Do Audiophiles really like music?

Tim,

It's funny, the more I obsess over my system, the less I enjoy music. Honestly, I enjoy a lot of rock music more on my stock Ford car stereo than on my home rig. It's sad, but listening to some of the poorly recorded rock music that is produced today is just more enjoyable on the low resolution system in my car.

I don't know if that makes me an Audiophile or an anti-audiophile. All I know is I like music. I like to listen to well recoded music at home, but I have to listen to U2 and Ned's Atomic Dustbin in my car because it seems that that was the intended audio rig for these recordings. They sound so bad on a high resolution rig that I can't believe the engineers that created the recording have ever heard a good system. It they had, they wouldn't record this stuff so badly.

Enjoy,

TIC

I have always tried to have the system serve the music, since I have always been around music. My mother taught classical piano lesons in our house when I was little, and I have learned to play a couple of instruments over the years as well. Playing in lots of groups, including a jazz big band, motivated me to build a highly electic CD and LP collection. I went to college in the early nineties and was a DJ at our radio station. When they abandoned LP as a format, I went hog wild in the record room!

At our local audio group meeting this weekend a member mantioned to me that I am rare in so far as I play and record rock stuff but own "a system". I hadn't thought about that, but it does ring true. I think that statement has relevance to this post, somehow...

I don't consider myself an audiophile, I feel I am more of a music lover. While I very much enjoy the gear that makes music sound great, I just listen to music. I haven't touched my system other than to turn it on for about 6 months. Before I got my present system, I was looking for cheap ways to improve my gear. Once I found what was enjoyable to me, then it was just about the music.

I can understand people who enjoy swapping gear, buying the next greatest thing, upgrading, etc. But it just isn't for me. Too much work and effort, plus I can't afford it. I like to relax and enjoy the music that my system give me. And my vintage system is very modest compared to almost everyone here.

I also don't care about what medium the music I want to listen to is on. I enjoy the music from both analog and digital. If it makes my toe tap, I am enjoying myself.

Maybe I am weird, or maybe I am on the right track with this hobby. Whatever it is, it suits me fine.

Bottom line is I don't belittle any direction this hobby takes someone. It's their life, time and money. If it floats their boat, who am I to try and sink it?

Steve

Despite having very good equipment and considering myself an audiophile, I don't think there is a direct link between the quality of the playback equipment and my enjoyment in listening to music. Once you get past your basic boombox quality systems I can seemingly get off listening to music I truly like even on fairly mediocre quality systems. To a large extent the equipment is a distraction and the goal I strive for is a system that distracts least.

In direct answer to your question, yes, at least some audiophile really like music.