The term "High End" needs to die. Long live Hi-Fidelity!

Hi @teo_audio :

You bring up a number of general issues related to rhetoric and persuasion. Let me reply obliquely.


Yes, I'm a bit of a troll, but often I do so with purpose, and I think it's valuable. My purpose is, often, to make our choices explicit. To help us break free of the constraints of language and culture and make each direction a personal one done with open eyes.


I really can't convince anyone to use "high end" or "high fidelity." But I can expose all of us to the idea that these are different, and to be free of the peer pressure involved in our buying and listening habits.  Being your own iconoclast can be liberating as well as save you a lot of money in the pursuit of musical enjoyment.


Best,

E

teo_audio,

     Good post with some good points!

     The internet and forums has changed the way we interact with one another. Humans are by instinct social animals and we've been striving to interact and communicate with one another since Felix grunted at Oscar concerning the tidiness of the cave.
     It's now evolved to Erik asking other members of a niche internet virtual tribe based on common interest whether the use of the common grunt of "high end" is restricting the future size of our virtual tribe.  Relatively meaningless in the scope of human concerns?  Absolutely.  Will result in numerous responding posts advocating variants of agreement and disagreement within a limited range?  Typically, yes.  Much ado about nothing?  You bet. 
    While I do consider your "isolated boxes screaming" as an apt  description of some of this new human interaction on the internet, I  consider those interactions entertaining but more a waste of time than anything harmful.  However, I do have concern for some other niche internet virtual tribe internet sites based on politics that are accurately described  as 'echo chambers', with homogeneous viewpoints reinforced by repetition, a lack of opposing viewpoints and devoid of any constraints such as facts, reason and truthfulness.  I consider these human interactions also a waste of time but with the distinguishing characteristic of having more harmful consequences.
     I actually consider the terms 'audiophile' and 'high-end' as exclusionary, elitist and a bit snobby.  I prefer calling myself an audio/video enthusiast but admit I'm guilty of being a bit persnickety and using the terms high-end, hi-end, high quality and high performance while knowing that high fidelity is a perfectly good substitute, high faithfulness describes our shared goal fairly well. I agree that being less exclusionary, elitist, snobby, snooty and persnickety  is a good way to roll and encourage more meaningful human interaction.

Tim                                                

Anybody remember the Canadian magazine Ultra High Fidelity? I used to buy it regularly at Tower. Alas, now both gone! And I left behind my collection of back issues when I moved down south.