Do Audiophiles really like music?

To an audiophile;
Doh, means "surely you hear that these cables give more soundstage"
Ray, is a sound wave
Me, as in which Speaker Is Right For Me?
Far, is a kind of monitor (as opposed to near-field)
So, is what an audiophile says when his friend tells him he bought a bigger amp
La, something that follows So (but audiophiles need to ask a musician to know why)
T, a kind of audio connection that splits the signal

I think that very few would come across this hobby in the first place, to say nothing of then choosing to indulge in it, if they didn't love music. Maybe some of us are eventually swallowed by the beast, when we reach the point that we don't hear music anymore because we're gauging instrument tonality, dynamics, soundstage depth, blah blah blah ad nauseum...
I've always been bad at tweaks and tests of equipment because I'd rather be listening to the music than thinking about the sound. But there is no doubt that I love music more when I hear it reproduced with greater authenticity. I'll not deny the "cool" factor. When somebody comes over to my house and sees the glowing tubes and the turntable, they are always pretty amazed, before even hearing it. (Most of the population is unaware that vinyl is being pressed today, and many don't know what a "tube" is.). And then they hear it, and the jaws drop and eyes bug out, etc. That's pretty fun. (Fyi none of my house guests have been audiophiles.)
So, to sum it up, I'd like to think I do this high end hobby because I want to be able to hear, as accurately as possible, what the intentions of the artist were. An analogy, for me, would be going to an art museum without your glasses, during a daytime power outage. Maybe you would still enjoy the art, but wouldn't you enjoy it a lot more if you could see it clearly, and under good lighting?

Cheers.

I'm with Marco. I never really thought about music until I went into my local shop and saw all the equipment I could buy. Whatever the music was, I thought all the cool gear would impress my friends and neighbors.

So to be honest, I not really obsessed with music, and I have a hard time remembering the names of bands and things. But I guess I would say I know what I like when I hear it?

When I realized the number of formats, however, and the amount of hardware and equipment I could have, I started to pay a little bit more attention to music, but mainly with a view to which artists could be purchased on vinyl, reel to reel, CD SACD and also downloaded from iTunes.

That way, I can listen to the same track, over and over, but also switching between formats to hear the exact differences.

As the same time, I like to switch cables, while keeping a journal of how I patch them in and out of the system, and also cleaning the contacts with different solvents which makes it hard to focus on the music.

In the end, what moves me the most, is the widest possible freqency response, really really low bass, volume, and dynamic range that that can push both my family and my each of my components to the limit.

My favorite music is the stereophile test CDs. I am not so sensitive to singers, orchestras or conductors, but I am picky about the clarity of the cannon reproduction on the 1812 overture.

I enjoy moving freight train recordings, and I also enjoy straight percussion, provided it is very well recorded or from one of the audiophile labels.

So I suppose to a degree - to some degree - you could say I was an "audiophile" but my music collection is starting to grow.

For example, I am really learning about jazz, starting with all the Mannheim Steamroller recordings. Also the really timeless, classic jazz including John Klemmer and Earl Klugh. I dont really get it yet, but my taste is becoming more sophisticated and I think the clarity of SACD is helping me to get there.

Anyway, I think there is nothing wrong with being interested in both the audio and the music.

Its funny that you posed this question now because its something I've been pondering for about a year.
I started out 30 years ago as a music lover and thru the years became an audiophile. I have found that now I no longer listen to the music as much as I listen to the equipment. Somewhere along the line, I don't know quite when, this happened. So much so that I now probably enjoy listening to my FM tuner and car radio more than my current system. I've often wondered how many others in this hobby have had this happen to them.
I'm almost at the point of going back to a midfi system, where I started an enjoyed "the music" a lot more.
Unfortunately, this hobby can becaome an obsession if you're not careful. There's always going to be newer and better equipment out there!! Where does it end?
At some point you have ask yourself Am I a music lover or an equipment lover? or both.

I like my music,but i love the tubes glowing on my audio gear more..