Audiophile Vs. Techfile


I'm not an audiophile.

After the time ive spend on this board over the past month or so, i have realized this. I have always considered myself to be one, but i now believe i am a Techfile, not an Audiophile.

You audiophiles amaze me with the amount of effort you put in the smallest of areas and the perfection that is demanded. While sometimes the things you all do i consider very nutty, i can see your passion. Talk about dedication to a hobby! I applaud each and every one of you.

I myself now understand that i am not an audiophile. I dont care about the airborn vibrations, or room treatments, or any of that. I am a techfile. I care about the gear. I love music, dont get me wrong, but my real passion is for well engineered and crafted technology. I love the way it connects and runs in harmony. And this is not just limited to audio gear im also equally fixed on video gear, gadgets, everything that has been "engineered"

Pulling out a brand new piece of gear and smelling the factory and electronics and seeing and feeling the precision craftmanship probably gives me a feeling compared to TWL finally getting his rig set up to perfection and playing his favorite classical pice.

i almost feel like im tresspassing anymore.

Is there anybody else on here like me? Or am i the only one?
slappy
Slappy,

It is quite true to say that audiophiles & techfiles are not mutually exclusive. Many audiophiles are techfiles as well as they love well crafted audio gear (the way it looks, the knobs & buttons, whether the power switch is in front or in the back, etc, etc). Likewise, many techfiles are also audiophiles as gear is just means to an end - the music experience of "being there". That's why we are all in this hobby/obsession. If we could jet ourselves to every concert of every artist that we cared to listen to, all of us would rather hear the music live.

What I cannot understand about you is, & I quote you, "I love the way it connects and runs in harmony"??

"runs in harmony" - how about an explanation of this phrase for all our benefits. "Runs in harmony" with what????
I certainly hope that you DO NOT mean - connect the power cord to the wall, attach the interconnects & listen to sound coming out of your speakers!! The gear better do this - it's called quality control which ensures that production worthy gear fires up when powered & produces an output! It's the very least you & I expect of gear that we have to pay money for.

To me "runs in harmony" implies a quality of sound somewhat proportional to the price tag the unit carries. I expect higher priced units to perform better i.e. produce a sound truer to the live event than cheaper gear. Of course, I know that a lot of expensive gear is just plain trash! So, far I have never been able to get audio gear, cheap or expensive, good looking or butt ugly, to sound good in a room if I didn't take care of the acoustics/room treatments. If I don't take care of the "airborn vibrations, or room treatments, or any of that" I cannot tell whether the unit "runs in harmony", I cannot get the unit to output what it is truely capable of. All I can tell is that it powers up & produces an output & I'm really not interested in just that 'cuz I expect that as sure as the sun rises daily. Other audiophiles who have answered this thread know this to be more than true!

I'd agree with you that you are tech-file if you buy equipment just to look at it & NEVER switch it on! Then you can ogle at its structural beauty & its ergonomics.

When TWL gets "his rig set up to perfection and playing his favorite classical pice" - he is actually hearing how his rig "RUNS IN HARMONY"! Try some of the techniques that he has gone thru to get whatever gear you have set up correctly & you will perceive a much better idea of "runs in harmony" - guaranteed!! The "airborn vibrations, or room treatments, or any of that" that you are casting aside as something less is actually essential to hear how gear "runs in harmony". Without this, if you think you are hearing gear that "runs in harmony", I think that you are sadly mistaken!
Uhmn, Bomby, i think you looked a little bit too deep into that buddy.

Runs in harmony. As in how the components come together and work together... I dont take that for granted, because i know how much goes on inside them, im always suprised this stuff works because of the complicated process that happens.....

thats all i was saying...

Reading this whole thread should be a REQUIREMENT for those new to Audiogon. It fully conveys what it means to be an audiophile. Enjoy!
More to discover