A lover of music is a person that can sit and listen to music on any system regardless of the quality or cost.
An Audiophile cannot. If the reproduction of music isn't up to their quality standards, it will drive them out of the room. Like hearing finger nails across a chalk board. or as is my case, styrofoam.
To me, it isn't necessarily the costs of the equipment that matters, but how well that equipment reproduces the music. Often, costs does play a factor, as most times (not always) you get what you pay for. But not always.
An Audiophile knows what musical instruments actually sound like and can discern whether or not a system is accurately reproducing the musical instruments. Or dimensionality, sound stage, etc. This is all dependent on whether the artist actually used real instruments in their recordings, miked correctly for sound stage, etc. if it isn't there in the recording, then it isn't there and just enjoy the music for what it is.
But an Audiophile isn't necessarily an audio snob, just like a wine enthusiast isn't necessarily a wine snob. There are audiophiles that are snobs and wine enthusiast that are wine snobs. But, they are just snobs regardless.
Same for car, watch, book, fashion, art, etc. enthusiast. Doesn't make them snobs. just enthusiast or experts.
Snobs rub your face in their absolute (in their opinion) understanding that they and only they know everything to know about a subject. I joke that a snob is someone that tells you what you like.
Anyway, enjoy
