Great post thanks.
In this case audiophilia is an affliction in which, just like other addictive drugs, tolerance may be reached which means even greater amounts/better equipment needed to maintain the high.
Now, the above contingent on what are the goals for any particular audiophile, perhaps the equipment itself brings about certain levels of ASC. No doubt humans can lust after material objects, think about how many humanize these objects, men often give their cars women’s names. My neighbor has males names for my cars.
It is not the gear pieces who gave me ASC.
It was music rendition translated in an acoustically relatively correct manner...
"timbre" is not only the sound corresponding to a know non electrically amplified instrument, even if in many case it is for sure. It is more complex.
Timbre inform us about the vibrating sound source state, be it a MooG synthetiser or a Yoruba drum...
Timbre is also not only a tonal color microdynamics varying in space but it is through the deformation or distortion of information caused by any stereo listening a dynamical "volume" in space which also create an ASC by his mere existance not as a mere localized noise in Nature but as an artificial "sphere" of artful meaning in our room if all is acoustically under control.
Acoustics parameters also not only the music content can create a strong ASC especially their convergence.
Consumers in a race to upgrade are not in an ASC but are perturbed by the boredom caused by their lack of acoustic control over their experience of music from which they evade by purchasing easy "solutions"...
