all decisions. If I had unlimited space, and money, I'd get one for sure and buy any copies Acoustic Sounds sells. A friend who says he wants to get one says they're like $150 per title. I guess you could tape your records, but what's the point of that?
I don't think audiophiles appreciate a certain kind of sound. Some like tubes, some solid state, some electrostatic speakers, some drivers in boxes, some analogue verse digital. In many cases that depends on the music they listen to.
It is impossible to replicate a live experience because of many factors, too numerous to name, so no, home audio does not compare. I once spoke with a stereo store owner a while back who himself couldn't believe that someone had purchased a $150K turntable (there are probably more expensive ones now) and his comment was "do you know how many concerts you can go to for that money". Obviously live music is the best, audiophiles just want the best quality sound they can get in their homes.
There is no "better" audiophile. I would say more serious, crazier, committed to spending a bigger % of their total net worth on the hobby, etc. I wasn't a "better" audiophile when I was in college and had a sizable % of my assets in vinyl and equpment. I had more time and spent more of it concerned on expanding my collection and making it sound as good as possible. Yes, people thought I was crazy, just like my neighbors do now when I wash, cleanse, polish and was my car, but they just don't understand passion.
Mijostyn - audiophiles are not silly, just a bit nuts and passionate about getting music they like to sound as good as possible to their tastes at home. If you want to turn up the treble and bass knobs in your car (or I guess on an old receiver), use an equalizer or DBX in your system, listen to Beats headphones to pump up the bass....whatever floats your boat. And Steve McQueen was cool.
