are audiophiles different than non audiophiles ?

This is a difficult question to answer for all audiophiles but I tend to agree with Foster 9 and Frogman's first paragraph. So far as personality types are concerned, I'll leave that to the shrinks and behavior psychologists. Oh, Detlof, where are you? He could really contribute some interesting comments to that aspect of the equation.

On the one hand it is a quest by some to get a glimmer of what we hear in live music, to others it may have started out as a hobby in electronics and evolved from there, to others it is a fascination with the sound, to others the gear. But to the majority more satisfying music in our homes. I'm not convinced that all audiophiles are music lovers and that non-audiophiles necessarily like music less. I guess at the end of the day it must be "something you are wired for" as stated above other wise there wouldn't be audiophiles that really don't listen to music and music lovers that don't care to be audiophiles.

"I have never met a professional musician, who would fall into the audiophile category"

I haven't met one either but there are examples, how about Keith Jarrett? I would tend to agree that most don't since live and recorded are two different things that can't be reconciled by a musician when listening to a "audiophile" or "high end" system. Just a hunch.