How do you explain audiophiles to your friends?

I explain it this way:

Audiophiles love sound enough to slow down, pay attention, learn to make discriminations with ear and word, and then seek to manipulate their experiences to aesthetics ends, often but not exclusively in the service of musical content.

The wine lover learns to appreciate wine then seeks out a variety of novel and better wines.
The art lover learns to appreciate art then seeks out a variety of novel and better arts.
The sound lover learns to appreciate sound then seeks out a variety of novel and better sounds.

What’s different about the sound lover is that their level of interaction with the components of their love-object is far greater than the wine and art lover.

In that sense, audiophiles are like chefs who love food and cook for themselves. They are sommeliers of sound.

Short version: "Audiophiles are chefs of sound who cook for themselves."

...that those are such crazy ppl that could pay hundredz of bucks per bag of rocks if it changes sound or those that would buy $20,000 speaker wires that they need to 'cook' first.

These days I don't even try. But my dog listens...

ozzy

"I can't, as they don't understand any of it. Friends, family, work colleagues."

+1

My friend at work is a lamp cord and science guy.  He gets a kick when I tell him of the money I’ve spent on fancy “lamp” cord.