What is wrong with audiophiles?


Something that has happened countless times happened again last night. Ordinary people over for a party listening to some music easily hear things audiophiles argue endlessly don't even exist. Oh, its worse even than that- they not only easily hear but are stunned and amazed at what they hear. Its absolutely clearly obvious this is not anything they ever were expecting, not anything they can explain- and also is not anything they can deny. Because its so freaking obvious! Happens every time. Then I come on here and read one after another not only saying its impossible, but actually ridiculing people for the audacity of reporting on the existence of reality.

What is wrong with audiophiles?

Okay, concrete examples. Easy demos done last night. Cable Elevators, little ceramic insulators, raise cables off the floor. There's four holding each speaker cable up off the floor. Removed them one by one while playing music. Then replaced them. Music playing the whole time. First one came out, instant the cable goes on the floor the guy in the sweet spot says, "OH! WTF!?!?!"

Yeah. Just one. One by one, sound stage just collapses. Put em back, image depth returns.

Another one? Okay.

Element CTS cables have Active Shielding, another easy demo. Unplug, plug back in. Only takes a few seconds. Tuning bullets. Same thing. These are all very easy to demo while the music is playing without interruption. This kills like I don' know how many birds with one stone. Auditory memory? Zero. Change happens real time. Double blind? What could be more double blind than you don't know? Because nobody, not me, not the listener, not one single person in the room, knows exactly when to expect to hear a change- or what change to expect, or even if there would be any change to hear at all. Heck, even I have never sat there while someone did this so even I did not know it was possible to hear just one, or that the change would happen not when the Cable Elevator was removed but when the cable went down on the floor.

We're talking real experience here people. No armchair theorizing. What real people really hear in real time playing real music in a real room.

I could go on. People who get the point will get the point. People who ridicule- ALWAYS without ever bothering to try and hear for themselves!- will continue to hate and argue.

What is wrong with audiophiles?

Something almost all audiophiles insist on, its like Dogma 101, you absolutely always must play the same "revealing" track over and over again. Well, I never do this. Used to. Realized pretty quickly though just how boring it is. Ask yourself, which is easier to concentrate on- something new and interesting? Or something repetitive and boring? You know the answer. Its silly even to argue. Every single person in my experience hears just fine without boring them to tears playing the same thing over and over again. Only audiophiles subject themselves to such counterproductive tedium.

What is wrong with audiophiles????
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What’s wrong with audiophiles?    Interesting: you mentioned, "concrete examples".    The typical naysayer’s mind, is a excellent example of perfect, impenetrable, concrete.    ie: Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set!
Mpingo discs. Now there’s a misunderstood GREAT product if ever there was one. I can certainly understand why the Average Joe might not be able to find a place for it in his system. I get it. 🤗 They are tricky little dumaflodgies. No one promised you a rose garden. 🌹 🌹 🌹
I purchased a Bluesound Node 2I connected RCA analogue to the dealer's 2 channel amplifier.  He told me adding a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 DAC would make things sound better.  However, by doing so I gave up listening to the complete unfold of MQA.  We did a blind test 5 times and every time I picked the Bluesound played by itself.  So, what did I do, I opted to purchase the Pro-Ject DAC and a Carbon Audioquest digital coax cable because I listened to the dealer and did not trust my ears.  Kind of like the Emperor's New Cloth's.  If you spend the extra money you must be hearing better sound quality.  I just sold the Pro-Ject DAC and digital coax on Audiogon for half the price I paid for them.  That is a lesson I will not forget.  I will also not purchase items like these again until I hear them on my home system.
The problem with us audiophiles is that our perennial quest for audio satisfaction is often beleaguered by the various misinformers they we may encounter along the way.

Some of those we encounter may mean well, and some no doubt will be plotting to ambush and rob us soon after we embark upon what is usually a solitary lifelong mission.

It is certainly a dangerous mission, not as dangerous as mountain climbing - but still one that may take an entire lifetime and a large amount of free capital at our disposal.

Even worse, there is no guarantee of success as the sheer number of disillusioned long time audiophiles out there will attest to. 

Young man take care...