I think of the attitude people have about High Fidelity along similar lines as the attitude some Americans have about the education of their kids. Some people think that they should have a say as to what their children will be taught. But those same parents often want their children to be "better educated" then they were themselves. So what if the parents are ignorant and under educated? We all can always learn more about audio and more about the world. Why draw limits? I would like to learn MORE about audio and MORE about the world.
You know you have audiophile system when...
The definition of an audiophile systems is truly unknown, but recently after dabbling with tube rolling, power cables, and interconnects my system achieved a level where its clarity was no longer what grabbed my attention. Instead, I was distinctly hearing the bloom and decay of every note in the music. It’s just a different level that I believe has me listening to music differently. It translates into greater dynamics and voices and instruments having more distinct vibrato characteristics.
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This is a quote from Allan Parsons, and he was wrong when he originally said it, and the quote is still wrong now. First of all, there is a "no true Scotsman" fallacy in there. As well as a false dichotomy. Of course, there are a small subset of audiophiles who do care more about the sound of the equipment, than the music. But why should anyone care if that is how they get their enjoyment from their systems? But the vast majority of audiophiles that are ’music first’ audiophiles. The vast majority of my listening, I couldn’t care less about the gear. I just listen to the music. But this doesn’t mean, there are other times, for a couple hours every couple of weeks, that I can’t have loads of fun, just paying attention to the gear, playing ’approved’ audiophile recordings, tweaking my system, etc. And not paying to much attention to the music itself. So, by the above (bogus) definition of audiophile and music lover, I guess I switch between the 2 on a regular basis. But I always consider myself an audiophile AND a music lover.
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The term was coined in 1951, and I think it is a perfectly fine term. Sure it is all about the music first. But that doesn’t mean the gear is not also fun as hell. I guess audio enthusiast is synonymous, which I am also fine with. But just because someone is an audiophile, does not mean that the music does not come first.
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@simonmoon Agree it's just fine and right in line with what you've said. Broken down into its Latin and Greek roots audiophile simply means a "lover of sound"--doesn't mean " lover of sound equipment"...Although reasonably good equipment is generally necessary to make that sound as close to live as possible, being an audiophile does not mean you must own high-end gear. |
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