Audiophilism is a hobby

For those who say they don’t understanding the issue or “the angst,” it is thus:  

As advantageous as high audio fidelity is, the processes by which the music lover achieves such is very often deleterious to actually loving the music. It’s hard to love the music when instead of just loving it one is very pre-occupied with the scrutiny of fidelity-related minutiae.  
Non-Audiophile Fred is just sitting there loving the music.  
Audiophile Billy is sitting there fretting about the distortion, the transient accuracy, the imaging, the soundstage, on and on and on and on….

Fred is actually enjoying the beauty, wonderment, emotional richness, mental stimulation, perhaps even transcendence that music provides.  
Billy is a ball of anxiety, angst and minutiae-scrutinizing madness.
That’s the issue and “the angst.” 

@oldaudiophile

I concur with what you’re saying. Those who don’t “fiddle” with their rigs, but are happy with the sound they are achieving can probably also be termed audiophiles. But the nature of this forum is that it dedicates itself to the type of audiophile who likes to manipulate equipment, which I consider rates the category of a hobby. If you’re not interested in the manipulation of equipment why would you become a member of Audiogon? Once you’ve achieved the sound you’re happy with you can join a music forum.

@tylermunn,

EXACTLY!

Very good description! thanks ...

These anxieties resulted in my own experience  from the inability  and incapacities to face the problem  save throwing money  and more upgrade toward an acoustic ideal the consumers had no idea about conceptually and experimentally...

 It is why acoustics  is my cure and the only cure to upgraditis... ( acoustics knowledge is not passive treatment of room but a science about sound experiences)

Fred is actually enjoying the beauty, wonderment, emotional richness, mental stimulation, perhaps even transcendence that music provides.  
Billy is a ball of anxiety, angst and minutiae-scrutinizing madness.
That’s the issue and “the angst.” 

@rvpiano I understand your rebuttal but still cannot convert to the wholehearted or exclusive "hobby" idea.  I and many others, I think, join and follow forums like this one primarily for two reasons.  One is to learn more about and stay abreast of the various components and products on the market, past & present, and to continually improve our knowledge of the more technical aspects of evaluating various pieces of equipment and products.  This provides some degree of guidance when one happens to be in the market for an upgrade, at some point.  The other reason, of course, is to reciprocate by sharing whatever expertise we've acquired over the years and experiences we've had, in an effort to provide similar guidance to other audiophiles.