are any of your friends audiophiles?

None here, I have one friend who really enjoys music and has a nice collection, but even he cant sit and just listen when here, I suppose it has to be on his terms.
I have made several great Audiophile and music loving friends from being here and at shows and gatherings so that is good enough for me, I bet I could find more but I dont talk about my stuff unless asked, you either come off like a nerd or a snob so I dont bother.

I'm just a guy who loves music, it's my love of shiny things that gets me in trouble! I have several friends who love music as much as me, but they seem totally indifferent to sound quality. It really boggles my mind, since a rather modest investment can heighten your enjoyment exponentially. Maybe one day they'll get it.

Yes, my brother and best friend, who unfortunately live on the other side of the country, are both into this, too bad I moved out to Reno, can't seem to get people here together, and I think there are a few.

A lot of people dine out on a regular basis, but very few have a trained palette. Also, a lot of people drink wine, but again, very few have a trained palette. So, following that train of thought, a lot of people listen to music, but very few have a trained ear. Over and over, both here, on AC and other forums, many people admit that they just can not hear a difference. Others do hear some difference but can not justify the cost or other things are more important.

When I was in grade school we were required to take a music class and learn how to play an instrument. The school even provided less privileged students with basic instruments. I learned how to play the flute. Eventually I took some guitar and piano lessons. In college, to satisfy elective requirements, I took some music appreciation courses. These days, most grade schools don't even have music programs. Fewer and fewer high schools even have bands. So, know wonder there are less people with trained ears and an appreciation of good music performances; just look at all the millions that are content to listen to compressed formula music on their Ipods.

As far as audiophile friends go, I'm down to just two. In addition, most "high-end" stores in my area are out of business or only doing custom install.

Yes, actually I have a few, the first two I think I can take credit (or blame, if you ask their wives!), for their becoming audiophiles.

One, is my brother in law, who after hearing my system, decided to invest a couple of thousand into a nice little system. (He bought my Basis 1400, w/RB300 arm as a starting point.) He will come over to my house (when our wives, who are sisters visit), and we'll listen for a couple of hours every month or so.

Another friend, whom I have known for over half my life, also liked my system, and after he and his wife bought their new house, decided that he wanted to have a nice stereo as well. He invested about $5K into his system. It reminds me of my first system actually. (Tube amp and B&W speakers.) We don't get to listen too ofter together to listen anymore, due to our busy lives, but we still get together occasionally.

And finally, one of my newest friends, has a system better than my own actually. (I met him on Audiogon, when I bought his used ARC PH-3 phono preamp a few years ago, when I decided to get back into analog.) We have helped each other out quite a bit. He has more funds than I do, so he can experiment a bit more than I can, so I get to learn from his hands on experience with various gear. However, I am really good at researching which gear is really top notch, and so he has taken my advice on a couple of items for his system, and they have usually worked out for him. We try to get together every couple of months to exchange our latest finds in music. (I am into Rock mostly, and he is into classical and jazz, so it works out great that we get to expand each other's horizons.) We also went to CES this year, and that was great fun.

I look forward to continuing to make friends in our audiophile universe.