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Other than music, why are you an audiophile?

I would hope that the first reason why anyone is an audiophile is that they love music. I’m going to assume we all have that in common. So the question is: Other than music, why are you an audiophile?

I’ve had an interest in audio and hifi for twenty years, but it took me a long time, and a fair amount of introspection, to come up with a good answer. My answer is personal. It may not be true of anyone else. Here it is:

Other than music, I’m interested in audio because I’m fascinated by EMERGENCE. The concept of ‘emergence’ has been around for at least a century. It has been used by philosophers and scientists to mean a whole that is “greater than the sum of its parts.” More technically, emergence is a relation between system-level characteristics and component-level characteristics. A system’s characteristics EMERGE from the characteristics of its components when…

(1) The system’s characteristics are DIFFERENT IN KIND from the characteristics of its components.

(2) The system’s characteristics are CAUSED BY the characteristics of its components.

(3) The system’s characteristics are DIFFICULT TO PREDICT from the characteristics of its components.

What does this have to do with audio? Everything. In an audio system…

(1a) The musical characteristics of an audio system are DIFFERENT IN KIND from the electrical/mechanical/acoustical characteristics of its components.

(2a) The musical characteristics of an audio system are CAUSED BY the electrical/mechanical/acoustical characteristics of its components.

(3a) The musical characteristics of an audio system are DIFFICULT TO PREDICT from the electrical/mechanical/acoustical characteristics of its components.

Hence, the musical characteristics of an audio system EMERGE from the electrical/mechanical/acoustical characteristics of its components. In other words, an audio system, taken as a whole, seems “greater than the sum of its parts.”

To me, the phenomenon of emergence differentiates audio, as a hobby, from many (but not all) other hobbies, where emergence does not happen. To me, the phenomenon of emergence is what makes hifi seem like magic, in that something beautiful and emotional emerges out of something mechanical and electrical. And that is why, other than a love a music, I am an audiophile.

Anyone else?
bryoncunningham
jig
160 posts
 
I like to second guess myself. In other words, I am always saying what is the next step to make this better? Finally, I have perfectionist tendencies which is absolutely a losing proposition in the real world. However, when the stars align and your system creates the magic it seems worthwhile.
wpines
93 posts
 
I've always enjoyed Experimentation...... but audio Experimentation doesn't destroy brain cells or risk exposure to communicable disease... ;-)
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hi Bryon,

As I might expect, coming from you, that's an interesting and creative philosophical perspective.

In my own case, I'd simply say that being an audiophile is a natural and logical fit, given that I am both an appreciator of classical music (and, to a lesser extent, other forms of music as well), and someone who has been fascinated by electronics since childhood (and is an electrical engineer by academic training and by profession).

The field of audio is an uncommon fusion of art (in the broadest sense) and science, both of which I happen to be an enthusiast about.

Best regards,
-- Al
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
You omitted that they can be considerably less than the sum of their parts if you aren't careful. I have been assembling audio systems and selling them since graduate school, first unofficially and then as a factory dealer. I do it because it is a challenge and an art. I have two friends who have components I sold them over 30 years ago, they are still happy with them. The challenge is to find out what kind of a sound someone wants, the art is to find a way to get as much of it as possible in a system within their budget. Forget about making money, flipping burgers is probably a better bet. The reward is in setting up a system that someone really enjoys.
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