***Warning, a lot of rambling to follow*** Suggesting that it takes an audiophile to really love reproduced music is akin to saying that you need a gourmet to really love food. I've seen plenty of people who obviously enjoy (VERY obviously) food, but who couldn't tell their thyme. Similarly, I've known many people who spend just about every working hour listening and appreciating great music with just the aid of the department store. My best friend, in fact, listened only through a clock radio for months after his old stereo (one of those old , but has one of the most encylopedic knowledge of jazz of anyone I've met and has stated on occasion that live music is his reason for living. Now eventually I convinced him to let me find him a stereo, but even then he gave me a budget of $600 (Fisher 100B, Thorens 145, Polk Rt-5, and a Panasonic discman that I loaned him). He likes the stereo and admits that it sounds much better, but I honestly can't say that he's enjoying the music any more. Now I really like music, but I think that this audiophile thing is something a little different. To me, audiophiles are more akin to those guys who spend all their time under the hood of their cars. It's a hobby of continuous improvement, trying to eke out a little more performance. Not that you need that extra .05 seconds getting to 60 or an extra tiny fraction of a decibel less of a noise floor. It's fun to see how much more accurate or even 'better' we can get our equipment to sound, but I don't think that it necessarily leads to more 'enjoyment' of the music. Well, that's not entirely true either. I have found that when listening to very familiar recordings I can hear new and excitimg nuances to songs that I thought I knew like the back of my hand. And it is more exhilerating to hear tight quick kick drums than it is hearying blurry images. On the other hand, I'd be VERY hard pressed to argue that I have more fun listening to music under the perfect conditions than I do listening to it at some chatty party with a bunch of friends singing along. Oh well, who knows?
