Why is there so much separation between the professional audio and audiophile worlds?

**** Well, if we are the 10th person in the line and so much of the music has been lost, then why we even bother with any hifi ****

I was afraid of responses like that. Seriously?

Obviously, it’s all relative. So, are you suggesting that fidelity is NOT lost? Go to a concert of a symphony orchestra or an acoustic set by a Jazz or Rock artist in a good hall and then listen to some similar music on your system and then get back to me. That was the point.

"By the time the music is reproduced by the home gear (the tenth person) it has lost that much more fidelity. The better the home gear, the better it highlights just how much has been lost."

I’ve gone to live concert many times thank you.

My point is if someone believes the above statements as you stated then why spend more money on better gears, it will just make you more unhappy with them. Get something that you are happy with and stop the upgrade bug! Just saying.

You are misinterpreting what I wrote.  It is not that better gear will not OVERALL provide better sound.  Obviously, it will.  However, inferior gear will mask much of what is lost.  That is why many complain about the quality of many recordings.  Good gear exposes the warts; it will also sound fantastic with good recordings.....but there will still be losses.  

The overlooked question from this article is why don't both disciplines - pro vs public, jointly find advancements in sound reproduction that would benefit everyone? At one time, among other studios, Atlantic Records had a NYC studio full of Mark Levinson's Cello gear according to him. Obviously, given the at the time $25k minimum a Cello system cost, it wasn't meant for the casual listener, but as in other industries, advances at the top end should trickle down the food chain but often in our hobby, they don't.

Over in another thread there is a ton of people complaining about low distortion highly revealing speakers like B&W 800's, Wilsons, Magico.   They claim they are too bright. I know that is a factor of room acoustics and would take one of these over most other "gentle" but lacking speakers any day. 


Most audiophiles and certainly at the age of most here are not looking for accurate they are looking for a particular flavor.