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Music lover or audiophile?

I think you have to decide, are you a music lover or audiophile?  I know the majority will say, both.
 I’m not so sure though. The nature of audiophilia is to get in there and fiddle with the tools, like any other hobbyist.  The difference in our hobby though is that presumably, our ultimate goal is to have the best musical experience we can get. The hobbyist is never really finished. The manipulation of the materials is the fun. The music lover, however, wants to get the most out of that esthetic experience.  
By continually plying materials, the audiophile is on an endless quest for better sound.
 After years of this quest, I’ve decided I can be a music lover or an audiophile.  I’m happy listening to my system now the way it is.  So, I’ve decided to be a music lover once again.
rvpiano
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prof
3,534 posts
 

From your first post to your subsequent replies, you’ve upheld the false dichotomy.

You started with telling people "I think you have to decide, are you a music lover or audiophile? "

Which is a false dichotomy. As you acknowledged, the majority will say "both." Because it’s a false dichotomy.



I just get annoyed when false propositions like those are promulgated in regard to audiophiles. "Audiophiles just care about the gear, they don’t really care about music!"
You can speak for yourself, to tell us you became overwhelmingly focused on the gear/sound. But generalizing this to telling people they have to decide between being an audiophile/music lover is just false.


I certainly DO know what you mean by getting crazy thinking about the gear a lot. I’ve been there. But even at those points I personally never stopped being a music lover. It’s not a "virtue" that I remained a music lover, just a plain, dull old fact. If someone is far more skewed to being interested in the gear for most of the time, I don’t denigrate that in the least.


In any case, I’m glad you feel you’re in a better place, able to enjoy things.




rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
2,822 posts
 
i think the problem is in our view of “audiophelia.”
I agree mine is a  negative one. To me, it carries with it an addictive quality, as is evidenced by the submissions of so many Audiogoners.
 But you are right in pointing out that not everyone may be so afflicted.
I just suspect it is endemic in the audiophile community. 
wolf_garcia
6,796 posts
 
Yeah...the serious gearhead will sometimes smirk at the audiophile label to imply they're too hip for that sort of thing, and I call bull****. You enjoy your gear? Try new things from time to time? Roll tubes? Listen actively without the blue glow of that phone in your face? Music is important to you?...if you're obsessed with audio that at least keeps you off the road...maybe...
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
i think the problem is in our view of “audiophelia.”

SIC [My View]  Or specifically, Your View...which happens to be negative as you have proclaimed above.

Nothing 'wrong' about that because it is your view.

+1 @prof  Great post. Thank you.
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